TSW 19: THE MONUMENT TO YOUR SINS

[18:52]	IcePickLobotomy	Time: 2:33am Local Time. Location: OUTRIDER Bay.
[18:55]	IcePickLobotomy	You've been roused from your sleep a few hours ago. Another INTRUDER is making it's way across the Atlantic. The briefing document is rather sparse. A few photos of it by some brave recon craft in grainy black and white. It appears to be a central spherical core, a bright gold color, with a large number of metallic ribbons orbiting it. It's expected to make landfall in about 10 minutes.
[18:55]	-->|	WE1RD ([email protected]) has joined #TSWIC
[18:56]	=-=	WE1RD is now known as JohnH
[18:58]	IcePickLobotomy	On the surface, it's dark. Several VTOL aircraft with searchlights linger in the distance, illuminating the INTRUDER over the ocean as it casts a golden glow over the waters.
[18:58]	Arina	sits in her Outrider, glaring at the screen.
[19:12]	RobinE	is in her pilot seat, breathing deeply to stay calm.
[19:14]	Reagan	"How we doin, kids?"
[19:15]	Arina	"No worse than usual."
[19:15]	Mary	is looking at the intruder throught the scope of her positron weapon, as usual the first hit has to count. "Angry for it to interupt my beauty sleep and requesting a day of to slumber in exchange."
[19:16]	Arina	"No one take risks here, we do this by the book, kill it, and go home before breakfast."
[19:16]	Reagan	short laugh. "True and true."
[19:16]	JohnH	"I don't think I'll ever get used to this feeling."
[19:19]	Kasra	"It's just nerves because of recent events, you'll do fine."
[19:19]	Mary	"That is just you being distracted that your gun is not bigger then mine John."
[19:20]	JohnH	"It's not the size of the gun, Mary. It's how you use it. Any good solider knows that, right Kasra?"
[19:20]	Kasra	"A tool for every purpose."
[19:26]	IcePickLobotomy	[Adisory] Kasra JohnH your HUDS light up, turning the are around you into a field of cones and lines [Minefield is now on Stand By in your Area. Leaving tactical activation authority to CRIMSON lance.]
[19:26]	JohnH	"We get landmines? This is gonna be a blast"
[19:27]	Kasra	"The warehouses may look run down now, but I think business will be booming soon."
[19:27]	Arina	"I'd imagine that's the idea with landmines."
[19:28]	IcePickLobotomy	"I regret letting John pick last weeks Movie Night film." Walker complains over the radio
[19:29]	Kasra	"I liked the movie."
[19:34]	IcePickLobotomy	[Intruder entering Area of Operation. Begin engagement at your discretion. Good Luck CRIMSON Lance.]
[19:35]	Mary	Mary look over, to the dot that is not even currently visible with her naked eye having faith in the magi, as she then lets loose a shot of gold, one eye closed as she breaths out and spews forth destruction that would melt a tank colum.
[19:36]	IcePickLobotomy	It. . . jukes to the side, metallic ribbions trailing in the water as the shot detonates harmlessly behind it, sending a spray of steam and sea-water into the air. "Negative, no effect on target." One of the VTOLs orbiting the Intruder says, his voice cool and collected.
[19:36]	Arina	"Mm. Quick."
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[19:45]	IcePickLobotomy	[AT Field Analysis complete. Advisory: INTRUDER posses a AT Field modulated for anti-DEW effects. Advisory, Positron Weaponry will operate at a reduced effectiveness as long as the Intruder's field is active.]
[19:55]	Arina	nods. "Thank you, MAGI."
[19:56]	IcePickLobotomy	The Intruder draws closer to the beachhead. The VTOL's peel off, orbiting it from a greater distance as the shore based flood-lights and patrol boats in the water direct their's up at it. Dozens of pencil like beams of search lights spear out at the Intruder from every angle
[20:03]	Mary	half closes her eyes as she senses out for the field of the enemy, a distant ping at the edge of her awareness, not enough to really know where it is but guided by the memory of her eyes enough to nudge it slightly, and then she shots her field reaching ot to clear the air in front of her shot so that a lance seems to strike out from her at the angle her
[20:03]	Mary	fields colour mingling with the beams.
[20:04]	IcePickLobotomy	The Intruder ducks down under the shot, the ribbons trailing behind it as it moves.
[20:07]	IcePickLobotomy	And then it surges forward, sea-foam and spray kicking up behind it. It heads straight for Robin. It slashes out with one of the ribbons
[20:09]	Arina	darts across its line of advance, clotheslining it with her Outrider's sword as it closes in on Robin.
[20:14]	IcePickLobotomy	It's field flares sharply, knocking the tip of the pike aside.
[20:15]	IcePickLobotomy	*Sword
[20:17]	Kasra	With a moment of hesitation and a peculiarly halting breath, Kasra spreads his field to clash with the intruders.
[20:19]	IcePickLobotomy	Kasra: You feel it lock down.
[20:22]	IcePickLobotomy	And it ignores Kasra, the ribbons lashing out at Robin, slicing past the armor as if it wasn't there
[20:23]	Kasra	"Robin, do you need to  disengage?"
[20:24]	IcePickLobotomy	Blood streams out of Robin's outrider, hissing and steaming through the 2 dozen razor thin rents in the armor
[20:25]	RobinE	"AaaaauGH!" Robin lets out a scream half out of anger and half of pain
[20:28]	Arina	frowns. "Damned thing is fast! Robin, still with us?"
[20:29]	RobinE	"I'm here" Roban groans over the intercom.
[20:30]	JohnH	squeezes off a shot towards the intruder, and swears under its breath as it goes wide
[20:30]	Arina	"Good to hear, do you need to pull back or are you still good to go?"
[20:30]	IcePickLobotomy	It lashes out at Robin again, there's a sharp crack in the air and you are now missing the tip of your wing-pylon, but the damage is superficial.
[20:34]	Arina	swings back around, Outrider-surfboard-sized sword crashing through a wide circle before smashing into its back.
[20:38]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: A dozen o the ribbons lash out, restraining and slowing the blow enough that it gently plunks onto the Intruder's core
[20:39]	IcePickLobotomy	And it lazily lashes out at Robin, cutting a superficial furrow across her units chest.
[20:41]	Kasra	"Robin, may I ask that you shift location?"
[20:42]	Arina	"It's definitely focusing on her..."
[20:44]	Kasra	"We can't be sure until it pursues her."
[20:44]	RobinE	"Yeah I, yeah ok."
[20:53]	RobinE	"After *THIS*" Robin strikes a blow at the intruder, fueled by anger.
[20:54]	IcePickLobotomy	It slips past the Intruder's ribbons, and a resounding "Gong" sounds echoes across the battlefied
[20:55]	Kasra	"Good hit, good hit."
[20:56]	Arina	"First real hit all day, good work."
[20:57]	JohnH	"Just need a few more like it!"
[20:59]	Reagan	swings her pike at  the intruder and manages to miss a still target.
[21:01]	IcePickLobotomy	A massive flurry of blows envelopes Robin, as if a she had been surrounded by a nest of living eels.
[21:07]	IcePickLobotomy	And when RobinE emerges from the swarm, a massive rent in her unit's chest is apparent. Blood hisses and pours fourthm boiling as it pools on the ground. A few sparks fom severed cybernetics snap and hiss. Inside Robin's HUD lights up in amber and orange damage indicators as alarms blare over the helmet.
[21:08]	Arina	tsks. "Robin get out of there!"
[21:09]	RobinE	"This... that isn't good."
[21:09]	Arina	"It's not, pull back."
[21:09]	Kasra	"There's no shame in retreating, Robin, we'll try to keep it occupied."
[21:11]	IcePickLobotomy	RobinE: You can feel it, the Unit's surprised fury and hatred, the disgust. Every moment a fresh hell of agony, pain so sharp and clear that the cuts and rents in your armor fade into the background noise of suffering
[21:12]	RobinE	's eva grabs at its head "AaaaAH!"
[21:20]	RobinE	takes her eva and tries to slump out of combat.
[21:32]	JohnH	fires another shot at the intruder, missing again
[21:32]	JohnH	"That's it" John throws his gun the the ground and pulls out his knife
[21:33]	IcePickLobotomy	With a lazy seeming wave one of the ribbons scythes after Arina
[21:34]	Arina	With an equally lazy-seeming wave the sword rises to deflect the ribbon away. "Fine, I'll take you."
[21:34]	IcePickLobotomy	The ribbion strikes the sword and. . . wraps around it, headed for Arina still
[21:35]	Arina	blinks in surprise as it slides by. "Eh?"
[21:38]	IcePickLobotomy	You have just enough time to say that much before the ribbon slams into your head, cutting a deep grove into the side and knocking the view of your HUD to and frow
[21:39]	Arina	winces. "Ugh... painful but I'm still viable."
[21:42]	Kasra	mutters something under his breath, then exhales slowly as he fires a round towards the intruder.
[21:43]	IcePickLobotomy	And. . . It detonates off one of the ribbons to no effect.
[21:45]	IcePickLobotomy	Mary: You could see it in slow motion. The outermost layers of the ribbion rapidly boiled off, ablating away the burst of anti-protons a "safe" distance away from the rest of the body.
[21:45]	Mary	"Its burning of the ribbon to protect against the positrons!"
[21:46]	Arina	"Ablative armour 0x1dtoo0x1d?"
[21:46]	IcePickLobotomy	It lashes out at Arina, carving a thin grove in her unit's armor but nothing more
[21:46]	Kasra	"...it came well prepared."
[21:47]	Arina	"Very much so..."
[21:54]	IcePickLobotomy	[Unit-01/A. Current load out ineffective. HARP ETA 7 Seconds. Prepare for rearmament.]
[21:55]	Mary	curses as she sees that "Thanks MAGI and command " she says as she unholsters the canon and sprints over to the elevator where she gets into positon on top of it
[21:55]	IcePickLobotomy	It lashes out at Arina again
[21:57]	Arina	hisses, pulling her sword into the path of the ribbons again.
[22:03]	Reagan	taking the opportunity, she stabs at the intruder and solidly connects.
[22:03]	IcePickLobotomy	Only for it's AT Field to flare into life just long enough to stop it.
[22:04]	IcePickLobotomy	Kasra: You feel the AT field collapse. It's no longer able to manifest the field unless it gets out of your engagement.
[22:04]	Kasra	"It's field is down, good work."
[22:05]	IcePickLobotomy	The ribbons swarm Arina and her unit, hiding her from sight, sprays of blood and flesh flare out from gaps in the ribbons however.
[22:09]	IcePickLobotomy	And when it passes. . . She's standing tall. A few cuts and scrapes on her armor, but her Unit is still in good condition
[22:09]	Arina	's sword swirls, desperately keeping up with the ribbons at every single juncture.
[22:09]	Arina	has a snarl on her face as she catches her breath. "No."
[22:09]	Arina	"You will not kill me."
[22:15]	Arina	's sword flashes up and 02/A crosses the distance with a single titanic, window-shattering swing. She does 0x1dnot0x1d add 'In Soviet Russia' because we are not in Soviet Russia when she says "I will kill you!"
[22:19]	IcePickLobotomy	The blow slams into the Intruder, even as it lashes out it's knocked off balance
[22:23]	IcePickLobotomy	And then. . the core flickers emerald a brief moment
[22:23]	Kasra	"Command, did you just get any strange readings from my unit?"
[22:26]	IcePickLobotomy	And again, stronger this time
[22:26]	IcePickLobotomy	And then. . . .
[22:27]	Kasra	"Get clear! It's...it's...disregard."
[22:27]	IcePickLobotomy	A harsh golden light, as bright as the sun, pours forth from the core. The air crackles and hisses with static, the external temperature rises.
[22:30]	IcePickLobotomy	[ERROR, Unknown AT Field detected. Pattern unknown, designation GOLD. Detecting increase in AT Activity. Extreme caution is advised.]
[22:31]	Kasra	"C-command? Please advise?"
[22:31]	RobinE	"Whats going on?"
[22:32]	Arina	blinks. "What...?"
[22:32]	IcePickLobotomy	". . We do- main- canno-" static, harsh and discordant roars like the desert wind of the radios. The white specks form a thick haze around the Angel, like static on a TV Set. You feel it, something weight down on you. A presence. The VTOLs plummet from the sky and crash. The lights slowly begin to flicker off one by one. . .
[22:36]	Arina	has 02/a's legs swept out from under her by a ribbon slash hidden in the brilliance, and it goes crashing to the ground, arms braced to roll out of it. "Kill it!"
[22:38]	IcePickLobotomy	[Primary Objective: Survive] The MAGI data feed cuts out
[22:39]	Mary	"ITS DOING THE SAME THING THAT I DID IN THE SHAFT! GET AWAY FROM IT !"
[22:40]	Mary	tries to distract it before the buildup can finish, by firing at it not caring where she hits just.. just.. she has to deal with it..
[22:42]	IcePickLobotomy	The rounds scream at the slowly shifting figure. A malformed head, still made of writhing ribbons glances at them and they detonate in a gout of gold flames meters away from it's form.
[22:42]	IcePickLobotomy	You can see the shape of it now, like a man wreathed in golden-white flames.
[22:43]	IcePickLobotomy	It drifts forward and stops only long enough to pick Arina up by her unit's head.
[22:44]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: It burns. Tearing at you, the winds of fire trying to claw and scour your |self| away.
[22:44]	IcePickLobotomy	And with a contemptuous motion it throws Arina at Mary.
[22:45]	Kasra	"Don't engage! We can't fight them!"
[22:49]	Arina	screams under the burning, and goes 0x1dflying0x1d.
[22:49]	Mary	welps and then tries to slow Arina down with her field as she sees her barreling towards her , anything to stop her from smashing down  with the full weight, and all the collateral that this mean.
[22:51]	IcePickLobotomy	You can all feel it. To Mary it's a harsh chaotic fractal, ripping and tearing at everything. To Arina, it's a harsh discordant white-noise, slowly obliterating all. It's harsh, cruel, it burns. It's unyielding as it tears and claws at you.
[22:52]	Kasra	braces himself and moves into forward onto the beachhead.
[22:52]	Arina	slows down just enough to get 02/a's feet under her, and slowly uncoils from the crouch it landed in. "What. Is going on. Kasra."
[22:54]	IcePickLobotomy	Kasra: it turns it's head, and you can see it. 2 eyes that burn gold-white, so much brighter than the rest of it. You feel it boring it's way into you, and it'
[22:55]	IcePickLobotomy	it's all you can to not scream, to not break down then as there.
[22:57]	IcePickLobotomy	The ribbons are gone, it's body no longer writhing. It now resembles a a skeletal stick figure, lacking in ribs but with long stick like arms and legs terminating in a skull like head, a pair of burning gold-white motes where the eyes would be.
[22:58]	IcePickLobotomy	It raises a single arm at Kasra. |I AM THE MONUMENT TO YOUR SINS.| And then the world goes white.
[23:00]	IcePickLobotomy	And when it passes Unit-4 is standing in a crater of molten rock and concrete, the armor glowing red and fused into a solid piece
[23:00]	IcePickLobotomy	[Unit-04. Destroyed] His name a harsh red in your HUDS
[23:01]	Mary	gives of a startled scream
[23:02]	Arina	"0x1dKasra0x1d!"
[23:02]	RobinE	's arms fall to her side, she just stares stunned.
[23:02]	Kasra	| ERROR ERROR ERR|
[23:02]	Kasra	Kasra's comms shut down
[23:05]	Arina	takes a slow, deep breath, eyes wide and locked on the image of Unit-04.
[23:05]	Arina	takes another.
[23:06]	Arina	takes a third breath, and exhales all of it in a shriek: "Kill it yesterday!"
[23:09]	Mary	"AWAY FROM IT ! " She screams as loud as she can " IT is Dying ! Running out of.. itself!"
[23:15]	JohnH	blanks at the sight of Kasra's life threatening experience, drowning out all sound, and takes off towards the intruder yelling
[23:15]	JohnH	"I WILL END YOU."
[23:16]	IcePickLobotomy	JohnH: It catches your arm, and it pulls it free of the socket, discarding it in the same motion. It follows this up by slamming it's now disintegrating fist over your head.
[23:19]	RobinE	slowly turns around, "no, no..." you can hear her whisper. Her eva begins sprinting, and she pulls her umbilical our so she can keep running.
[23:20]	RobinE	(out*)
[23:21]	IcePickLobotomy	It watches as Robin flees.
[23:21]	Reagan	"We oughtta fall back--!" Reagan starts stepping backwards, turns and runs after Robin.
[23:22]	IcePickLobotomy	And it turns to stare at Arina, a pair of burning eyes meeting her own.
[23:23]	Mary	just stares at it , her eyes widening as she soaks the pressence up and feels as it starts to burn her up.
[23:24]	Arina	ducks her Outrider's head and dashes towards the Intruder, though it threw her far enough that she spends the whole time dashing. "John, pull back!"
[23:30]	IcePickLobotomy	It meets your charge, driving one spindly pointed arm int your Unit's torso. You're jerked hard in your seat as something slams into the plug, causing the massive bulgining dent to erupt a half meter from your head. The HUD Flickers
[23:34]	Arina	snarls, 02/a flaring a brilliant green as the armour emits steam, as if something inside is desperately, uncontrollably hot, the damaged helmet armour shifting as the jaw within moves into a rictus grin, and draws its sword upward in a single cleaving blow that splits the Intruder in half along the line from its knee to where its teeth would be if it were a being with any right to exist.
[23:35]	IcePickLobotomy	[ https://youtu.be/V8NmynhfeUs?t=40 ] And. . . it dies. Not with a bang, but a whimper. The light dims and fades as it's body crumbles to ash. Leaving you standing beneath the stars and moon, the sound of the waves lapping at the shore and a warm breeze coming with them.
[23:35]	|<--	Reagan has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
[23:36]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: You blink, your eyes stinging with tears. You feel a tickle under your nose as well, and a coppery taste in your mouth now.
[23:37]	Arina	blinks, bringing her hand up to her helmet as if to touch the strange sensation. "... oh... that's new..."
[23:37]	JohnH	whips the one good arm around, knife in hand, ready to stab, and stops half a moment before stabbing Arina with a 50ft blade
[23:38]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: Blood, tears of blood, blood leaking from your nose. Blood clinigng to the back of your throat.
[23:39]	Arina	wobbles slightly on her Outrider's feet. "... check the plug..." Though it's probably a little burbly. "... he might be..."
[23:43]	JohnH	drops the knife and grabs Arina's shoulder to ensure she doesn't hit the ground
[23:44]	Arina	"'m fine... ish... check him..."
[23:44]	IcePickLobotomy	"-in! I repeat, Crimison Lance, do you read!" It's Walker over the radio
[23:45]	Mary	blinks her head raw, and , well things hurt that clearly should not hurt, especially as they are not part of her body as she lets the gun crash down before she starts to run to the burned out husk, that is a sign of things to come.
[23:46]	Arina	"... mostly... intact... check... 04... Intruder... down..." Her words sound like she's speaking from underwater.
[23:48]	IcePickLobotomy	"Right. .  Arina? Are you ok? We're reading a slow decline in your blood pressure here. Mary? John? I need one of you to check on Kasra manually, his Comm Suit is fried and the main access shafts are burned out, it's gonna be a bit before we have recovery teams in place."
[23:49]	Mary	"Already on my way trying to get him out"
[23:50]	Arina	"'m bleeding... medic... would be... appreciated... but check... Kasra, he's... worse-off..."
[23:50]	IcePickLobotomy	"Right, Arina it'll be fastest to head to this," your hud lights up "recovery chute. Get over there now, we'll get to Kasra asap."
[23:51]	Arina	stumbles in that direction, though she doesn't get in until she sees.
[23:52]	Mary	then tries as she reaches the red hot maschine to reach out, as she tries to find a way to pull the plug away from the fused plates , at worst by ripping them off and cutting with her knife.
[23:52]	IcePickLobotomy	Mary: After peeling off the armor around Kasra's plug you're able to access his plug.
[23:53]	Mary	carefuly pulls the plug out and then sets it on the ground before she runs down medkit in hand.
[23:54]	IcePickLobotomy	Mary: Kasra is sitting in the plug. He looks alive and surprisingly well
[23:55]	Mary	"Kasra?" She asks quite shocked as the fluid is running around her legs after she had opend up the plug to look at him peering inside concerned.
[23:55]	IcePickLobotomy	He doesn't respond. Doesn't even twitch.
[23:55]	Kasra	eyes will not focus, no sound escapes his lips. Kasra is not there.
[23:56]	|<--	Kasra has left irc.systemnet.info (Quit: ChatZilla 0.9.92 [Firefox 47.0/20160604131506])
[23:57]	Mary	reaches out to touch him...
[23:57]	Arina	"how... is it...?"
[23:58]	Mary	"Pulse, but.. he isn't there... he isn't there now..."
[23:59]	Arina	"... khorosho..." 02/a staggers into the recovery chute.
[23:59]	IcePickLobotomy	"Arina, just hang tight ok? We're still figuring this out."
[00:00]	IcePickLobotomy	"Mary that's good, is he injured?"
[00:01]	Mary	"He looks like he is just daydreaming.." she sounds dreadening a realisation.
[00:03]	|<--	JohnH has left irc.systemnet.info (Quit: JohnH)
[00:04]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: There's a feeling of freefall as the platform rapidly descends. The automatic controls take over as your Unit enters recovery poistion. The hud shuts down, the helmet disengages as the plug is pulled free of the unit's body.
[00:05]	Mary	starts to cry
[00:07]	Arina	pulls the helmet off and spits to clear her mouth and throat - pointedly directing said spit at the dent the Intruder put in 02/A.
[00:07]	Arina	was about to stand up but pauses at that. "... he's... alive, Mary... he... may recover..." The blood keeps flowing so her voice gets burbly again before too long.
[00:08]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: The plug opens up and a team of doctors lift you up onto a gurney "Hook up a IV stat, she's bleeding pretty bad there."
[00:10]	Arina	turns her head to the side so said blood doesn't well up in her throat. "... chuvstvuyet... kak... on... po-prezhnemu... pit'..."
[00:12]	IcePickLobotomy	"She's delirious." A nurse leans over you. [Arina, How well can you breathe? Do we need to get a tube in for you?]"
[00:14]	Arina	"...na udivleniye... khorosho..."
[00:14]	Mary	Mary whsipers something to herself and then falls silent on all coms.
[00:14]	IcePickLobotomy	"She's alright for now. I'll monitor it, if she starts having trouble though. . ."  "I understand."
[00:15]	Arina	"... spasibo..."
[00:16]	Arina	shifts slightly. "Mary... ne spravlyayetsya... khorosho..."
[00:18]	Mary	mutters something
[00:18]	IcePickLobotomy	The nurse nods, it's hard to make her face out behind the mask. "[She's going to be fine, the recovery crews should be on the surface soon. Just try and relax ok?]
[00:21]	Arina	nods tiredly.