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Wooo, dead things in spaaaaaace

IT IS TIME

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>>2397399
Welcome back to Death Among the Stars Quest!

Pastebins: http://pastebin.com/u/ceronull
Make sure to follow my twitter where I announce the threads: https://twitter.com/CeroTheNull
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=death+among+the+stars
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/DeathAmongTheStarsQuest

Sur-Quro calls for a halt as the group finds themselves emerging out on the edges of another chamber, this one colossal in comparison. A vast dome of dense metal arched overhead, protecting the small city worth of buildings that rose up in clusters within. Bridges spanned between the towers, some twisted and broken while others still served as paths, the shadows of ghouls seen darting along them from a distance. Light was spotty, either flickering and broken electrical lights casting harsh shadows and light while fires bathed the immediate areas in their glow. Even through this devastation it was clear this place was once the center of Barqalan, a city where migrants, the displaced, the unwanted, and the temporary could gather and meet, Sur-Quro getting an echo of what Iti'a'Ropku was as she looked out upon it.

The group had come out onto what was once a hallway, the wall overlooking the expanse made of security glass that was fractured throughout with sections blown or melted through. The techs and their demi-Think Tanks quickly sealed the bulkheads behind them, the pounding of zombie fists soon thumping through the thick metal. Their section of the hallway that seemed to wind around the outer edge of the dome was sealed off by bulkheads and vacant of undead except for a pitiful half-eaten corpse of a kosda that crawled toward them only to be put down quickly before Sur-Quro calls out they would be taking a short break to catch their breath and check ammo supplies.

"Barqalan was originally built spreading out from around a large domed structure that held a small forest of native flora and fauna from the our homeworld. A piece of our home, brought into the stars to show that the Netu would always remember our origin," Captain Troma says solemnly next to Sur-Quro as they looked through the broken glass to the ruined city below, "Now it has become a charnel house, all because we lost one of our ships and it came here, killing countless..."

Sur-Quro glances toward Troma as he trails off in silence, all fours of his hands gripping the handles of his weapons tight, "It is not the first time it has fallen, has it not? I've heard of both the Empire and serpents successfully taking control before it returned to the rightful hands of the Clans."

>cont

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>>2397717
"This is true, Barqalan has known its fair share of war through the ages, but this," he sweeps a hand out toward the ravaged city below them where they could see swarms and groups of undead staggering about even from their distance, "This is a disease far deadlier than any that ever reached it before. Before they were enemies, invaders. Those are easy and simple, they are outsiders.

"These are the friends and families that made their homes here, people who lived together. Now they feast upon each other and slaughter anything that moves and breaths. Barqalan has fallen but I swear upon the dead husks of our homeworlds that it shall not stay dead for long," he says through a growl, the sealed armor of his suit hiding the anger in his eyes but Sur-Quro could practically taste it.

"Lord Jadyk understands the importance of Barqalan. As do I," she says, standing upright to fold her arms across her chest, "We will do everything we can to ensure it rises back stronger than before. That is the Armada way, Rebirth, Reconstruction, Reforging."

Troma turns their head to glance toward her once again, "You speak well for a yuyut."

There was a loud snort from the Arbiter as she turns away, "You fight well for a netu. If we're done complimenting each other, let's get back to saving this city from the dead. Cities are for the living," she gives a nod to the Solar Wardens standing guard at the bulkheads, "and the friendly undead," she says with a chuckle.

Quickly she barks out orders and several Legionnaires step up to the broken windows. Flatbody Gargoyles were coiled into tight balls, slightly smaller than a human skull they were easily catapulted into the air where they unfurl and take to the air, riding on aircurrents thick with ash and smoke from the fires below. It was quickly apparent that without repairing the air systems that breathable air would quickly run out through the city, leaving the survivors left to suffocate if they weren't quick.

The Gargoyles begin to scout a path toward the Core Systems and powerplants below the domed city, their keen eyes piercing the darkness as they searched.

Roll me 1d100 best of first 3 please

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>2397721
Oh boy.

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>2397721
Oh hey, didn't see the twitter until now

>>2397399
Going to bed now unfortinately, it’s nearly 5am here.

Just wanted to stop by to compliment you on an amazing quest. Keep up the great work!

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>2397721

>>2397721
The information gathered from the Gargoyles was not encouraging as the demi-Think Tanks processed their sight. The streets of the central hub were a tangled maze branching off several main roads that cut through the clutter. It was apparent that the layout was not beholden to any grand blueprint, instead a chaotic jumble that aggregated throughout the ages. Most of the buildings appeared to be pre-fab structures most commonly seen on fresh colony worlds stacked upon each other and built up around. Bridges and walkways spanned the gaps along with buildings reaching out linking hallways, creating a network of canyons and 'caverns' in that would be a fools dream to pilot a hovercraft through.

The main paths were choked with undead, the central hub serving as the main housing area for the stations population. Gargoyles slithered through the air past windows both intact and broken, their eyes and sensory organs scanning the interiors. Zombies shambled along their interiors, some seemingly trapped in the structures unable to find their way out in their mindless wanderings. Ghouls ran to and fro in the darkness, crawling along bridges and leaping the gaps between the structures. Several seemed to notice the Gargoyles and made leaps toward them with snapping claws but the agile Reconstructed twisted out of the way and ascend higher out of reach.

Following maps taken from nearby systems and those provided by the clans they went as far as they could without having to dive into the hordes of undead or crawling into airducts.

A tech standing with Sur-Quro and the others shakes their head, the vorh giving a sigh, "It's a mess out there, Arbiter. Zombies pack the streets and buildings while ghouls climb and leap everywhere, they're almost as nimble as the Cyclops."

"What are our options?" Quikka questions while checking her shardspitters ammo cartridge.

The vorh scratches at her neck despite the reinforced armor of muscle and chitin, "Well, we could keep trying to blast through the main roads and draw every zombie in the hub toward us. Could try splitting up," she lifts her hands defensively, "Not far from each other, but enough so we can try making our way to the center through the building and along the bridges. More ghouls but we'd be avoiding the majority of the zombie masses. Technically, if we do it right we wouldn't really even be splitting up."

"Any other options?" Sur-Quro asks but the vorh just shrugs.

>cont

>>2398017
"I think I might know a way," says a netu that steps up as the others turn to look to them, "I live...lived here. There's catwalks spanning the dome," they start to say as they point out the doom through the glass, "They're narrow and most of it old. There's doubtful to be any of the undead up there but we could travel along them and then drop down on jumppacks or rappel down directly above the entrances to the core systems."

The tech shakes her head, "We'd still have to be dropping right into the zombie swarms. Besides, one of the Gargoyles already checked it out, the catwalks are deathtraps waiting to happen."

Captain Troma looks to Sur-Quro and gives an inquisitive tilt of the head without saying a word. The yuyut taps at the chin of her featureless helm, debating with herself over the best route to take.

Which route should the group proceed along?
>Fight through the main paths directly to the core systems
>Take the high road through the buildings and bridges
>Attempt to take the catwalks to drop in to the center of the hub city
>Other (Write-in)

>>2398025
>>Take the high road through the buildings and bridges

>>2398025
>>Take the high road through the buildings and bridges

>>2398025
>Take the high road through the buildings and bridges

>>2398025
Sur-Quro lifts a hand, silencing the short argument that was brewing in the group as they all turn to look toward her. She glances around those gathered, her featureless helm making some uncertain if she looked toward them or another, before she spoke, "We're taking the high road. It's too open here to just gun through them all, we'd get swarmed and buried under the undead. We've got jumppacks and stingwhips for a reason, let's put them to use."

The Legionnaires and other Arbiters salute then separate to complete their last second gear and ammo checks.

>Take the high road through the buildings and bridges
Roll me 2d100 best of first 3 please

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>2398181
dead

Rolled 9, 42 = 51 (2d100)

>>2398181
Gotcha senpai

Rolled 1, 26 = 27 (2d100)

>>2398181
shoot I'm drunk

Rolled 3, 73 = 76 (2d100)

>>2398181

>>2398185
>>2398187
>>2398207
these rolls

>>2398187
Amazing.

Rolled 70, 32 = 102 (2d100)

>>2398181
Too late to save. Let's see what it would be.

>>2398185
>>2398187
>>2398207
Welp, looks like someone is probably going to death and through it to eternity.

>>2398486
You mean it's time Ser who can make it through death to eternity?

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>>2398181
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVkHXTeiOg

Forming up behind the Solar Wardens outside one of the bulkheads after selecting their route. The tech taps at a hardlight device protected by the smooth crystal emitters of their gauntlet and the metal groans before sliding open before them. Already an arm with a bite missing from its wrist swings inside as a zombified human tried to crawl their way inside the moment the emergency door stated sliding open but they fell and slumped forward as a trio of flechettes tear into the skull. The bulkhead slowly lowers the corpse to the ground as the group quickly dispatches the handful of undead waiting for them on the otherside of the bulkhead.

They set off at an easy pace, working their way from bulkhead to bulkhead along the wide curving hall that encompassed the domes edge. The undead were thankfully not too densely concentrated, allowing them to rely on melee weapons and Solar flames to conserve on ammo as they progressed. Finally they reached an intersection where a suspended hall stretched out from edge toward the nearest of the buildings on the edge of the small city contained in the dome.

Upon entering the intersection they were met by a heavier concentration of the undead, a mass of zombie turning toward the sounds of the opening emergency door and shambling toward them with arms outstretched. Solar Wardens marched ahead with the Arbiters, flames jetting from their fanged maws while swinging their searing weapons. Spheres of the Arbiters dangerous Sunstrikes blossomed in the midst of the undead, the energies agonizing to the undead as their Necrotic virus was burnt up within them. The attacks send the swarm into a panic that lost interest in the living targets, instead struggling to get away from the spheres of radiance.

This chaos allowed the group to move in and cut them down with ease while making their way toward the splinter hall. Solar flames kept the undead at bay as they ran inside, the suspended corridor vibrating with their footsteps even in the low gravity. Fighting their way through the undead scattered in the corridor they quickly found themselves on the floor of the first of the pre-fab buildings. From the shadows not revealed by the flickering of overhead lights stumbled new waves of the zombies but just as before they quickly were forced back by the searing energies wielded by the Arbiters and Wardens.

Ghouls began to strike as well, leaping or charging from the shadows with rending claws. In the tight confines of the buildings they were able to get closer before being gunned down or caught by hardlight mancatchers wielded by the Legionnaires and Pirates. Several more of the group had to take a moment to have tears in their armor or suits patched and an antivirus injected by the medics.

>cont

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>>2398661
They fought from one building into another, crossing over a linking corridor that lacked much of its glass leaving them exposed to the smoky air. Several zombies were pushed out to fall several stories to the pavement below with sickening crunches that reached them even that far. One nearly drags a human pirate with them but a Warden snatches their arm in one hand a solid kick pulps the face of the zombie forcing them to fall back with a gurgle of clotted blood.

The pirate let out a shaky laugh and gives a thumb up of approval to the Reconstructed. The Warden tilts its head curiously before lifting their own fist up and extending their thumb in mimickry before they return to marching along. The pirates and Legionnaires who had seen the interaction exchange looks before they too return to their marching order.

They continue on, fighting from building to building, crossing through corridors and over bridges that linked them, slowing making their way ever closer to the center. Eventually they are forced to ascend, fighting up a narrow stairwell that had been sealed and full of starved ghouls that had begun cannibalizing each other. They have their first casualty as a ghoul that may have been an epikor at one point leaps from a higher ledge, sinking claws into the chest of a pirate netu as they tackled them to the ground before their jaws, enhanced by the Blight Hunger virus, rip out their throat and neck armor with a spray of caustic blood.

They are quickly cut down by Troma, the injured grasping his hand as they bled out. The captain recited a short prayer in the netus ancient language before the pirate went still and his thermal dagger ensured they wouldn't rise by cutting through their spine. Sobered by the loss they continued on, the Pirates filled with a new grim determination.

Exiting onto the roof of the building they spot another across a moderate gap with bridges spanning to others in the direction they needed. Gathering around they do one final check of their jumppacks before Sur-Quro leaps over with the first of the Wardens. Landing she quickly levels her gauntlet, the twin spitfires slotted into it setting a charging ghoul aflame, the undead staggering past her as it clawed at the flames spreading across its face only to walk straight off the edge.

Clearing off the rooftop of lingering undead as more of the group began leaping over they quickly regroup. The bridge they selected was little more than a deployed catwalk with short handrails barely strong enough to support the heavier netu, osjiic and Wardens. As they made their way across the bridges the sounds of the undead throughout the city below began to reach them, moans and shouts following them as they seemed to finally notice the group of the living traversing the rooftops above.

>cont

>>2398662
Sur-Quro was watching as a Legionnaire and several pirates leap over a gap toward another rooftop, voidlight trailing their jumppacks. Suddenly the crack of rifle rings out and one of the pirates gives a shout of pain while twisting in the air, disrupting their flight path. They collide with another pirate, sending them both tumbling to smack into the side of the building, the one who was shot falling down into the darkness and smoke with a shout while the other managed to catch themselves on a pipe.

Quickly the group reacted, taking cover as more gunfire rings out. They duck behind ventilation boxes and powerbreakers or behind the heavy shields of the Wardens, one even dropping a hardlight barrier that flashes to life into a chest high wall of blue light.

Sur-Quro barks out, "Who's firing at us?! I thought there weren't any survivors nearby?"

Troma shook their head as they lay behind the hardlight wall next to her, "No idea, did your undead worms see anything?"

One of the techs calls out, "Hold on, the Gargoyles are searching... aha found them!" they pause before shouting out again, "Wormstar damn them! They've learned how to use weapons, Arbiter!"

As they shouted the symbiots linked to their spines display a real-time feed of a Gargoyle drifting over a building taller than those they were on. A group of roughly ten ghouls, mostly netu, stood along the edge with weapons carefully gripped in their oversized talons. Thankfully, it seemed their aim wasn't the greatest as living netu would no doubt be able to pick them off with ease, the undead forced to rely on a blanket fire to keep them contained.

Almost as one the Legionnaires and Reconstructed pop up, opening fire on the undead who duck back once more. At Sur-Quro's shouts the group began hopping to the next building, the yuyut ordering them to descend into the buildings for cover.

However alarm ripples through them as the Gargoyle spots one netu ghoul step up to the roofs edge, the heavy bulk of a missile launcher perched on their shoulder as they level it toward them. Just as it lets out a gurgling screech of success there is a crack of a rifle and they careen as half their skull is suddenly missing in a spray of chitin and blood. Sur-Quro looks over to see Troma with long-range rifle in hand, the barrel smoking but before she could compliment his aim a twitch of the ghouls dying body causes the high explosive to rocket forth with a scream.

The building shakes as the payload detonates with a powerful fireball several stories down. The Legionnaires, Pirates and Reconstructed quickly leap to their feet as the rooftop begins to list beneath them, the building leaning out over one of the main thoroughfares where zombies were densely packed below.

>Time to jump!
Roll me 2d100 best of first 3 please.

>>2398665
Sorry for the delay. Had to do the dinner thing and got caught up drinking some holiday appropriate liquor with the brothers

>>2398665
>Ghouls with guns
Uh oh

Rolled 83, 45 = 128 (2d100)

>>2398665
Cmon dice

Rolled 29, 68 = 97 (2d100)

>>2398665

Rolled 48, 45 = 93 (2d100)

>>2398665
killer vertical brah

>>2398665
"Everyone jump!"

It wasn't certain who exactly shouted, or if it was even just one person, but the effect was the same as the building began to list even more rapidly toward the open air. There was the sharp sound of rending metal and plasteel as bridges and corridors linking the buildings are snapped in half, momentarily slowing the fall of the building. Running to the edges of the now sloping plane the scattered members of the group make their panicked escape, leaping into the air with their jumppacks flaring to propel them toward nearby structures. It would have been almost comical in any other circumstance as the techs leap with the demi-Think Tanks latching onto their jumppacks, the sophisticated Reconstructed providing an extra powered boost to aid in their passage.

To their credit and training, most manage to make it across toward the building their allies were already on, landing on the roof or broken bridges below, a few even shooting their stingwhips out to catch themselves on the side of the building. Others were not so fortunate, a handful of pirates and Legionnaires misjudging their leaps and missing to catch a foothold or picked off mid-air by the ghouls opening fire once more forcing the tumbling to the teeming horde below. The Solar Wardens were not the most nimble of the Reconstructed, the heavy undead leaping across mostly on account of their immense strength and their own simple jumppacks but several do go plummeting down trailing a streamer of flames.

They do not fall alone however, the building finally tearing free of its support and neighbors to go crashing down with a calamitous crash. The impact caused the nearby buildings to sway, the thrum of violently shaping metal and plasteel near audible. The fallen building was a pile of rubble below, crushing dozens of undead bodies in an instant.

Sur-Quro had jumped in the direction of the falling structure, leaping across the thoroughfare with a number of the others. Her arbiters gauntlet was deployed, its powerful claws allowing her to cling to the outside of a pre-fab as she looked down below, her sensors scanning the rubble for possible survivors but she knew it was futile for them.

Instead she focuses her rage, turning her gaze up toward the roof where the ghouls were taking shots at the others scrambling to find cover or fight their way into the buildings. Around here was Quikka, a number of Legionnaires, one of her Arbiters, and a trio of Solar Wardens, not including a handful of Pirates.

As they began to climb up the outside of the building Sur-Quro's radio crackles and Captain Tromas voice echoes in her ear canal, the yuyut species lacking an external ear structure, "Arbiter, you survive?" he asks over the sounds of gunfire.

"Yes, I'm on a building across the thoroughfare. I assume you made it across?" she questions as her symbiot feeds her live battlefield data gathered from the other symbiots and Reconstructed.

>cont

>>2398859
"Fighting through the building, more zombies in here, must be coming up from the lower levels due to the commotion, hold on," he pauses, the sound of a ghouls screech cut short with a grunt of effort by Troma and the sound of dull thuds, "You need to take out those snipers before they pull out another missile launcher!"

"Already on it," Sur-Quro growls as she and the others climb up the exterior. The Arbiter knew it would be faster for them to scale the exterior of the building rather than find an entrance and fight their way through the undead inside, especially with their diminished numbers available to assist her.

Several times undead reached out from broken windows or tears in the plasteel but spitefires, pistols, and Wardens breath cleared these obstacles. Data fed to her by a Gargoyle floating above the ghouls showed that they seemed to be taking turns to fire across the way toward those fighting to regroup and fight back the undead coming for them. Following her mental commands the Legionnaires and Arbiter quickly join her just below the top of the building, the Wardens and Pirates slower to follow with their simpler and weaker jumppacks.

With another mental command Sur-Quro and the others leap upwards, their jumppacks leaving trails of distorted light behind them as they rose up and opened fire at the ghouls now below them. Bone slugs and flechettes rip into them, the netu ghouls chitin providing little in the way of defense against the barrage, nor against the Arbiters flames as they both land with flails launching their Sunstrikes into their midst.

Sur-Quro charges forward, the club like flail personally crafted by Valresko swinging down to drive the head of a netu ghoul into his torso, a heavy kick sending the corpse into another ghoul and both into her already burning Sunstrike. Her gauntleted hand opens its palm and a spray of flames is unleashed, sending a ghoul flailing in a ball of flame from the roof. The flames cut out and hardlight sheath the claws as she lashes out, nearly cutting a ghoul in twain with the strike.

The other Arbiter, a human, lands with a roll and comes to a halt on a single knee as they thrust their arm out and a stingwhips barb lashes out to bury itself into an upper arm of a ghoul. With a shout they send a ripple down the length of the stingwhip that causes the ghoul to erupt into flames from inside their exoskeleton as he channels the radiant energy through a mere touch. The stingwhip rips free in time for him to duck out of the way of a spray of burst gunfire, rolling forward to swing the sphere of Solar energy at the end of the club-life flail toward the offending ghoul.

>cont

>>2398863
Quikka herself lands with her shortstaff and shardspitter in hand, both weapons unleashed. A hail of flechettes rips out, guided by her telekinesis to cut through a ghoul charging her while a mote of Necrotic light, a potent Hex, is flung from her staff to strike the heavy gun another swung toward them. She watches in a moment of satisfaction as the afflicted weapon misfires, the complex mechanisms thoroughly rotted and corroded causing the once sophisticated weapon to become useless scrap, before she guns them down with another burst from her shardspitter.

Finally the Pirates and Wardens scale the side, rushing in with the Legionnaires to put down the remaining undead and clash with those emerging out onto the roof from inside. It did not take long for them to secure the roof, sealing off the entrance with Sunstrikes and the held by the Wardens.

Across the way Troma and the Arbiters managed to regroup while fighting off the increasing amount of undead flowing up from below. They radio across, saying they were moving through the buildings toward the core systems, the demi-Think Tanks pointing out a nearby building they could meet back up.

Losses:
>4 Legionnaires
>7 Pirates
>3 Solar Wardens

Roll me 1d100 best of first 3 please

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>2398866

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>2398866

>>2398871
>>2398873
Wew, good rolls so far.

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>2398866
For the Wormstar!

>>2398882
Nice save.

>>2398866
Quikka guns down another ghoul as it charges for a Pirate after scrabbling up the side of the building but from the corner of her eye she senses rather than spots something that causes her head to jerk around.

Perched on the edge of a nearby building was what seemed to be a ghoul watching them intently. However, as she commanded a Gargoyle to focus on it, the ghoul stood suddenly and dashed away, disappearing into the building itself. From the brief glance of the Gargoyle had captured, a blurred glimpse of a humanoid moving with unnatural speed but unlike the ghouls around them this one seemed to be enhanced beyond the restraints of the Blight Hunger virus.

Sur-Quro turns to see the distracted gaze of the Necromancer and returns her flail to its holster as she moves over to the netu, "See something, Quikka?"

The netu glances at her, "I think so. It moved like a ghoul but it was faster and..." she shakes her head for a moment and Sur-Quro gets a glimpse of the Gargoyles memory fed through her symbiot, "It looked cybernetically enhanced."

This made the Arbiter growl, her mind instantly thinking to the Confederate ships drifting near the city, "Confederate cyborgs? Here?"

Quikka shrugs, her shortstaff folding in half to secure at her thigh, "Or Blackscale. I did not get a good enough look and seemed to realize I spotted it."

The yuyut rears up to her full height and glances at the rooftops around them, scanning for anything out of the ordinary beyond the occasional zombie or ghoul on top, "Either option does not sit well with me. Hm...they could be the source of the sabotage," she shakes her head, "Either way, it doesn't change our mission. We need to get to core systems, we've wasted enough time."

The netu gives a nod, "Agreed. I'll contact the other Necromancers with us and warn them to be on the look out. Perhaps now we're aware they're out there, we can sense them."

The last stretch to reach the core systems remains. Paths plotted by the demi-Think Tanks show where the split forces can reunite and fight their way into the core systems beneath the hub city. A building highlighted on their HUDs shows their destination, the structure descending into the lower levels toward the heart of Barqalan.

Roll me 3d100 best of first 3 to reunite and break into the core systems.

Rolled 79, 99, 43 = 221 (3d100)

>>2398903
pls stop rolling shit rolls

Rolled 6, 8, 68 = 82 (3d100)

>>2398903

>>2398908
Finally.

Rolled 73, 23, 55 = 151 (3d100)

>>2398903
Cmoooon not a crit fail

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>>2398903
And with this I'm calling it a night. We'll continue with the results of the rolls next time.

Hope folks had fun, I know I did writing it.

Don't forget I'm always open to questions or suggestions for the quest, and that my ask.fm page is always open. I hope to get real questions rather than automated shoutouts and spam there

>>2398920
Thanks for running, Grave. Happy St. Patrick's day.

>>2398920
>Red Rot infected Osjiic
>that gif

Now I'm wondering if someday we'll run into the best ghouls

>>2398932
It has been hinted at, though they won't exactly be what we remember. They'll be characters who are, functionally, the same as the Red Throat ghouls, but within this setting, wherein they were formerly members of the Necrotic Armada, and allies of Jadyk. Similar in capability and character, but different in their course of actions up until we meet them, as opposed to from the scenario we had in Ghoul Civ, and set up somewhere different.

>>2399136
I just want us to reunite with more survivors from the old Armada, preferably once we have pacified previous survivors and made them content with how we do things.

Does anyone have theories about the quest they want to share?

The classic
>Jadyk is still in the tomb hallucinating all this

>>2400880
>Jadyk died when his phylactery was smashed. Who we have been playing as is a Crystal weapon designed to draw all of the undead under a single banner and eliminate them to the last spooky skellington.

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>>2400880
>THe Sunscale Gods are actually benevolent by our standards, but their children, whether through a shit existence or corrupt interpreters fro their will, are making it seem like they are zealous ass holes.
I'm actually mildly exited to see what their Gods are actually like. Just because the Solar burns away the Necrotic doesn't meant that they institutionally hate us, after all, one of their gods is of the Void and is chummy with the Solar, its natural prey.
>>2401003
>Pic related

>>2401003
That's a good one

>>2402268
Don't the Sunscale supposedly provide aid to primitive cultures and actively fight against the ahkam?

>>2402302
If I remember correctly, they do. They just happen to have a hate boner against the undead.

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>>2402302
>>2402730
They pretty much ARE a hate-boner towards undead in the form of a species. I'm just curious at how they would respond, if at all, to our altruistic actions. I doubt any other undead of were ever "nice" to anybody except allies, let alone to the extent we have displayed. If they brush it off as "undead tricks" then thats that. But it i'd give me a good chuckle if they seemed visibly confused by our actions.
>Replace Patrick Star and Man Ray with us and the Sunscale.

Meant to continue the thread today but irl shit keeps popping up.

Tomorrow we'll resume

>>2403091
Did you die the true death?

>>2406280
Felt like it

>>2406475
pls no die

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>>2406475
Here, have an ice cream to cheer you up!

>>2406661
Calcium flavored, my favorite

>>2406661
hahahaha, best ice cream.

First time poster here (both for this quest and in general). I would like to start by saying a big thank you to Graveqm and the people that had participated in this quest and made it what it is today.Congratulations for your efforts (and a similar thank you and congratulations to QuestDrone and the participants to Hive Queen Quest since i started reading this quest because of the references in Hive Queen Quest).

I apologise for any mistakes since english is not my first language but i have finished reading the archives a few days ago and i have several questions and suggestions for Graveqm and the people in this quest. However since there are a lot of them i will start with those regarding most recent events or for pressing matters if you are willing to read through them.

For starters (note that it is very late for me and i don't know how much longer i can stay),

1.About Refuge: If they decide to join the Armada be wary of potential spies that could have mixed with the normal population due to the chaos of the crisis.Reconstructed with good tracking skills (potentially with the assistance of Necromancers) locate undead hiding places and clear them. Anyone wishing to salvage from Junkyard would have Reconstructed clearing the places they want to search through as well as any parts they choose to take. Start reseeding Scatters moon (with the assistance of the Armatocere if the Armada can't do it on its own), the people will need the food production.

2.About the Ahkam serpents and the rest of the prisoners: Let Jadyk and Vle'Karak speak with them (especially with the ones that surrendered) to see if they are willing to join the Armada. Those that refuse just keep them to their cells for now. Incidentally can the Armada produce armor for the serpents even if it is not the same quality as the Matriarch's? There are also thousands of prisoners since Kanda that need to be dealt with.

3.Try to use the Deathead Guardians importance for honor as a way to entice them to join the Armada. After all, with an emperor that sees even his most loyal subjects only as tools (show them what happened with the supercharged Osjiic skeleton and how they lamented how they ended up even after their faithul service) and not caring about the word of his servants, they will eventually end up with no honor at all as their own emperor will strip it from them with his actions. Having a powerful military without honor will make them just butchers (no relation to Vle'Karak intended).

>>2406882
Some questions for Graveqm,

4.Whatever happened to the Ahkam officers from Kanda that Jadyk send to the Colosseum to be judged by the former slaves that they tried to kill? Simillarly what happened to the Osjiic prototype weapon testers from Kanda that defected to the Armada? Did they bring any new knowledge with them? How does the former slave woman that had pledged herself to Jadyk's service and her daughter fare?

5.You seem to have forgotten to include the former Zaeen Behemoth now Ravager bioship in the unique ships list. Also the four Flagships in production dissapeared from the lists. Were they destroyed by the Osjiic attack?

6.Since you removed the numbers for the normal Reconstructed is there a way to produce armies of them and keep them in stasis for the event of sudden invasions?If resources are a problem i propose to spend as many as needed without dropping below 10 million metal and biomass or any amount the players agree with.

7.Can every unit and ship have a different elemental version or there are only a few exceptions? Is it possible to create the equivalent to Void Terrors for the other elements?

8.Can Glutton Spheres be used as part of an element users armor to help them better control the elements?

9.Can Jadyk's Active Reconstruction be researched? Even if it can only be replicated in a very small part that is still fine. At best Transformers-like Reconstructed with limited transformation or just weapons that can be folded in a better way thus resulting in more or bigger weapons for the Reconstructed. Or bigger numbers of Reconstructed that can be packed in the same amount of storage.

>>2406890
Some suggestions for everyone,

10.Expanding on 7 how about having picket fleets for every planet and important installation? Also each system having some fast responce fleets and a general defence fleet. Any attack fleets are separate from these.

11.If the Arc relays are as big as starbases, fill them with as many defences as possible with their own picket fleets and only Reconstructed or very loyal people allowed on them.Each relay should have a group of every availiable elemental Reconstructed in a central chamber that is similar to the one that Jadyk's "egg" was placed in that controls powerful explosives which can destroy the relays should it becomes apparent that someone will steal or conquer them.If this is possible put them in every system in the Armadas control including Refuge should they join the Armada.

12.Create a reseach department for the living and start doing joint research projects including both the Lavafather and the Armatocere even if its just for the construction techniques.Also ask for the Armatocere's help in further protecting the living from the effects of elemental energies.Start using alternate elements in the Armadas cities(like Solar for lights and Arc for power) to even further lessen the effects of the Necrotic energy.

13.The Pirate Clans asked for places to make colonies.Putting aside whether Refuge joins or not, how about letting them settle Vannec on Worllunan as long as they will share the planet with the Armada and it is cleared from the undead and Necrotic corruption (Horizon's Drop and Rukor belong to the Osogo and the Ructu respectively).The Armada should also expand to the unnamed systems to the "south" of its territory.

Suggested rules for the Pirate's colonys: a) Cooperate with the Armadan local goverment in regards to spies and criminals, b) Any resources they extract from the planet the Armada has first say if they will buy them or not, c)The Pirate Clans will assist in the defence of any Armada system that has one of their colonys in.

>>2406898
14.Should the Armada start an offensive campaign against the Osjiic and Ahkam, R'Jur and Tura should be the first targets for conquest for better borders and eventual expansion into D'Hrin and Rolan.The first big objective is Esat both because of the chaos the Ahkam would be in after the death of the Matriarch and to free the homeworld of the Esat in order to begin a possible wave of rebellioms in the Dynasties.Ruscuv, Necris (with the Ravager fleet) and Voidknights against the Osjiic.Eiton, the Punishers with the Lavafathers forces and Tlacex against the Ahkam.Have Valresko Vle'Karak (and possibly other loyal Ahkam and Osjiic) assist with strategy but keep reserve fleets to deploy as needed. This campaign should start after the completion of the new Flagships and the repair of the Fury.

15.In the meantime since there is a relative peace, send reinforcements to Barqalan. The Solar Disciple, the Arc Disciple other than Orvca and several Void Disciples. Ask any Stonestar that want any battle experience to join the mission. All should be under the command of Su'Quro with the Disciples providing tactics and strategy.

16.In preparation for 14 develop all worlds of the Armada.Create Wormstar Fists anywhere that is possible without tottaly draining the resource stockpile and build fleets.

>>2406980
Sorry for the long list. All these are suggestions that i hope will help the participants of this quest or at the very least help Graveqm to have inspiration of his own.I don't really know how unit and ship design works so if Graveqm wants (and i am still here when he responds) i will post some general suggestions for unit and ship creation (more like questions about if such things can be created really).

Anyway good luck to Graveqm (and Questdrone) and the players for the future and try to have fun.

>>2407017
>Don't know how things work.

The archive is linked in the fourth post, newfriend. Catch up when you can.


Pastebins: http://pastebin.com/u/ceronull
Make sure to follow my twitter where I announce the threads: https://twitter.com/CeroTheNull
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=death+among+the+stars
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/DeathAmongTheStarsQuest

>>2406898
Also note that what i mean in 10 is having varied fleets with ships and units with different elements to be used as needed.

By the way to Graveqm again, is there a method to create actual copies of the other factions ships instead of just "lookalikes". And why is it that Barqalan has managed to grow to such huge size when the Osjiic and Ahkam are generally in war with everyone else and faction such as the Confederacy have FTL drives that seem to simply bypass the Nebula?

(Sorry forgot these ones).

>>2407056
Well the problem is that i'm not sure if the general design of a unit is possible not things like for example what gun emplacements would be put on a ship. For instance, is it possible to create an arc equivalent to the Void Terrors that is a bioship similar to the Stonestar fighters that can walk on ships, become invisible with camouflage and have claws to cut other fighters to pieces and cut through a ships hull to release the Predators inside to hunt the crews?

>>2407056
Thanks for the links however i have read the archives as i have already written but i must admit that the specifics of unit and ship creation just seem hard to grasp for me.

>>2406898
I should also clear out something:

12.The joint research thing is about learning each races construction and engneering techniques and creating better ones. The Lavafather is a master in controlling earth and stone, the Armada in controlling flesh and bone and the Armatocere in controlling plant matter. There might be some interesting combinations of all these.

>>2407101
>>2407113
>>2407227

READ. THE. PASTE. BIN.

It has a shipbuilder guide in there. If you want to be spoonfed, then prepare to be treated as a child.

>>2407360
Sorry if i made you upset.I don't expect or asked for someone to guide me through it, i just pointed out that i'm not good in actual unit construction and just mentioned very general unit ideas since the shipbuilder guide list only the ships, weapons, modules and templates that are availiable and not if something like the ship idea that i posted is feasible.

In any case, i haven't tried designing an actual ship because theres a lot of information to sift through to find the best combinations so i posted the general idea so that if anyone likes it, he or she will try fleshing it out.

Also as all that i post are suggestions, anyone can pick them up or ignore them at their leisure. Thanks for the help though.

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So due to this week being just annoying with shit happening nonstop and plans on Saturday, thread will be resuming tomorrow and Sunday

>>2410101
NICE

>>2410101
Awesome! Can’t wait!

>>2410101
Correction, I'll be resuming the thread tomorrow at the normal time. Been a hectic week

>>2412538
What have you been up to senpai

>>2412546
A whole lot of job searching if I'm being honest

>>2412667
Anything specifically? Or just anything and everything?

>>2412667
Ever think of setting up a Patreon or a ko-fi donation profile? There might be some of us willing to toss a few bucks toward you every once in a while

>>2412892
Anything and everything. Just throwing job apps out everywhere and having depressingly little luck despite years of experience in multiple jobs without serious complaints.

>>2413047
>Patreon
That would make the quest a job and I'm sure the population would view that as selling out or something.

>ko-fi
Same thing, that would likely upset some players

>>2413066
No offence, you are doing the right thing. I would never donate to you while QD doesn't have a dono page.

And you know him personally so Im sure it makes sense. That dude has almost died like 4 times.

>>2413066
I'd never donate.

I'll buy you a pizza or something though

>>2415185
You could donate the price of a pizza

The twitter said that the quest was continuing?

>>2398903
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qXmxVySMzw

Knowing they had little time to waste both Sur-Quro and Captain Troma bark out their orders and the squads jump into action. Some leap quite literally, jumppacks propelling them from one stack of pre-fab buildings to another. Masses of undead surged upwards into the buildings and scrambled up twisting stairs, drawn by the sight and sounds of the firefight with the ghouls and the collapsed stack. The air was thick with smoke and their gurgling, groaning cries and the shriek of starving ghouls.

Troma led the charge as they fought through the stacked buildings, his sword spraying gore with each carving slice through the zombies that staggered into his path, his lesser pair of hands wielding a pair of blasters with deadly precision. The other pirates fought hard, driven and encouraged by their captain and the desire to be seen as worthy equals to the Legionnaires they fought alongside. While they lacked the superior Cauldron-forged weapons and armor they carried on with a determination that allowed them to keep the pace with the Armadan forces.

The threat of another group of ghouls using weapons to pick them off had made travel over the top of the shanty city unpalatable to the squads so they wade through the hordes of undead filing in from below. Just as before the enclosed spaces seemed to help the squads, both Legionnaire and Pirate trained for combat in the confines of starships, the restricted space allowing them carve their way through the teeming masses. Despite this advantage they knew they would be quickly swarmed and devoured if not for the radiant flames of the Wardens and Arbiters blazing a trail for them.

Sur-Quro grunts as her leap propelled her from one rooftop to another, her clawed boots scraping into the plasteel as she skids to a stop and glances at the netu Necromancer who sets down with gentle ease in comparison, "Ever know of Blight Hunger ghouls using weaponry?" she asks before taking another running leap off into the air toward another rooftop followed by her squad.

"Rarely," the netu leaps and lands with nimble grace, assisted by her telekinetic gifts before sending a whispered thought to the Arbiter to avoid the others from hearing, <Only when guided by a high intelligence such as a Necromancer or that rogue Immortal. I have been pondering this myself.>

<That'll mean a lot more trouble if another Immortal is here. Let's hope by the Wormstar it isn't so,> came the psychic reply from the yuyut before they threw a Sunstrike sphere to drive off a feral ghoul charging after a distracted Legionnaire.

Following the route mapped out by the demi-Think Tanks and guided by the Gargoyles the squads fought on through the undead chasing after them. Managing to work their way toward the closest entry way toward the core systems they found an ever increasing number of undead already lurking in their path, their density growing the closer the got.

>cont

>>2415995
Arbiter Sur-Quro stood alongside Necromancer Quikka at the edge of a stacked tower and looked down at the teeming swarm of zombies reaching up toward them. They could hear them racing up the towers stairs, the Wardens flames doing their best to hold back the tide for a moment. The yuyut glances across the way and spots Troma and the others similarly looking down at this new obstacle.

The small "plaza" was little more than an open space amidst the crowded buildings at the end of the thoroughfare. The heavy blast doors of a bunker entrance rose up at a slope at the base of the solid pillar that rose up, the main support of the vast dome. Troma and the other netu and said the pillar was made of solid metal, reinforcing and supporting the dome that sheltered the hub, providing no means of descending into the core systems beyond the blast doors built at the base.

"Do we drop in and clear a space for the techs?" came Troma's question over the radio.

"Might be too risky. We might be able to draw them off," Quikka says. shardspitter and shortstaff in hand.

"We do both," says Sur-Quro, "We draw the crowds up the buildings and get em packed in like eels to give the techs some breathing room."

Another voice, an unknown pirate, crackles over the public line, "I see flames! Coming this way!"

Alerted by the pirate leaning out a shattered window and pointing down the thoroughfare the Gargoyles adjust as the rest move to get a better view. Just as the pirate had said it seemed like a roiling ball of flames was making its way through the street, less crowded now that their passing had drawn the undead upwards.

Sur-Quro and the other Arbiters could sense the Solar energies, watching as the wall of flames rushes forward and scattering the undead. Finally realizing what was happening the yuyut starts barking out orders sending the squads rushing into action. Solar flames were unleashed from the rooftops and windows, Arbiters and Wardens targeting the undead clustered around the bunker and forcing the zombies to scurry away in a panic.

A voice crackles out over their radios then, "Back-up has arrived! We've got a lot of them following us though!" the flames drew close enough for the Gargoyles to get a clear view of the osjiic Huor charging with her shield up at the front of a charging formation of the Wardens. Solar flames roiled off her shield, the Arbiter using it as a searing battering ram in her rush through the undead. Grouped up behind were the Legionnaires and Pirates, sweltering in their nearly overheated armors but keeping the pace to stay within the protective bubble of flame and fire.

Arbiter Klinnik leaps overhead, swinging from one stingwhip to another in a dizzying display of stonestar acrobatics while still unleashing mayhem upon the undead below. Streamers of flame streak out from the spitefires built into their armor, burning zombies or ghouls plummeting from rooftops or windows in their passing.

>cont

>>2415999
With the crowd of undead forced back from the flames engulfing the bunker doors they were forced either to surge toward the approaching flames or move in their shambling masses up into the buildings themselves. Seeing their chance the techs leap down with their demi-Think Tank partners latched onto their armor alongside the Legionnaires and Wardens.

A netu Legionnaire is the first to land, their hardlight sword carving through a pair of zombies before they take the heavy sphere of bone secured just below their jumppack and smashes it upon the ground. From within the protective shell now cracked open there was a flash of light before the crystalline emitters within project a shimmering chest-high (to a human) barrier of shimmering hardlight. The others land and move up, cutting or gunning down the zombies trapped on their side of the barrier before opening fire on those trying to climb over it.

The techs and the demi-Think Tanks move to the bunker doors and tap in, the hyper-intelligent constructs working with the nearly ancient systems as the techs clear away the splattered gore from control panels. They try their best to ignore the masses of bloodied bone and chitin, the remains of whatever survivors that had been trapped by the undead hordes as they tried to enter the safety of the bunker.

There was detonation of flame in the midst of the zombie horde that was turning back toward the doorways, the flames rushing out from the impact of Sur-Quro and her Wardens landing. With a warcry that traces back to before the netu uplifting of the yuyut race Sur-Quro strides into combat with the zombies, her club of a flail scattering them with each blow while cutting or crushing them down with the oversized Arbiters gauntlet she'd personally based off an equally ancient yuyut weapon.

Necromancer Quikka and Captain Troma were quick to join her, both netu masters of their own forms of combat that left a trail of corpses in their wake that were quickly lost beneath the stomping feet of the other undead. Legionnaires and Pirates make their way down, jumppacks trailing Voidlight or swinging down on stingwhips and grapnels to leap into battle to reinforce the line protecting the techs. Wardens land with heavy impacts and burst of flame, the Reconstructed truly resembling the Warblood they were inspired as they vomit forth great sprays of flame and tear into the weaker undead.

Arbiters Huor and Klinniks group finally breath through, Sur-Quro and the osjiic exchanging respectful nods as they reunited but the battle left little time to exchange pleasantries. Finally regrouped they all quickly form up, holding the line against the undead that came pouring forth from the buildings now that all the living were gathered once more. Their screams and groans filled the air almost as thickly as the smoke and ash from burning bodies and melting plasteel.

>cont

>>2416002
With a sudden shifting and reverberation felt through their feet the bunker door slowly began to slide open to the excited shouts of the techs.

"Everyone inside now!" Sur-Quro shouts out as she crushes the skull of a human ghoul in her gauntlets palm, the long taloned arms falling limp by its sides.

Not needing much encouragement the living and Reconstructed quickly fell back inside until only Sur-Quro and Huor stood in the doorway that began sliding shut once more. A group of netu ghouls charged over the flickering hardlight barrier and try to drag the pair back out but they were swiftly burnt away by the combined flames of the other Arbiters and Wardens that engulfed them, allowing them to fall back into safety just as the bunker doors slam shut.

Silence filled the chamber, a landing that descended into a set of stairs, only the sound of countless pounding fists on the other side of the meter thick doors and the panting of the living catching their breath. It wasn't certain who was the first to begin laughing but once the first disbelieving chuckle went out over the radio it was quickly and infectiously picked up by the others there as relief surges over them. Many sit down or lean against each other as they took a well-earned moment to relax and catch their breath, the tireless Wardens moving to stand guard at the stairs as the Gargoyles begin their scouting.

>Sur-Quro has guided her forces into the Core Systems sector
>Arbiters Klinnik and Huor have reunited with their squad without any casualties

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>>2416008
Sorry about that delay, had to write up the results of the last rolls (impressive as they were)

Roll call time, anyone around?

>>2416040
here

>>2416040
here

>>2416040
Present
>Spoiler Image
Oh boy.

>>2416040
Here.

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>>2416040
I never thought about it but some of Starfinder art is very fitting for this quest.

>>2416040
Sur-Quro and Troma look over a projected holomap alongside a handful of others while the rest have the image transmitted to their HUDs in their helms or projected by their symbiots. The vorh tech points along the map, small blips indicating the location of flatbody Gargoyles scouting ahead of them and correlating it with data gained from locals and their maps.

"From here it's nearly a straight shot to where we need to go. Bunch of hallways and emergency doors, shouldn't be too different from what we've seen. Gargoyles are detecting zombies and ghouls, nowhere as many as what we just dealt with, but more than we'd like down here," they glance to the others, their expressive eyes seen through the vizor of their helm as they flit between Sur-Quro and the others, "Which is, y'know, more than any at all but you get the idea. Get us to the command centers and the city will pretty much be in our grasps. With luck we should be able to handle the reactors from there."

Captain Troma had his main pair of arms crossed across his chest with the lesser pair resting on his hips as he looked over the map before pointing to a moderately sized stairwell, "Probably won't be our luck. These stairs lead down to the reactors and it's right along our path to the command center," he looks to Sur-Quro, "I recommend splitting a portion off to get a head start toward the reactors and coordinate the efforts."

Resting with her legs bent and propping herself up on the knuckles of her gauntlet she taps her chin with a claw in thought, "Again, the problem of splitti-"

She's cut off mid-sentence as there is a psychic alert of alarm as a Legionnaire lets out a startled yelp and scrabbles back from an open airduct holding their shardspitter aimed toward it. Nearly every Legionnaire and Warden already had their weapons trained on the opening.

The Legionnaire looks over their shoulder toward the rest, the epikor speaking in with a voice thick with adrenaline, "I heard something moving around inside and then something dashed by," they explain even as their symbiot spinal tap displays the memory of a blurred creature rushing by at high speeds, only the glimpse of a carapace caught even with the epikors sensitive low-light eyesight.

Klinnik slowly moves up toward the airduct, clinging to the wall and peering inside the passage narrow enough that would even make it difficult for an unarmored stonestar to move through. With a slow and practiced motion they bring one of their limps to the airduct and waits, listening for the tell-tale scurrying with the patience and stillness of a species evolved as an ambush hunter. A minute nearly passes before the limb is thrust foward while firing their stingwhip.

>cont

>>2416258
There is a shrill squealing as the stonestar withdraws their arm and held the flailing mass of chitinous limbs, the stingwhip barb impaled in the half-dome shell. There is a round of scattered applause from the gathered Legionnaires and pirates as they lift it up in triumph, unmindful of the claws trying to slash at the armored limb holding it aloft.

Captain Troma clicks his beak, "How about that. A gremlin. Figures they'd be still be alive."

Quikka gives a nod, looking away from where Klinnik was holding the flailing creature for one of the demi-Think Tanks that was eagerly taking samples of its blood with an armature that looked like human fingerbones, "They are tenacious. Without the exterminators working hard they must be feeling bolder."

The vorh tech shakes their head, "A gremlin? I thought those were spacer-myth."

"They've mostly been wiped out but pockets survive on space stations and cities like this one. You never find them in the wild either, only time they're found planetside is in megacities like on Veraga Prime," Troma says.

"Arthropoids that seem evolved solely with the intent of sabotaging mechanical systems. They were a plague in the old days before extermination made them endangered. Many netu ships were sabotaged by them," Quikka says as she turns to regard the slowly stilling creature as it bled out when Klinnik approaches with it, the netu taking it from the stonestar and holding it aloft with her telekinesis.

"Hmph, something for the Think Tanks to prod at later," Sur-Quro says, turning away from the creature that made her flesh crawl in revulsion due to its vague similarity to an insectoid hunter from her childhood world, "We've still got a station to save."

>Genetic sample obtained: Gremlin - an endangered arthropoid species nearly driven to extinction due to their destructive instincts

How should they proceed in reclaiming the Core Systems and the Power Plant Reactors?
>Stick together and secure the Core Systems command center first
>Split to secure the command center and send a team ahead to the power plant
>Other (Write-in)

>>2416260
>Stick together and secure the Core Systems command center first

No heroes

>>2416260
>>Stick together and secure the Core Systems command center first

>Ask how badly could Gremlins mess up the Core.

>>2416260
>Stick together and secure the Core Systems command center first

>>2416260
Tough call. It would make things easier with the Command Center, ut the question is, do we have the time?
>Stick together and secure the Core Systems command center first
Keep an eye on the overall situation. If we have reason to think that the Core is in immediate jeopardy or that we find a quicker route or one that has less resistance, then we can split up until ,then stick together.

>>2416260
"Let's stick together until we secure the command center. Don't want to run into any nasty surprises separated if there are necrocyborgs running around," Sur-Quro says as she regards the holomap.

Quikka hands the gremlin corpse over to the inquisitive demi-Think Tank and its less than pleased tech as she rejoins them around the map, "Do you think the gremlins caused the damage to the core?"

Troma shrugs, "I supposed it could be possible if there were enough of them. Doubtful though. Barqalan has had a long time to deal with them. They were a common pest before the Scouring of the homeworlds and such an old installation will have made preparations against them long ago."

"We'll get to that problem after we secure the command center. Hopefully it can tell us just what went wrong with the reactors," the Arbiter says before turning away and barking out orders once more.

Those gathered quickly stand and move to the stairs descending into the darkness, the only light coming from the occasionally pulse of emergency lighting. Even from here it was easy to see the multicolored stains of blood from multiple races splattered along the walls and steps.

Sur-Quro takes her place at the front, her sunthrower swinging forward on its nimble armature and into her grasp. She took a deep breath, her air recycled by the algae derived organisms in the sophisticated armor, and whispers to herself, "Wormstar guide my steps and aim my hand in this time of darkness," before taking the first step down the stairs.

Roll me 2d100 best of first 3 please to make it to the command center and secure it

Rolled 17, 47 = 64 (2d100)

>>2416496
>>2416496

Rolled 60, 68 = 128 (2d100)

>>2416496

Rolled 62, 49 = 111 (2d100)

>>2416496

>>2416496
(apologizing ahead of time, didn't see the time so I'll be back in a bit once I get some dinner.)

>>2416208
I was actually going to use that exact pic for the ghouls lol. and yes, starfinder art is pretty good for the quest, that arthropod necromancer that keeps popping up in it is a total Wormstar worshiper for sure

>>2416089
not sure why it spoilered that

Anyone else lurking with excitement?

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>>2416687
This skeleton Is perpetually lurking

>>2416687
beep boop

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>>2416496
The corridors they found themselves in were different from many of those they had traversed which were intended for the living to spend their days in relative comfort. These were stark and utilitarian, the ancient builders of Barqalan knowing when to shape their ships and stations for comfort and when to make them for function. Even the bulwarks were more advanced, armored to protect against armed invaders and explosives, the demi-Think Tanks and techs taking slightly longer to open them than they had with those inside the relatively newer added sections of the city.

Corridors split off from each other in a functionally designed web, sealed doorways leading to various rooms and chambers they did not spare the time to investigate. However, those doorways that were left open allowed zombies to stagger from the darkness, drawn by the sounds of their footsteps. Groans ringing in the halls they reached out for them with grasping claws but their hungry groans turned into panicked screams as flames spread across them from the Arbiters and Wardens weapons.

The narrow hallways let them practically burn their way through whatever resistance they encountered, the undead numbers lessened in the sealed bunker. This only meant the ghouls trapped in with them seemed to grow smarter. No longer did they charge headlong using the zombies as shields to close the gaps or drop down on them and exposing themselves to the weapons of their targets comrades. No, they began to rely on the shadows, their claws lashing out from darkened doorways or from an open duct above, the screams of the captured the only warnings as they were drawn in.

Most were fortunately grabbed or retrieved by their allies but a Legionnaire and a few Pirates are slain before they could be rescued from their wicked claws while a handful of others suffer injuries from the attacks. Paranoia soon set into the group, every darkened portal scannedor set alight with Solar energies before passing. Occasionally the sound of scurrying will ring out from airducts and other small passages, startling the groups at first. A few bursts of weaponsfire and a lucky stingwhip shot prove that, at least occasionally, the sounds were blamed upon the gremlins that seemed to infest the area, the Legionnaires quickly coming to dislike the creatures.

The corridor expands as several others join in on a junction, a few of the paths open while others are sealed. Sur-Quro calls for a short break after they cleared out the lingering zombies and stationed guards at the other halls as the techs work on opening the bulwarks sealing their chosen path. They were not sitting still for more than a few minutes before there was a sudden ear-splitting shriek of what must have been a multitude of ghouls ringing out through the hallways. As the scream faded they were quickly alerted by their sentries as undead seemed to be amassing in each hallways and heading their way.

>cont

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>>2417131
The trained soldiers of the Armada and Pirate Clans quickly leap into action, forming up at the four open hallways with the elementally powered members of their groups and open fire against the zombie hordes charging toward them in their slow but inevitable pace. Just as before the Arbiters cast forth their Sunstrikes, the roiling spheres of energy igniting the air around them and the undead that stumbled past. Unlike before however, the undead rushed ahead through the gaps and used their own ignited comrades to shield themselves in the press of their numbers.

The techs not working on opening their escape move to the open doorways, attempting to seal them as the undead draw ever closer by stepping over the truly dead. There is another shriek of the ghouls as they are seen, illuminated by the Solar flames lurking behind the zombie masses as if urging them along. Panic ripples out suddenly as the groaning of metal alerts them to one of the bulwarks sealing another hall slowly starts to open, a handful of decayed arms sticking through the widening gap along with the sound of zombies groaning on the other side.

Sur-Quro herself pulls away from the hall she was defending and marches up to it with her Sunthrower hefted and with a snarl of annoyance unleashes a spray of Solar energy that ignites the air into a sheet of flame that drives back the undead clustered around the door momentarily. With the widening passage cleared she lobs several globs of the burning energy into the gap and is rewarded with the satisfying screams of burning undead. Her hand thrusts forward, a bead of energy racing out to lock into place and expand into a furious Sunstrike that manages to hold the undead back for the moment.

"Get that blasted door open!" she bellows out as she sets about creating a wall of burning undead to hold back those behind and waiting to rush over them in their cannibalistic hunger.

"Working on it!" shouted the stressed out tech only for them to shout out once more with happiness as the bulwark rumbles and starts to slide open, "Got it!"

Several Legionnaires toss grenades into the throngs that burst into searing shrapnel that tear through flesh and chitin with ease, causing those behind to trip over the now crippled undead. Using the distractions they start falling back, as the undead regroup and surge forth from the hallways. The Arbiters and Wardens once more form the last line as the hold the tide of zombies back from rushing into the now opened passage and fall back as the techs close the bulwark behind them.

With the momentary crisis past they take a moment to rearm and check their gear before Sur-Quro and Troma lead them deeper and deeper. While the behavior of the ghouls seeming to goad the normally mindless zombies into ignoring their instinctual fear of the Solar energies was disquieting their progress goes unhindered by further swarms beyond the occasional lingering handful or group shambling from the darkness.

>cont

>>2417137
Finally they find themselves at an advanced sealed doorway, the control panels nearby and the door itself splattered and covered in bloodied handprints of multiple races. The tech quickly confirm the signage nearby, the doorway leading into the command center. With a click the dark light above the door flips on and the armored door slides open to show faint flickering lights inside.

Sur-Quro and the Legionnaires sweep inside, weapons held at the ready as they scan the room, the techs calling out to avoid damaging the control consoles. It was surprisingly large, banks of computer terminals forming a small maze in the lower area with a secondary level suspended above with even more consoles and monitors. Emergency lights pulsed overhead with multiple consoles still illuminated casting the chamber in eerie shifting lights.

They emerged out along the upper platform that ringed the circular chamber, a nearby walkway linking to the central platform as steps descended into the bowl-like room and lower level. As they filed in they swept their weapons across the chamber and quickly spotted multiple forms standing from behind consoles and start shambling toward them with hungry groans.

Another shout of warning from the techs causes the soldiers to grumble but they holster their guns and blasters, instead pulling forth their assorted melee weaponry. Not willing to risk the danger of flames among the sensitive consoles Sur-Quro relied on the inert form of her flail, the club-like weapon serving well enough to cave in the skulls of several zombies that reached for her. Entering the chamber the Legionnaires quickly fell into practice, their hardlight staves forming mancatchers to secure the zombies for easy elimination by their partners.

Soon the chamber was rid of the lingering zombies and handful of ghouls, the techs quickly working to seal the doors and ensure the dead did not interfere with them.

Arbiter Sur-Quro and Captain Troma stepped up onto the central platform, the vorh tech and demi-Think Tank eagerly rushing past as they begin tapping into main consoles. The other techs were quick to join in as well, spread throughout the chamber along with several pirates that were at least partially familiar with the systems.

There is a few moments of shouting between the techs as they work before they let out small cheers that are picked up by the others as proper lights flicker on along with holoscreens flashing alerts and warnings. The techs and their demi-Think Tank partners eagerly set about scanning and diagnostics while the soldiers double check the security of the room or take well-earned moments of rest.

>cont

>>2417150
Sur-Quro glances from a flickering map of the city over to Troma, "This is a good start I think."

Troma reaches up and detaches their helm with a hiss of depressurization and holds it under his arms as he turns to give a double handed salute to the yuyut, "It would be a much more disastrous endeavor without the Armada and its soldiers. Already we owe you a debt, Arbiter."

The Arbiter waves a hand dismissively as she finds one of the netu sized chairs and settles down in it, "Save your talk of debts until after the operations end. The UON military teaches never to grow confident after a few successful skirmishes but only after victory has been claimed."

The Captain chuckles as they set their helm down on a console and start tapping away at the large keyboard as he starts searching for the comm lines, "And what does the Armada teach?"

Sur-Quro is silent as she thinks back to her time assisting Valresko during the invasion of B'Nan and the capturing of Kanda. Finally she answers, "How to dominate the battlefield. I had a very insightful mentor," she says while absent-mindedly rolling a small mote of flame across her fingers in thought.

>Core System command center secured!

>>2417161
With the techs working hard and the demi-Think Tanks plugged into the systems they start the task of restoring some semblance of functionality to the command center.

Roll me 1d100 best of first 3 please

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>2417182
RAWHIDE

Rolled 45 (1d100)

>>2417182

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>2417182

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>2417182
HACKERMAN

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>>2417182
The techs do their best and after nearly an hour of work they have most of the consoles illuminated again. Alarms and alerts ran rampant through the city, reports of decompression and fires flooding in by the moment that the techs have to ignore and move past.

There is a moment where one of the techs digging under a console lets out a startled shout and scrambles around as something heavy with multiple limbs drops down and scrabbles across them. The soldiers quickly lift up their guns and move to the ready but a Pirate quickly lashes out with a vibrosword and impales the gremlin trying to scurry away still trailing a few wires it had been picking at and chewing on. The tech shares an embarrassed laugh with the others before returning to their work with a more attentive eye to whatever else may be hiding around them.

As Sur-Quro waiting for the techs to report their findings she establishes contact with the Armada ships still waiting for them. They report that the Reconstructed sent to assist with the evacuation of survivors by the Pirates were providing quite a bit of help in keeping the undead hordes from descending on them during their trips toward waiting shuttles.

During her conversation she is contacted by the Armatocere waiting behind on the ships and she switches channels to see both Solar and Void empowered Armatocere cacti waiting to speak with her.

The synthetic voice drones out, "Arbiter Sur-Quro, we are pleased to hear of your success securing the core systems," one of them says, the yuyut not certain which one actually spoke until a mental nudge from her symbiot indicates the Void wielder.

Another voice drones out, this time the Solar cacti highlighted for her convenience, "We wish to assist you in these matters in the second waves if you will allow it. In particular we have heard from our own factions and the Eldertrees express interest in this hydroponics ward."

The Void cacti speaks, picking up for their companion, "Indeed, the flora there must be preserved. Allow us to join the next wave of attempts once you are ready."

Sur-Quro taps her claws together in thought for a moment as she mulls it over. The Armatocere elemental users would likely prove useful, this she couldn't deny, not to mention it was uncertain if the undead would even view them as a target or threat.

Should Sur-Quro allow the Armatocere to join in the effort of securing the hydroponics and farms within Ward Three?
>Y/N

>>2417264
>Y
Although I don't really want them there due to the questions they could raise when it inevitably turns out to me another one of our lost immortals causing havoc, there isn't really a good reason to deny it that I can think of

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>>2417264
Sadly I must get up in about six hours so I'm going to call it here.

Won't be able to continue the thread until Monday if it's still up or I may start a new thread if it falls far enough down. Got family plans I thought were for saturday shifted to sunday.

Again, I'm sorry for lack of a thread with interactions. Should be getting to more involved scenes now that they've fought through a big stretch of narrative.

Hope folks had fun, I know I did writing it. Sorry I got kinda carried away with the lengthy posts as usual.

>>2413066
What kind of job are you looking for?

>>2417264
>Y

Someone earlier already proposed having the Armatocere assist the Netu in preserving the species there. Saving this particular collection is a good lead-in to it.

>>2417372
Thanks for running!

>>2417264

Y

And as mentioned before, talk to the Armatocere with the pirates about securing samples for safekeeping and possible rejuvenation of the species that are present in the hydroponics bays

>>2417372
Thread continuing?

Felt like pointing out that if it takes too long to isolate and subjugate the defeated and demoralized Ahkam worlds and fleets, they'll just be incorporated and absorbed into whichever dynasty annexes them in the power vacuum. The end result being a full strength dynasty and matriarch in addition to the remainder of the former Quantac'Vrix's military and economic strength.

I was also thinking that to clean up the Ahkam worlds faster, could take (or build if none have been constructed or retrofitted yet) some new FTL interdictor ships in one or many attack fleets to pick off planetary defense fleets without letting them have a chance to escape and reinforce other worlds or join a new dynasty leaving them with only the two choices of surrender or destruction. Optionally, planetary invasions could be skipped or left without capital ship support in a blitz attack to concentrate on fleet destruction leaving ground garrisons cut off without hope of rescue.

Either that or hope the Osjiic attack the Ahkam worlds first and overextend themselves and strike at their important worlds but that's more gambling. Then again, while Horizon's Drop was being attacked, the Osjiic already were making an invasion on one Ahkam world; could start from there.

I don't know how long it can be considered to take for the Armada to be offensive ready after all the recent combat but there should be a vaguely disgusting number of capital ships still available. That's generally my two cents on how to progress. I'm also glad that the Armada civilian population numbers were cleaned up to make reasonable sense. It pleases my immersion.

>>2417264
After a few moments of internal debate Sur-Quro gives a short nod, "Your assistance will be welcomed. Prepare for departure while we work on getting things set up here and we work out a plan for how to deal with the other Wards."

There was a faint hissing of static before one of the cacti spoke, "Thank you, Arbiter," the HUD indicating the Void wielder.

"I'm sure that during or after the securing of Ward 3 you will be able to take samples of the flora there," Sur-Quro glances over to Troma who conversing with the techs over a the contents of a consoles screen, "The netu will likely welcome it."

The Solar empowered floral speaks with their droning synthetic voice, "Forgive our presumptions, but we have also been informed that the Eldertrees we contacted regarding this crisis have deployed assistance."

This makes Sur-Quro perk up in the large chair, "Assistance? In what form?"

"A single ship with intention to provide what assistance it can," the Void wielder says, "To secure and preserve samples from this Ward 3," there is a pop of static that Sur-Quro is almost certain a chuckle before it continues, "And to ensure other factions recognize the Collectives intent to assist the Armada during relief missions such as this."

The yuyut lets out her own chuckle and rests her chin on her knuckles, elbow propped on the armrest, "If it keeps the Void Tyrants and the Confederate dogs at bay, I welcome it. Lord Jadyk will likely approve as well but I'll pass the message along if Sapling Slrrt hasn't already."

It was difficult for the Arbiter to read the cacti, their species lacking in the body language department that even the Saplings and Mindvines expressed. However they seemed to realize this themselves and with a crackle of static under their words they say, "Thank you for your time, Arbiter. We will be prepared for when you call."

The image on her helms HUD flickers out leaving her to ponder the repercussions of the Treeships arrival.

>Armatocere Collective has dispatched a single Treeship to assist and reinforce the Armada at Barqalan

As she thinks to herself, taking the moment to enjoy the brief respite her attention is drawn to where one of the techs calls out for her and Troma. With a small sigh she moves off the chair and walks on her knuckles over to where the vorh was seated at a console, Captain Troma joining them a moment later.

"What is it?" Sur-Quro questions, glancing toward the screen and the jumble of netu and galactic text that made little sense to her.

The vorh gestures to the screen as if it made perfect sense as they spoke, "Well, we're still working on getting the systems back up but there is a lot of damage and corruption to work around. Lot of errors from even before the outbreak."

Captain Troma folds his main arms across his chest, "Yes yes, the city is old and had a lot of problems. Why did you call us over?" his voice tracking mild annoyance but the tech ignores his tone.

>cont

>>2428234
"Well I found an isolated sub-system that dates back a few years marked 'Diagnostic Assistance Repair' so I started checking it out. And well," the vorh taps at the hardlight keyboard the demi-Think Tank was projecting for her use rather than using the busted and ancient one set in the console. After a few keystrokes a new window pops up and she looks to Troma, "It require authorization from someone high ranking enough with netu DNA," she says with a nod to where a palm-reader was set into the side of the console.

Captain Troma leans in and starts reading across the screen quickly before clacking his beak, "Hopefully this code still works," he says as the tech slides the hardlight board over to him through the air. The netu types out a long, complex code comprised of three separate languages before tugging off his gauntlet from one of his lesser hands and presses his palm against the scanner that flashes with a orange light for several moments before turning yellow and letting out a chirp of confirmation.

Donning his glove the netu nods to the tech who was quickly typing through the now opened files, then looks to Sur-Quro, "Try to forget that code. It's a Dagger Clan secret."

The yuyut gives a nod despite knowing her Symbiot and the demi-Think Tank had already copied and saved the code in their memories and the memory of the Deep Rot Relay in the battleship floating outside Barqalan, "It was too big for me to catch anyways," she says with a dismissive wave of a hand then looks over the vorhs shoulder as she lets out a confused click of her mandibles, "Something wrong?"

The tech shook her head and rubbed at her cheek without seeming to realize she still wore her visored helm, "Well the data here is odd. Lot of code I'd have to work through but from what I can tell, it's access to a back-up server of some kind."

"What is the problem then?" Troma asks while looking over the data as well before grunting, "That is odd. What about this sub-routine here," he points at a jumble of data that looked completely foreign to the yuyut, "Looks like the way to activate it," he says mostly to himself and reaches across to tap at the hardlight keyboard before the vorh could smack his hands away with an indignant sound.

The console gives another confirmation chirp as the tech shoots a look at the netu who only shrugs before the hiss of something depressurizing forces everyone in the chamber to look up suddenly.

On the wall near to where the console was a panel set in the metal lets out the hiss with a burst of dust before it pops out and slides open to reveal a small compartment and the figure standing within. Legionnaires quickly trained their weapons at the dark figure before lights suddenly flicker on inside.

>cont

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>>2428237
The tension was cut by Captain Troma giving out a sigh of relief along with several of the other pirates as he holsters his blasters, "It's alright, it's just a service bot," he says, motioning to the robotic figure the lights revealed.

Barely smaller than the compartment the service bot was inactive and nearly folded in on itself. However there was another mechanical chirp before the robot seemed to shudder as several lights began to glow in its form. Lifting it's head a single eye of blue glass scans across the room as it slowly stood to its full height of nearly seven feet. It seemed like it hadn't moved for quite some time as it takes a first shaky step from the compartment, its body swaying slightly before its mechanical legs seem to stabilize and it takes a few more steps into the room.

Several cables detach from others on its hunched back that retract closer to its form. Red plating was scuffed and dusty with age, the vaguely netu shaped robot almost seeming confused as it scanned the room. There was a faint hissing of static before a voice, more animated and seemingly higher quality than the simple voiceboxes of the Armatocere, crackles out, "Oh dear, oh no, this is not good, so very very bad."

Slowly the Legionnaires lower their weapons in confusion as the bot begins to pace back and forth before coming to a halt as Captain Troma approaches and turns it single 'eye' toward him, "Are you Captain Troma who activated me?"

Slowly the netu nods in confusion, "Uh, yes I am, what are y-"

He is cut off suddenly by a squeal of feedback as the robot pokes a finger toward him, "What HAPPENED?! Where are the regular crew? WHY can I not contact the rest of ME?!"

Sur-Quro was immediately on edge as she stepped closer, tensing as the eye swivels to her as she spoke, "You're an AI aren't you?"

There was a few moments of delay before the head swings, seeming to nod on its swivel, "Who is this? You do not wear UON uniform, how did a yuyut get to my core systems?"

Silence started to fall across the room until the vorh tech slams a fist into her open palm, "You're Barqalan aren't you?!"

The eye swivels to her, "I am a portion of the AI built to oversee the city, correct. But again," the eye swivels back to Troma and Sur-Quro, "WHAT HAPPENED?" it demands with another screech of feedback.

>>2428240
Not continuing the thread but rather wrapping it up here. Enough time has passed during this operation that starting up a new "day" thread on Saturday makes sense.

Sorry for disappearing again this week.

Not entirely sure if Saturdays thread will be a regular thread or focus entirely on the Wayward Disciple finally

What do you folks think?

>>2425020
I'm with you on this.

>>2428262
I want to see more of the wayward disciple, but if we're picking up where we left off or if we have to play catch-up time-wise with Jadyk I'm not gonna be too interested.

I hope you'll start off with cliff notes and writing about key points in his mission so far, so that we can be ready to wage his war and make plans to claim the fragment from the get go.

>>2428315
yeah it was mostly going to be covering major successes and setbacks to catch them up to where we are now.

I'll be asking for votes on certain tough choices though and that will affect things further along but otherwise it'll be mostly a summary to catch their story up to the current time.

>>2428352
Sounds good to me. We will be sticking with him for a few threads right?

Maybe you can call for such votes to determine what Jadyk will be up to in the meantime too, so not everything over here screech to a halt

>>2428262
Im fine with it
Just a bit of writing critique: I've noticed that you have used the verb "chuckles" a lot with regards to how people speak. I'm fine with the word, its over usage has just been a bit noticeable.

>>2429510
I've definitely noticed it as well.

Same with everyone nodding all the time

Don't forget cosmic distance

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>>2429630

>>2429523
Alternatives could be giggles, smirks, snorts. Also the nods could be 'affirmative hum', 'acknowledgement', 'affirmative gesture' since well, these are aliens, after all. Do invent new gestures for nigh everyone, perhaps like Stonestars quivering in affirmation, or undulating in surprise.

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>>2429523
>>2429818
A thesaurus truly is a writers best friend.

>>2397399
I still want to terraform a new home planet for the Netu.