>>33206948
Quartus starts to take a defensive stance again, but you don’t give him the time. A few quick steps forward and you jump at him. You see a surprised look on his face before you punch him in the chest as hard as you can. If you had gone straight for him, the impact would have blown him across the room. Instead, your angle means he’s slammed down onto the floor.

Your punch took the wind out of his lungs, and the moment it takes to recover is all you need to grab hold of him and put him in a choking grip. He struggles for a moment longer, but soon realises he’s done for and taps out.

You stand up and offer him a hand. “That was a good fight,” you say.

Wheezing, Quartus nods and accepts your hand. You look over to where Sextus sat down next to a wall and you see him gesture affirmatively. The adrenaline rush starts to calm down, and you feel the sores of the hits you took in the fight. Nothing too bad, but it’ll hurt for a day or two. Frankly, you’re surprised you did so well against the two of them. Then again, you played dirty, setting them against each other, and you’ve probably had more experience with hand to hand than either of them. Not to mention your physical ‘upgrade’ from the temple.

The three of you retreat back to the cafetaria, talking about the match and the different manoeuvres everyone made. For a moment, it feels like you’re fifteen again, hiding in one of your hiding spots to avoid the listening ear of the scientists and soldiers, and having fun with your friends. The absence of most of them stings a bit, and it’s only you and Quartus doing the talking. Sextus nods every now and then, and sometimes even manages to let out a grunt that might have been mistaken for a laugh.

About fifteen minutes later you split up and go to bed. Your sleep is restless, and nightmares plague you, but when you wake up the only thing you can remember is a protoss chasing you, and Primus’ laughter.

>It’s 8:15 ship/Frontier time.
>1. Talk to Quartus about his next move and his contacts searching for the Ghost conditioning data.
>2. Call up Lisa, try to make a schedule when she can come.
>3. Talk to Weissdammer in the cells.
>4. Write in.

>>33206975

>Get to reading what ship's archives have on protoss, we should prepare ourselves
>have some food sent to Weisdammer's cell though

>>33207004
You can safely assume that his needs are being taken care of by the crew.

>>33207004
Writing.

You take a quick shower, grab something to eat from the cafetaria and head to the bridge. You don’t even need a crew member to help you this time as you look through the database the battlecruiser has. You only entered one keyword in the query. ‘Protoss’.

The list is long, but after adding some more filters, you get to the core of business. You read up on their military doctrine, heavily favouring shock and awe with superior technology, followed by hit and run tactics against their weakened foe. You read several mission reports to get a better feel of what their individual units are capable of, and find yourself making a priority list of targets should you ever face an actual army of them.

>Zealots: don’t let them get close and you’re fine.
>Dragoons: Scary, best avoid. The armour is pretty tough.
>High templar: Priority target. If you can get in range of them before they unleash their powers you shouldn’t have much trouble though. If they do, you might be able to face them when it comes to raw psionic potential, but they have centuries of experience. If they’re supported by other protoss, run like hell if they start casting.

The list goes on. You carefully note all strengths and weaknesses the reports discuss, and really hope you won’t get caught out in the open when you eventually face off against the executor hunting you. The best shot you have at taking out any of them will be isolating taking them by surprise. You’ll have to become the hunter yourself.

You’ve taken a few hours studying the files you found, and when you look up you see Sextus standing next to you. You ask him if Quartus sent for you, but he shrugs. Seems like he’s just spending time with you then.

>1. Talk to Quartus about his next move and his contacts searching for the Ghost conditioning data.
>2. Call up Lisa, try to make a schedule when she can come.
>3. Talk to Weissdammer in the cells.
>4. Write in.

>>33207481

>[x] Call up Lisa, talk schedule and perhaps consult with her what to do with Weisdammer.

Don't go talking with him yet though, give him some time for introspection.

>>33207481
>>1. Talk to Quartus about his next move and his contacts searching for the Ghost conditioning data.


priority one

>>33207593
>>33207698
Well, tie. If there's no tiebreaker in 3 minutes I'll roll.

Rolled 2

>>33207761
>1 = Lisa
>2 = Quartus

>>33207481
>1. Talk to Quartus about his next move and his contacts searching for the Ghost conditioning data.

Writing for talking to Quartus

You start looking for Quartus and quickly locate him in the hangar, working on Weissdammer’s… His new ship. Sextus quietly follows you. You enter the ship from the passenger door and find Quartus fiddling with a safe just as it opens.

“Ah, finally you bi- Oh, hey Sec’. Just got this damn safe open. And lo and behold. A C-10? Damn, that guy must have connections to get a hold of this. So, me and Sextus already have ours, I suppose you want this one?” He grins at you, and you notice his helmet lying in a seat next to him.

“I’ll take it yeah. I avoided grabbing it when I was on the planet as to not upset Weissdammer, who was kind of a big unknown to me at the time. You seen what’s in the loading bay yet?”

When Quartus shakes his head, you continue. “Full of weapons and CMC’s. I think he must have spiced his bank account by dabbling in arms dealing, and not the low-level kind.” Quartus lets out an impressed whistle.

“Anyway, I came to see you to ask about those contacts of yours. They dig up anything yet?”

“Good question. Let me check.” Quartus heads over to the cockpit of the ship, explaining he hooked up its system with that of the battlecruiser for now. He presses some buttons and after a minute or two he turns to you again.

“Seems we’re in luck. Someone who owed me a favour from a mission had quite accurate and recent data available. There’s several stations we could go for, but he marked the three most favourable stations.” He shows you the data on the screen.

>Station LX-402
>Space station studying psionics in different organisms.
>Crew: 300.
>Military personnel stationed: 150.
>Dominion deemed the station ‘low priority’ for recovery and has thus been operating independently since the fall of the Confederacy.

>The Nebuchadnezzar
>Science Vessel-class ship abandoned after severe damage in combat against the Sons of Korhal.
>Crew: none. Life support is most likely offline and severe hull damage means it is most likely devoid of atmosphere. Its databanks are confirmed to be still operational by the evacuated crew however.
>Ranked medium priority for recovery by the Terran Dominion. Salvage crews with military escort may be present.

>Asteroid MM5 VP-900
>Ex-confederate, now Dominion weapons research facility.
>Crew: 163
>Military personnel stationed: 35.
>Facility was taken over by Sons of Korhal before the Fall and has officially entered Dominion service as of Emperor Mengsk’s inauguration.

>1. Ask Quartus’ opinion about the options.
>2. Ask for additional information about a specific station.
>3. Write in.

>>33208274
>1. Ask Quartus’ opinion about the options.

>>33208274

The science vessel looks like it would be not an option for long.

>>33208344
Writing.

You aks Quartus for his input. He thinks for a moment, then starts talking.

“Well, the lowest risk with the least surprises would probably be the astroid base. It’s low on active staff and military presence, and if you stay undetected you could probably go in and out without any trouble. It’s Dominion though, so if something does go wrong, they’ll become aware of you, and that can get dangerous. And as we all know, nothing ever always goes according to plan.”

He scrolls a bit to the next option. “The Science vessel is a derelict, and if you’re in luck, you won’t have anything to worry about, go in, get data, get out again. Of course, you might find your way blocked. From what I can see here, the outside is completely wrecked, and if you do find your path blocked, it could take ages to find a different route or cut through. And those science vessels are positively huge. Bigger than this ship. Also, there’s the risk of running into salvage crews or even Dominion reclamation teams. The former’s not too bad, but you don’t want a run in with the latter. You might also have to hurry to actually beat them to the databanks.”

“And the final option is the confederate research station. If something goes wrong, there’s less strings attached. At least, until the dominion reclaims it, and that’s low priority so I’d give it a few more months. Even so, I doubt they’d be in a hurry to report it as long as you didn’t carve a bloody path through their halls. Of course, they’ve also got the most military personnel stationed, so if you get into combat it can go badly for you. Considering the research they’re doing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a ghost or two there either.”

Quartus ponders his own words a bit longer, and when you stay silent he summarises. “So, All of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Personally I’d go for the confederate station, since it’s got the least risk of exposing us to the Dominion. Then again, the derelict vessel could be easier, but the info is a few days old, so the Dominion might already be there.”

>1. Wait on deciding which one to take.
>2. Space station
>3. Derelict
>4. Asteroid facility.
>5. Write in.

>A. Depart immediately
>B. Wait, you still want to make some preparations (specify)

>>33208761
>2. Space station

>>33208761
>3. Derelict
>A. Depart immediately

>>33208761

>Derelict
>Almost Immediately - make sure the Doctor and Murphy have access to the ship. Maybe a passcode or something? Something along the lines of "yes, I watered that damned tomato"

>>33208853
>>33208871
>>33208900
Writing.

“I’ll take my chances with that science vessel. May I?” You gesture towards the computer console, and Quartus moves to the side. You order the new IFF code to be sent to Lisa should she plan on coming over by herself, and add a message to her briefly explaining what you’re off doing now.

With that finished, you head towards the exit of the ship, telling Quartus you’ll get the wraith ready when he stops you.

“Take this one. It’s got cloak systems installed, and if I’m not mistaken your wraith doesn’t. It might not be as agile, and its offence capability is only slightly better, but it’ll be easier to get up close if there’s anyone there.”

You consider his proposal. Your wraith’s probably a lot better if you end up in space combat. Then again, with the cloaked yacht you most likely wouldn’t get into combat. Plus, it’s also got more room to bring along things you might find on your trip.

>1. Accept Quartus’ offer.
>2. Decline.

File: Amerigo_SC1_CineBattleAmerigo1.jpg (18 KB, 500x340)

18 KB JPG

>>33209094

How long can the shuttle remain cloaked? Long enough to come in, do our thing and get back without breaking the cloak?

Because if not, I'm not sure if there's much point, unless we can find a very convenient place to hide it on the science vessel.

>>33209150
It can stay cloaked for a bit more than an hour while flying. With all systems turned off, it will have to mask a lot less so it could last for over a day.

>>33209094
>1. Accept Quartus’ offer.

>>33209198

So it would be possible to leave cloaked ship, do some looting and get back aboard (with help of adjutant or remote control)? If so, take Quartus' offer.

>>33209263
>>33209271
Writing.

>>33209271
You just have to remember where you parked it.

>>33209305

Adjutant can handle that, no?

File: Science_Vessel_SC1_Art1.jpg (65 KB, 1000x695)

65 KB JPG

You accept Quartus’ offer, and while he collects his helmet you familiarise yourself with the ship’s controls. They’re similar to other ships you’ve flown, so you doubt you’ll have much trouble.

Once Quartus is clear and you’ve received the updated IFF codes, you depart. Outside of the ship you make a few turns with it to further get the hang of the thing. Should you get in a battle this could save your life. It doesn’t take long, and while it’s a lot more sluggish than your wraith, you’ve got it firmly in hand. You dial in the coordinates from the files, and after a short delay, you make the jump.

As you exit your warp jump, the Science vessel comes into view in the distance. It’s too far to get any info from scans, but that was according to plan. You activate the ship’s cloak and fly in closer, wary of any other ships.

It seems your cloak wasn’t needed. Your passive scans reveal nothing, and when you’re up close to the humongous ship you dare risk an active one. Also nothing. You notice you had been holding your breath and release it. After a while you manage to find an entrance. The previous docking bays have been severely damaged from the fighting, but you manage to find a carefully cut hole in the hull leading straight to the halls inside. Made when they rescued the crew, you figure.

You park your ship not too far off from the hole, inside a giant tear in one of the side arms, and turn off all non-essential systems aside from the cloak. Minimum energy emission means the cloak can last a lot longer, so you don’t have to worry about time too much. After double checking the oxygen tanks in your suit you leave the ship and carefully note the location and register it in the adjutant to be certain, and you’re off.

The first part is easy. You float through space in your suit, always making sure you’re holding onto something anchored to the science vessel. The last thing you’d want is to accidentally get afloat in the emptiness of space…

Soon, you reach the hole and drop down into it. The hull around it is completely molten from what you figure must have been battlecruiser laser fire, and the first room you arrive in is a disfigured heap of molten slag. While the exit doors are molten shut, some of the floor has collapsed and you can continue into the ship through there.

You dwell into the deeper reaches, going on the info from the files Quartus secured on where the conditioning data is supposed to be held. After roughly fifteen minutes of navigating you come across a blocked pathway though. Lots of rubble seems to have melted together to block the way, and you can’t help but find the sight suspicious. You dislodge some pieces and suddenly your suit alerts you to something.

There’s air behind the barrier. The hole you made is minuscule, so it’s not escaping fast, but there’s definitely a breathable atmosphere behind there. Maybe it’s survivors left behind? Then again, it might be something completely different too.

>1. Break down the barrier and continue.
>2. Make a hole in the barrier to squirm through and close it behind you.
>3. Find a different route. It might take you longer to complete the mission though.
>4. Write in.

>>33209733

>use psionics to check for survivors on t he other side
>if there aren't any, blast it away.

>>33209778
I'm with this

>>33209778
>>33209833
Writing.

You extend your psychic senses, looking for survivors. You don’t find any, but after a short while you do become aware of SOMETHING being there. You haven’t felt anything like it before, but it’s a very faint presence everywhere down the hall.

Seeing how at least it’s nothing human, you decide it’s worth the risk and calmly break down the barrier. You dismantle it piece by piece as the air goes rushing by. After a while the corridor behind it becomes visible. The pitch black hall illuminates in the small but powerful lamps in your helmet. Wait, it’s not completely dark. You look to the walls, and see what was making the psionic signal as it gives off a faint glow.

Creep.

The purple mass of flesh is covering the walls and leads inwards, straight towards where you need to go. This is bad. There’s probably not a big presence here seeing how recent your info was, a queen and a small nest most likely, but if they catch you unaware you’re in deep trouble.

>Psi points: 6/6

>How do you proceed?
>1. Break open the rest of the barrier, cloak and go in with your lights off.
>2. Break open the rest of the barrier, go in without cloak and with your lights on.
>3. Put the barrier back the best you can and try to find a different route. Maybe you could find an entrance closer to your actual goal.
>4. Write in.

>>33210062

> Break open the barrier, cloak and go in with lights off.

Any signs of ship's computer infrastructure being operational? Maybe we could get a map of this place and general status of the vessel if we jacked in.

>>33210062
>>1. Break open the rest of the barrier, cloak and go in with your lights off.

>>33210194
You didn't detect any energy signatures from outside the ship, and your suit sensors are more meant to tell you when it's safe to go back to exterior air than do a complete scan from surrounding areas.

>>33210194
>>33210286
Ok, writing, last post of the day incoming.

You trash the rest of the barrier quickly, turn off your lights and activate your cloak. You wait a few minutes in the dark before heading in, giving your eyes time to adapt to the dim light coming from the creep. It’s not perfect, but you can make do.

The gravity had been becoming higher and higher the deeper you went in, and at this point you’d say the gravity is roughly half of the standard gravity you’re used to. The creep feels strange when you step onto it. It squirms under your boots, but feels solid. It’s as if it does its best to provide you with good footing, and nothing more. No psionic alarms ring, no creatures scream in anger as you trespass on their territory. It doesn’t seem the creep was meant for that. You do notice it already seems to be trying to stretch itself thin and reach out into the corridor you just opened up.

You head further in slowly. The creep makes it surprisingly easy compared to the previous parts where you’d have to watch out for debris scattered around the corridors. A few intersections further, you stop. You can feel a presence heading your way, and you quickly duck into the left hall. A few moments later, a Zerg drone appears, seemingly headed for the breach you made in their nest. You can see the creep withering away slightly as the oxygen levels decrease steadily.

>1. Attack the drone. It’s going to cover up your escape route, and the less zerg there are around here the better.
>2. Leave it be. You don’t want to be detected.
>3. Write in.

>>33210475
>1. Attack the drone. It’s going to cover up your escape route, and the less zerg there are around here the better.

>>33210475
>That's it folks. Votes will be counted for next thread opening.
>Next thread probably monday.

>Sorry about last week with the twitter. I honestly thought I could run those days and then shit pops up unexpectedly.

>>33210513
Cheers for thread OP

>>33210475
>Leave it be

We've barely entered the ship and if we need to get out in a hurry a matter bomb will clear the way nice and easy. better we try to get a bit further before slipping up

>>33210475

Let it be, better not attract hive's attention. And maybe we'll benefit from breathable atmosphere. Zerg don't really need it, do they?

>>33210580
Zerg do need a breathable atmosphere. If I recall correctly the sc1 lore on the Overlords mentions that they're the only zerg capable of surviving in deep space, thanks to their original species of "space whale". I wouldn't be surprised if the zerg also used that capacity in their other fliers in some measure, but most of their regular troops do need at least some atmosphere I believe.

>>33210667
Of course, if I'm wrong on this I'm going to be very sorry about this whole section...

>>33210667

Regardless, let the drone be. no point in wasting effort on a doomed attempt to clear the infestation out, and the hive would no doubt get very active if it felt threatened.

>>33210682
They can survive without it, but it's another stress on them so to speak.

>>33210694
This.

>>33210694
>>33210731
Very well, noted for next thread. Thank you all for joining.

>>33210762
And thank you for running, Supervisor

>>33210762

Cheers for the thread