>>32622372
With a press of a button, the holo-display in the center of the room flares to life, revealing an utterly normal and unremarkable cargo freighter. There’s…considerably less cheering this time.

"Thassit?" Koma asks, his gravelly voice matching his gravely body. "No treasure galley or armored shuttle or even one o’ them space museums full o’ priceless artifacts? Jus some demmed freighter?"

"Oh come on!" You shout, fists clenched at your sides protest. "After we botched that last run we’re fresh out of shieldcracker torpedoes, our own shield array is on the fritz, and the main cannons are more likely to blow us up than the enemy. We’ve got nothing in the way of weaponry save the boarding harpoons and some skirmisher batteries. We need something light to fill our coffers and our pantries before taking on the big fishes again." You conveniently forget to mention that your most recent failure was due to faulty info you got that led you to hyperspace jump right into the middle of four Ztaanite Dreadnaughts. "C’mon guys, this’ll be a milk run!" You insist.

The assembly before you lets out a collective sight before dispersing to make preparations. Speaking of, you should probably check on the crew before it’s time to make the jump and ensure everything is up to snuff. That feels like the captainly thing to do. So, who are you gonna visit first, Captain?

[] Engine room. Can’t go nowhere without engines.

[] Targeting systems and shield array. Even a freighter would be a hassle if you can’t hit the damn thing.

[] The Green Room. Most ships have a Hyperspace Drive room, you have…something else.

[] Fuck that, just go to the bridge and sit pretty until it’s showtime. Your crew can handle themselves.

>>32622397
Where do we go to get the boarding gear ready?
targetting systems?

Because we need to get those grapnels on 'em and get the boarders in 'em if we're going to do this without torpedoes.
[] Targeting systems and shield array. Even a freighter would be a hassle if you can’t hit the damn thing.

>>32622397
> [x] Engine room. Can’t go nowhere without engines.
First things first.

>>32622397
[X] Engine Room
Gotta make sure we can still get to where we want to go.

>>32622397
>[X] Engine room. Can't go nowhere without engines.

>>32622473
>>32622477
>>32622501
Writing

>>32622397
>[] Engine room. Can’t go nowhere without engines.

You make your way to the back of the ship, the oppressive heat of the engines already washing over you before you even open the door. Of course, the inside is just that much worse, especially taking into consideration all the various whirring and clangs of the machinery and that music your engineer seems to love so much. You briefly wonder if he listens to it so loudly because he has rocks for ears or because he's half deaf from practically living in the engine room. You wioe the sweat from your brow and fold your arms behind your back, attempting to look as dignified as possible

"Chief Engineer Koma Tito." You address the assorted machinery, hoping he is among it. "I trust the engines will be shipshape come time for the jump."

The massive Igneoid apparates from within the bowels of pistons, pipes, and glowing whatevers, wiping one hand off on his cargo pants stuffed with tools as his other hand scratches his literally chiseled abs.

"Well, the de-radiator is cracked, the dark matter ducts're leaky, an' the left transdimensional piston keeps on jamming. I would probably have 'bout five types o' cancer if I had organs like you got."

"So…all's good back here?"

Koma stretches his back and waves a wrench at you.

"Nothin’ a lil duct tape can’t fix. Course, no sayin’ the whole thing wont jus’ up an’ pop once yer leafy lady does her demmed green jump thing." He shakes his head as he disappears back into machines "I jus’don’t like it. Ships is supposed t’be made o’ steel, I say. Not wood an’ wishes an’ whatever that noise she got down there is."

>[] Lecture Koma on questioning the decisions of his captain. Your first mate and her 'green jump thing' is the only reason you're all alive right now.

>[] Clarify your relationship to him. She is just your first mate, not your lady.

>[] Congratulate him on his work and move on, you have more crewmates to visit and not nearly enough time. (Specify who)

>>32623267
>>[] Congratulate him on his work and move on, you have more crewmates to visit and not nearly enough time. (Specify who)
Let's get the fuck out of here before we get dozens of kinds of cancer.
I don't care where, just out. Maybe visit the green room, I guess.

>>32623267
>[] Clarify your relationship to him. She is just your first mate, not your lady.

Gotta go full Tsun.

>>32623267
>[] Congratulate him on his work and move on, you have more crewmates to visit and not nearly enough time. (Specify who)
CANCER IS BAD WE SHOULD LEAVE NOW.
20 goto dryad

>>32623267
>>[] Lecture Koma on questioning the decisions of his captain. Your first mate and her 'green jump thing' is the only reason you're all alive right now.
>
>>[] Clarify your relationship to him. She is just your first mate, not your lady.

>>32623410
I'd be for this if I wasn't deadly afraid of engine room.
At least until we get it fixed.

>>32623267
> [x] Congratulate him on his work and move on, you have more crewmates to visit and not nearly enough time. (Specify who)
Let's go see the guys working on the targeting systems and shield array. Make a note to spend some money on fixing the engines.

>>32623454
Yeah. Gotta make sure the harpoons are working at least.

Writing
Sounds like Green Room and then Weapons and Shielding is what everyone wants.

Damn you. My two weaknesses combined. Monster girls and lady pirates.

Proceed.

>>32623530
Well, I'd be just as fine going to the bridge, but might as well meet our crew.

You cough and straighten your hat. "I had a lecture for you on the how you should address crewmates by their proper titles and not assume things between me and the first mate, but in the interest of not getting several cancers, I’ll have to settle for insisting that you keep up the good work." Unfortunately your totally authoritative admonishing earns little more than a dismissive wave (his arm being the only part of him currently visible), so you decide to make your way to the next destination on your tour: the Green Room.

Nestled deep in the heart of your ship, it takes several painfully cramped minutes coiled around yourself in the elevator for you to reach the pride and joy of The Sol Regret. Where most ships achieve FTL travel via Hyperspace Drives that require expensive exotic matter to run and emit signals that any ship with a decent Spatial Flux Sensor can detect, The Sol Regret has an Arboreatrix Drive. It runs on next to nothing, makes more precise jumps, and most importantly for you, is virtually undetectable by any means. The only reason they aren’t more widespread is because every Arboreatrix Drive is made up of two parts: a Navigator Tree, known officially as the Navnolia, and a dryad to interface with the Navnolia. However, both the tree and the dryad are damned near impossible to acquire due to how fiercely both are guarded by the Arboreal Legion, a galaxy sized empire of various sapient plants. Fortunately, nothing is safe from the sticky fingers of the soon-to-be-dreaded Pirate Captain Valdessa Atroxius!

>>32624809
With a light wind chime where there would normally be a mechanical ding, you clumsily spill out of the elevator in a most dignified manner, warm grass meeting your face where there should be cold steel. The normally gray walls have been similarly replaced with swirling brown wood and a gentle, sunny glow shines down through the canopy as the sounds of unknown animals call to each other all around you. You have entered the Arboreatrix Drive Chamber. The Green Room.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFIOuQjgMYY
Despite being as hot as the engine room, the humid air of the green room is much more welcome to you, reminding you of the tropical planet you grew up on. Much less neon and gangers looking to skin a gal just for the change in her pocket and the boots she’d make, thankfully. Before you enter the clearing in the middle of the miniature jungle, vines erupt from the floor and trees and tie you down.

"Who is it that is so bold as to tread upon my sacred grove?" A singsong voice echoes through the trees, followed by an all-too-familiar mischievous giggle.

"Mutiny! I’ll have you keelhauled for this, Cernu!"

"Shouldn’t that be 'First Mate Cernucorra Dergundin Yorocontria ?' You always do love to go on about the importance of decorum." She smugly sashays into view wearing nothing more than a sleeveless vest and pants that have no business being that tight as you try to thrash about and free your tail from her binds, taking your hat and posing with it, her vines sticking out from underneath it and reaching down to her waist.

>>32624823
"Cargo doesn’t get names!" You snap back. "And give me back my hat."

"If that is your wish, my captain, then it shall be my command." With a wave she dismisses the vines and in the same flourish removes your hat from her head and places it back on your own, brushing a hand across your cheek and whispering in your ear "Besides, you're always welcome to tread upon my grove."

"I don’t tread, I slither." You mumble, brushing the dirt off of your jacket. "And I only came to see if you're prepared for the jump."

With a subdued smile she stretches her arms out wide and spins in a circle. "The sungus shines down, showering us with vitality," she gestures to the bulbous, glowing mass directly above the clearing, "Drasilios is as eager to see new space as the rest of us," she gestures to the massive trunk behind her that grows into the walls of the chamber if you follow it all the way up or down "The shiproots hold fast within the ship, binding us all together," she spins again, gesturing once more at the whole chamber, "We will never hold back your ambitions, my captain, and I always welcome your company."

How do you respond, captain?

>"You don’t have to go and say it like that."
>"These…forward actions of yours might give the crew the wrong impression."
>Pluck a berry from her vines and hurriedly slither off. That’ll teach her to try and mutiny like that!
>Writein

Sorry for the slowness, by the way. Its been a while since I wrote anything, much less on a time limit.

>>32624838
>>Pluck a berry from her vines and hurriedly slither off. That’ll teach her to try and mutiny like that!

Captain needs to maintain discipline on her ship

>>32624838
I have no idea what those mean, but it sounds like you are doing warp engine things well.
Good work.
Then,
>"These…forward actions of yours might give the crew the wrong impression."

>>32624838
Heh.
>Pluck a berry from her vines and hurriedly slither off. That'll teach her to try and mutiny like that!

'Course, it'll teach her nothing of the sort.

>>32624838
>Pluck a berry from her vines and hurriedly slither off. That’ll teach her to try and mutiny like that!

Writing

>>32624859
Considering the 3 post wall of text, I can't blame you for taking a while.

>>32625004
Yeah, maybe consider smaller updates. Speed helps.

Though, if this is what you're comfortable with, maybe not.

>>32622372
OP unrelated I take it. This looks cool, if I was free I'd play with you but for now I'll have to just say keep doing this. It's a good thing.

Alright. I now wholeheartedly support Cernu\Valdessa . It's not fair that you keep on hitting all these buttons.

>>32625252
Oh, I think our boarding parties are mechs.

>>32625140
Right now its kinda lengthy since I'm trying to set all the pieces down. Hopefully things will speed up after introductions are over.
>>32625252
Not entirely. Boarding action is done via mech battles. Val has her own specialized naga mech since she aint no armchair captain.

>>32625315
>Not entirely. Boarding action is done via mech battles. Val has her own specialized naga mech since she aint no armchair captain.

This is my fetish

>>32625294
>>32625315
Oh I see. I'll take it.

Well.

Given what we've seen so far, do we want to prioritize ammo, rum, or engine repairs when we get our loot?

"You know, you could try being a little less roundabout in your speech. Might help you seem a little less haughty and all."

Cernu sighs and rolls her eyes. "The sungus is the fungal sunlamp above us, Drasilios is your Navigator Tree, and the ship roots are what interface him with the rest of the ship."

"Oh right. Sometimes I forget that he's just…here. Always. Watching and listening to everything we say and do."

"Why captain, is there something we shouldn’t be doing to each other?" That damned smirk of hers spreading across her face all over again.

You bristle back up, trying to assume your dignified, captainly stance from earlier, completely ignoring your reddening cheeks. "You know, these…forward actions of yours might give the crew the wrong impression on us, Cernu."

"Oh, and what impression would that be?" She folds her hands behind her back and leans forward until her face is right next to yours, vines dangling down between the two of you.

Instead of giving her a proper answer, you simply pluck one of the many berries growing on the vines from her scalp and pop it in your mouth before she can protest. You relish the memory of her stunned expression and the deep green blush on her face as you hastily make your escape to elevator. Where to next? Oh right, targeting and shields. No good tying to raid a ship if all you can do is ram the damn thing. Last time you did that was hell enough on the hull. You finally find yourself in a room full of various monitors and displays, several of which are ominously beeping.

>>32625772
"Technician Toshka Phillips, give me a full systems report."

A wiry, diminutive girl with her hair cut short and a variety of wires plugged into her skull gets up from behind one computer, her tri-scoped mechanical eye spastically switching between lenses. You still aren’t sure if the pointed, curved horn sticking out from the center of her forehead is some sort of mutation or marks her as a separate species from humans, but it would be rude to ask.

"All things’re go, boss."

"Captain." You correct.

"Right. Everything is slick and shiny and ready for action. Is what I would like to say, anyways, if that damned pet of yours hadn’t swakked our targeting comps." She must be referring to the Vaccrab you picked up a while back. A crablike arthropod able to survive the unforgiving vacuum of space and feeding off of various electric pulses and radiations, he sometimes likes to frolic and feed on your computers and you find him much to adorable to say no to. "Harpoons’re still go, but the skirmishers gonna need to be manually fired. Course, with Texa at the helm-" she thumbs her mechanical arm at the lanky creature currently furiously tearing away at some wires. "-won’t make much difference. Once he's done on the shields, he’ll make slump it to the bridge."

You had almost forgotten how odd those tech heads from Gibs-12 spoke.
>"He only does it because he knows you hate it. Trust in the crab and the crab will trust in you."
>"If you don’t want him to tear up your computers, maybe you should make them a little less tasty."
>Just move on to Texa, she is having a bad enough day as it is.

>>32625710
Dont worry, I wont make things too micromanagement sim, since I can hardly keep up with strict numbers myself. This is meant to be lighthearted fun.

>>32625802

>"He only does it because he knows you hate it. Trust in the crab and the crab will trust in you."

Believe in the me who believes in you

>>32625802
>"He only does it because he knows you hate it. Trust in the crab and the crab will trust in you."

>>32625802
>"If you don’t want him to tear up your computers, maybe you should make them a little less tasty."

Also, tell her we'll get some computers to distract our crab from this next hit. I'm sure the freighter won't need ALL the computers.

>>32625802
>"He only does it because he knows you hate it. Trust in the crab and the crab will trust in you."

>>32625802
>TRUST THE CRAB

note:
it is actually a terrible idea to trust the crab. Tech lady, keep the crab away from the important parts.

>>32626086
If it's one thing fuurama taught me about spaceships, it's to never trust the crab

You pry open the top of the computer she was working on and are greeting by the sight of the inky black twinkling carapace of your pet vaccrab (meant to imitate space and the stars to throw off predators), Mr. Snips. Not the cleverest name, you admit, but seeing as he literally crashed through the hull of your boarding mech when you first met him, it’ll have to do. Once his beady little eyes catch sight of you, he lets out a few celebratory whoops (you still don’t know how he does that) and skitters up your tail before taking his rightful perch at your shoulder like any proper pirate’s pet.

"He only does it because he knows you hate it. Trust in the crab and the crab will trust in you."

"I think you need to stop smoking your first mate and just get the damn blagger outta here fore I swak it." Toshka waves a menacing fist at Snips, only to be met in kind by his raised claws, crackling and glowing as the lights and monitors flicker around you.

"Getting him angry is just going to cause him to light up those EMP claws of his, you know." You warn the now panicking technician

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry! Just get him out of here."

You pat Snips on the frontal region of his body a few times, calming him down and causing him to dismiss the pulse.

"See? Trust the crab, Toshka." You reproach her before turning your attention to your other technician. "Texaport, how be those shields?"

>>32626712
As a spindleman – an artificially created species from the machine world Jerghintos designed by a long dead civilization expressly for life aboard a spaceship, named such for the characteristic four long, three-jointed segmented arms upon which they walk – he technically doesn’t have a name, meaning that the moniker Texaport is one of his own making. His sense of humor, stunted as it may be, is likely why he has found himself in your employ. His pale white fingers are all but a blur as he continues his work and regards you at the same time.

"Shields online. Tracers online. All systems nominal. Current task is rudimentary rerouting to improve shielding output. Should be done in 4.2 minutes." His response is quick and monotone.

"Well there's the first bit of good news in a while. Report to the bridge when you're done with that, sounds like I might need those quick fingers of yours if the freighter tries anything funny."

"Acknowledged. Do forgive Toshka’s attitude today. She is feeling rather crabby." Texaport adds, earning another groan from the horned cyborg. You can’t help but agree on some level. The one spindleman with a sense of humor in the whole multigalactic sprawl, and it has to be puns.

Finally, you are ready to jump.

"Jump us right in front of them, if you will." You decree from your Captain’s Chair at the center of your bridge. "I want to be able to hit them with my cutlass."

The wooden column directly behind your chair opens up, revealing Cernu within, with only vines and tree branches to cover her. Her voice is distant and breathy as she speaks, her eyes unfocused.

"Synchronizing with Navnolia, accessing the Green Dub, jump in 3, 2, 1…"

>>32626733
Your ship hums to life and the air around you begins to feel thick. Instead of the typical bright yellow of hyperspace travel, instead nothing but emerald green can be seen from every window. You begin to smell something simultaneously fruity and smokey as you hear vague whispers and rustling all around you as that lazy, raucous music Cernu loves so much is not so much heard as it permeates through every pore and sense you possess. You feel it. Taste it. Smell it. You ARE the Dub. And just as it begins, it ends. You snap back to reality, once more surrounded by cold void of space, only now you’re staring headlong at the cargo freighter that will soon belong to you.

"Jump completed" Cernu sighs.

What’s your next move, captain?

>Hail them on the comm. Every pirate captain worth their salt has some menacing speech to give their mark, promising them safety for surrender.
>Just attack them without warning. Sink your harpoons into them and try to take out their engines if you can.
>Write in

>>32626744
>>Hail them on the comm. Every pirate captain worth their salt has some menacing speech to give their mark, promising them safety for surrender.

It's how you gain notoriety.

>>32626744
>Just attack them without warning. Sink your harpoons into them and try to take out their engines if you can.

We're a little pressed for supplies to carry on the nobler pirate traditions.

>>32626744
>Just attack them without warning. Sink your harpoons into them and try to take out their engines if you can.

agreed

>>32626786
>>32626816
Well, can we at least demand surrender once we get our grapples into 'em?
It's just good policy and saves our men a lot of trouble.

>>32626835
Sure. Its a better position anyway.

>attack first, but menacing monologue during the barrage
That sound like a good compromise?

>>32626847
Maybe let's try to not damage their engines so much and instead focus on the grapples then.

>>32626865
Sure.
I don't think we have anything to barrage but the grapple hooks.

>>32626865
Sure.

>>32626868
Well, we want to rough up their engines at least. Can't have them running away.

"Fire harpoons!" You shout and point at the viewscreen. This is it! This is why you became a pirate! The tip of your tail thumps excitedly against the floor as you try to open communications with your victim. As the salvo of harpoons sink into their mark, you begin your speech.

"Greetings, crew of the ISS Salty Dingo. As you have no doubt noticed, you have gained yourself the attentions of the dreaded Pirate Captain Valdessa Atroxius. However, all you have to do is power down your engines and allow us to board and you shall escape with your lives. Should you resist, we will not hesitate to-"

The commlink closes. They cut off communications. They cut you off. In the middle of your speech! You didn’t even get to tell them the name of your ship! They cut you off! You are so gonna gut every last one of them personally!

"Look, Cap’n! They’re cutting loose their cargo trailers!" Your helmsman reports.

Huh. That was easier than you thought. Every last trailer has been disengaged from the freight cabin, save one. They must’ve been so scared of your reputation that they couldn’t even listen to your entire menacing monologue without trembling in fear.

"Wait a minute, something ain’t right. Those trailers keep pinging, as if they’re talking to one another"

It’s then that the trailers all open their doors wide, revealing nothing but missiles within.

"Missile drones! Every last one is a missile drone!"

…Shit.

>Leave The Sol Regret in the hands of your crew and handle this personally with your boarding party.
>Try to drag the Salty Dingo around by the boarding harpoons and give your boarding party some cover
>Disengage harpoons, avoid missiles, and then try and attack from another angle.

>>32627275
>Leave The Sol Regret in the hands of your crew and handle this personally with your boarding party.
Get out there and break their communications systems before they fire!

If we can even get ONE of those drones de-brained, we have a payday of ammunition! More are a bonus!
Also, it will keep our ship from exploding.

Give the helm to your second so they can do the cover thing.

>>32627275
>>Try to drag the Salty Dingo around by the boarding harpoons and give your boarding party some cover

>>32627275
>Leave The Sol Regret in the hands of your crew and handle this personally with your boarding party.

I wonder if this one even has crew on it.
Automated freighters could very well be a thing.

That’s fucking it. This was supposed to be a milk run, dammit. It was just a lone cargo freighter off on a distant route, away from all the major space lanes and with no major affiliations attached to it! On second thought, that totally sounds like a cover-up for something sketchy. Dammit. Regardless, they tricked you and now you're gonna handle this personally. This is precisely the reason the loading bay sits below the bridge, and why you installed a nifty little pole connecting the two. You slide down it to see your boarding party already geared up and ready for action, some of them already jostling each other around and making mess of the hangar. That gang of cyborg mutants that call themselves the Mechaniacs you nabbed from that post-apocalyptic world may not be the most disciplined soldiers, but they make up for it with their enthusiasm. Roger Padstow is also among them, still drinking whatever substance he mistook for grog. An older breed of corsair, the bearded, burly man prefers the term buccaneer and will forcefully correct anyone who mistakes him for your common pirate.

"You said this was s’posed t’be a milk run." Padstow bellows over the din of wrestling mechs.

"I don’t hear the Mechaniacs complaining." You slip into the cylindrical cockpit of your mech and make sure your twin cutlasses and twin pistols are on hand for both you and your mech.

"Let’s get it over with, then."

>>32627713
The rush of air leaving as the hangar doors open is hardly noticeable, especially as the battle rages beyond it. Cernu, having taken control of The Sol Regret, is violently shaking the freighter to and fro with your superior thrusters. The harpoon cables shake violently while your skirmisher batteries spit wildly at the incoming missile barrage, the shields absorbing the impact of the few that do make it past Texaport’s expert aim. With a whoop and a holler, the Mechaniacs quickly attach themselves to the harpoon cables, designed not only to lock the boarding mechs in place as they glide across the battlefield, but to accelerate them along as well. You and Padstow follow suit, whizzing past a hellscape of missiles and gunfire, Mr. Snips still faithfully clinging to your shoulder. Thankfully, Texaport is attentive enough to cover you during your journey and the Mechaniacs have already punched a hole in the Salty Dingo’s hull, opting to throw one of the missiles at it once they made it through the shield’s range instead of using the conventional cutting methods. Now that you're inside, it’s time to settle this. Choose from the following two categories

1. Head for
>The bridge. Time to give the captain a piece of your mind by taking a piece or two of himself.
>The final cargo trailer. Must be one hell of a haul worth all this trouble.
2. Send Mr. Snips to
>The control room. Shorting out those drones will make life a lot easier for your crew.
>The engine room. Dead engines means dead ship. Then Cernu can use the Salty Dingo like a mace to crush those drones.

>>32627730
1:
>The final cargo trailer. Must be one hell of a haul worth all this trouble.
Vengeance for cutting it off is good, but LOOT is sweeter.
2:
>The control room. Shorting out those drones will make life a lot easier for your crew.
We don't need more damage to our ship. That stuff costs. They're free to get away all they like after we steal their shit.

>>32627730
1. Head for
>The final cargo trailer. Must be one hell of a haul worth all this trouble.
2. Send Mr. Snips to
>The control room. Shorting out those drones will make life a lot easier for your crew.

>>32627730
1
>The final cargo trailer
2
>The control room

Writing

Forget the captain. He's probably just some nobody taking orders from some shadowy higher ups. They’ll feel the sting of your wounded ego when you make with their oh so precious cargo! But first, those drones. Tearing open a nearby panel, you grab Mr. Snips and set him next to the exposed wires and giving him a pat with your massive mech finger.

"Go on, Snips, their computers are just begging for you to chew on them."

He gives a few gleeful clacks of his claws before disappearing into the exposed wiring. Oh yeah, vaccrabs can totally do that. Travel through wires. It along with their obnoxious survivability and diet of computer hardware and broken engines tends to make them a bane to most starship captains. Good thing you aren’t most captains. With that taken care of, you head towards the cargo trailer, dead set on looting the damn thing bare. You and your crew meet surprisingly little resistance in the bowels of the ship, making you almost hopeful things will continue to be this easy as you cut open the doors to the freighter.

Only to be greeted by a whole squadron of Helios Class Battledroids, androids with the strength and tenacity to rip a tank apart, and that’s without their elite arsenal.

The Mechaniacs couldn’t be happier. You just want to go back to bed. Showtime, captain, how are you going to confront these things?

>Twin cutlasses. Up close and personal.
>Twin pistols. Keep em at a distance and cut em down.
>One pistol and one cutlass. A balanced arsenal for a balanced slaughter

>>32628026
>One pistol and one cutlass. A balanced arsenal for a balanced slaughter
It's a damn classic.

Also, see if you can nail a few with crushing attacks. I mean, we've GOT a snake mech.

>>32628026
>One pistol and one cutlass. A balanced arsenal for a balanced slaughter
We need more images.

File: Mechaniacs.jpg (22 KB, 260x135)

22 KB JPG

>>32628060
Sadly, there aren't many images of snakegirl pirates in mechs. Have how I envisioned the Mechaniacs as a consolation while I try my best at writing some shooty swashbuckling.

>>32628099
I like 'em.
Cyber gangers are always a good thing to have on hand.

>>32622372
> A female Nāga is a nāgī or nāgiṇī.
Is this a nāga or a nāgī quest?

op pls
how long

Helios droids are supposed to be damned versatile, so you figure you ought to rise to the occasion. Pistol in one hand, cutlass in the other, outnumbered ten to one. This is going to be fun. You coil up and begin peppering the closest droid with your gauss pistol. It usually punches though the toughest armor in a single shot, but the Helioses are taking three or four just to slow down, it isn’t long before they overrun you, forcing you to dodge and weave as you run your laser-lined cutlass through the first droid. Of course, you can’t keep that up forever, big as you are. Even with the Mechaniacs and Padstow holding their own, it won’t be long until you're too surrounded to avoid getting hit.

>>32628385
See, one of the worst things about being a naga is the tail. It’s constantly getting in the way, it makes it hard to fit into elevators, doors are always closing on it, and nothing makes you a target like and eight foot long slab of flesh, especially when it’s made bigger by a mech. However, one of the best things about being a naga is the tail. Even Helios droids go flying when you smack them with it, you can climb just about anything, and an eight foot long slab of muscle makes for one hell of a spring, especially when augmented by a mech. They never expect the jump. Not even the droids expect the jump. That alone is enough to make it all worth it when you vault yourself into the air on your coils, soaring high above the droids below pumping them full of magnetically accelerated rounds. Sure, some try to jump at you or return fire with their plasma lances, but it’s just a matter of a twist or a flourish for you to evade them. Until you come crashing down in their midst, that is. Tail and arms at full extension, countless droids are crushed by bulk alone. You parry and twist amongst the rest as you weave through their ranks until you find it: an unassuming metal box guarded by Helios Alpha Model. Easily a head taller and wielding a wicked battleax to boot. How are you gonna handle this one, captain?

>Coil and crush! Brute strength always prevails!
>Slither and shoot! Take out his arms before finishing him off!
>Duel and Dice! Beat him at his own game!
>Fuck it, just snatch the box and run!

>>32628378
Next update will be the last, I promise. Next I will start earlier, too.

>>32628391
>Coil and crush! Brute strength always prevails!
Let's see if we can hold that battleaxe in before he ever gets a chance to cut.
>>32628396
Good. I'm mad sleepy by now.

>>32628396
>Next I will start earlier, too.
Next time*. Christ, I really need to wrap this up and get to bed.

>>32628391
>Coil and crush! Brute strength always prevails!
HULK SMASH
>>32628396
>>32628413
Don't forget to post a twitter so people can stalk you!

>>32628423
oh, yes, we need to know exactly when the next one is and about any delays.

>>32628423
Will do once I figure out twitter which probably wont be until tomorrow.

>>32628442
Oh gosh. A bit risky, hope I manage to get my hands on it.

>>32628461
This thread will likely still be up by then. If not, there's always QTG.

>>32628469
Fair enough. Just idle worry.
Hope the mech's good at crushin'.

>>32628442
You just register like anywhere else, email username password etc, then you link us to your profile. Nobody cares about your avatar or profile looking pretty (yet)

You’ve had enough of these damn tin cans. Holstering your weapons, you bait the alpha into taking a swing at you before bumrushing it while its axe is embedded into the hull. It tries to recover and respond, but by the time it has raised the axe again, you've already coiled up past the waist, so you just use your weight to topple the struggling droid. Your winding journey doesn’t stop until your human half is towering over it. That’s when you put the squeeze on the big metal bastard. Metal screeches against metal as you slowly choke the life out of the alpha. It begins to spark and leak oil and hydraulic fluid as it struggles to escape your vice grip. You even feel your own armor cracking a tad as you refuse to relent, going as fair as grabbing its spasming head and crushing it between the palms of your mech. The Helios Alpha gives one last buzzing shriek before its cracked illuminated visors snuffs out for good.

With the alpha scrapped and your crew sweeping up the rest of the standard models, all that’s left to do is grab that fucking box and as much of the wrecked Helios droids as you can carry before making out of there.

>>32628701
"Self destruction activated" A crisp, mechanical voice announces as warning claxons sound and lights flash.

And get out of there before the whole damn place explodes. No biggie. You and your crew haul ass out of there, thankful for the magnetic "loot luggers" attached to the back of your mechs to assist in all your piratical pillaging needs. The return trip across the harpoons is a bit chilly and you have to hold your breath thanks to your cracked armor, but thankfully it’s much more peaceful due to the lack of missile drones. You and your boarding party crash into the hanger, panting for breath and lying in a heap as the rest of your crew gathers around to check on you and more importantly, the loot.

Koma lets out a low whistle. "Helios parts. These fetch a demmed fine price on the markets. We may be able to get the ship back to full with this junk."

"What’s in the box?" Cernu pokes at it as she asks you.

"Open and find out, why doncha?" You manage between gasping for air "Though I swear if it’s another dryad, I'm just selling the damn thing. Not worth the trouble."

"You couldn’t live without my trouble."

"Just open the damn thing"

Breaking the lock and undoing the seals, Cernu pops open the lid.

"It can’t be…I think it’s a-"

END OF THREAD ONE

>>32628712
Woo more dryads! Probably. maybe. Nah.

Thanks for running. You gonna archive it yourself?

Thats it for tonight/today/whatever! Leave any feedback or questions you might have, and I will get to them when I wake up if the thread is still around. If not I will still read them via foolz and take them into consideration.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me at this odd hour!
>>32628721
>You gonna archive it yourself?
Yeah, about to do that right now.

>>32628745
Allright, I'll stick around to vote on it and then collapse.

We should spend some offscreen time going over the remains of the explosion. We at least have some scrambled missile drones to recover. Assuming the crate of plot doesn't interfere.

>>32628745
Since this ran while I was asleep I didn't get to participate, but thanks for running! Hopefully I can catch parts of the next thread.

When are you planning to run again?

Twitter is up!
https://twitter.com/CapnsQuarters
>>32629811
>When are you planning to run again?
Some time next weekend. I'm actually going out of town, so it might be a little later than that. I'll keep you updated on the twitter.