MonMusu Mekton Quest: Episode 17

5:29 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Previously, you and Eve Akemi - a member of the Galactic Federation's special operations units, the Wraiths - had just descended from your ship into the Human colony on the planet of Lyncis V. The colony had gone dark sometime in the past week, and reasons for it are unclear, though suspicions point to the cause being a recently unearthed piece of unidentified Progenitor technology. The planet's weighty gravity is liable to trip you up on foot, but should be of little concern with your Mekton compensating for the difference while in-suit.
5:35 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): As you punch through the cloud line, you take a look around, investigating the landscape. It's quite similar to your homeworld; there's plenty of green grass, towering trees and colorful plants, all illuminated beneath the moonlight sky in a vibrant display of color that you can only make out courtesy of your Mekton's cameras. There are thankfully no adverse weather conditions, and the two of you descend at an even pace, Eve a ways ahead of you. Not long after, you throttle your burners to slow your descent, and you both impact the ground, leaving sizeable craters despite the reduced speed. Your cockpit vibrates from the impact, jostling you around lightly before it settles. The impact was a little harder than you were expecting.
5:36 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Your landing sends local avians skywards in flocks, and the alien birds fly past your cameras into the night.
5:39 PM - Kari: Kari winces from the force of the impact, gritting her teeth as she shakes off the heavy feeling on her body. Once she gets her bearings back, she lifts her arms and let them fall a couple times, getting used to the gravity before gripping her controls once more.
5:41 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Eve's sleek, purple Mek blends well against the darkening sky, making it difficult to pick out without a little focus. The Mek's arms move across its body, checking various places and patting itself down as she confirms herself and her equipment intact. "You appear to have had a hard landing; what's your status?"
5:43 PM - Kari: Kari runs through a brief system check, but stands her mek up from it's kneeled stance once she gets the green light. "Status green. Just wasn't expecting that hard a landing. Ready when you are, Ma'am."
5:46 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "Understood. Keep behind me and stay alert, it should take about ten minutes to reach the colony. Local wildlife isn't large enough to remotely stand a chance of harming a Mekton, but with the artifact in play - if that is indeed the cause of the communication blackout - we can't be certain what may happen."
5:47 PM - Kari: "Roger. Eyes and ears open." Shifting her mekton, Kari falls in behind Eve, Autocannon at the ready.
5:54 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Eve brings her own rifle to bare, a curiously sleek weapon with a number of pulsing red highlights, especially around the barrel. You suspect it to be an energy weapon of some kind.

Advancing through the forest, you watch as Eve takes special care to avoid damaging as much of the woods as she can, even going out of her way at times to step around or over smaller trees that would otherwise be harmlessly flattened. Following in her footsteps, you two soon enough arrive at the colony. From the outside, it appears to be fairly normal. There are a few less lights than you'd expect on in the various prefab buildings, but it seems othewise intact. Your radar pings, and your HUD updates with the information; off to the side, between a number of buildings, you can plainly see a Mekton in the standing position, hunched over and motionless. It seems a bit of an odd way to park, but is otherwise featureless.
5:57 PM - Kari: Kari eyes over the mekton, and tags it to keep track of it for later. She turns away from the controls for a moment, but after a second of hesitation, she marks its GPS location separately. Deciding to do a scan of her own, she looks over the opposite half of the complex.
5:58 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Awareness roll?
5:58 PM - Kari: (12)
6:02 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You give the complex a thorough look-over, but neither your eyes nor sensors pick out anything of note. Eve seems to agree. "Scans are coming up empty, barring the singular Mekton to our three o'clock. Stay sharp, something's not right here. I'm not reading any signs of life."
6:04 PM - Kari: "Got it. Right behind you, Ma'am."
6:09 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You follow behind her a ways into the colony, treading through the conveniently Mekton-wide streets carefully, continuing to search. "As I recall, they transported the artifact to a secure warehouse. We'll check there first, it acts as a convenient defensive position in the case of attacks, so any survivors are liable to be dug in there, as well. Unless you've other suggestions, we'll keep low and slow."
6:11 PM - Kari: "I... don't think so, but if there's no lifesigns, we could just as easily be walking into a trap. It might have been defensible, unless it's already been taken over. Then there's always the chance that the artifcat is back where they found it. I doubt anyone would just kill everyone here to just leave it there..."
6:15 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "Valid points. We'll keep hidden and approach the warehouse to investigate for signs of occupation. If it appears secure, we'll look inside, and if there's nothing there we'll switch points to the original discovery site."
6:17 PM - Kari: "Got it."
7:04 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again) disconnected.
7:34 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Weaving through the buildings and catwalks setup across the area, you eventually make your way to slightly more developed parts of the colony, where some more sturdy concrete and metal structures are standing. On your way past, you spot another Mekton, hunched in a similar fashion as the first you saw. This one, too, is completely motionless. You tag and eye it suspiciously as you walk. Eve then directs you to flank around a particular structure to get a better view of the warehouse in question, and you peek around the corner, looking inside.
7:34 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Roll Awareness~
7:36 PM - Kari: (15)
7:41 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You peer through the darkness within the warehouse's open doors, trying to get a better idea of what's inside. You can make out a small, shadowy form on the floor of the warehouse, several of them in fact. They appear to be Humans, from what you can gather. Further inside is a third Mekton, hunched and stationary, while at the far back is a large flatbed truck parked haphazardly within. Its cargo is covered with a tarp.
7:45 PM - Kari: "Looks like there's some humans here... And another mekton. Marking it now." Kari does her best to mark the positions of the humans as well, and finally the truck. "There's a transport there too... it looks like whatever's on it is covered up. I don't like this... it looks like they were trying to move something and then just... all... fell over."
7:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "Something about this isn't right..." she trails off, considering her options before she makes a small hum of finality, having apparently decided something. "On the field, in situations like this, it isn't often that you'll have the luxury of time to make a proper decision. Having seen the logs of your Mek combat, you've got the combat awareness required. But what about proper prioritizing of resources? I'd like you to decide how to proceed."
7:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "How /we/ should proceed."
7:49 PM - Data: (( "Cavity searches." ))
7:49 PM - Kari: (( Lewd ))
7:50 PM - Data: (( It's just your job ))
7:51 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): (( Sarah and Rin can do excellent taste-test cavity searches ))
7:52 PM - Data: (( That's probably the worst thing you've said today ))
7:52 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): (( really? dang. I need to step up my game))
7:55 PM - Kari: "Well... if it's a trap, which it really seems like... I guess we have two options that are worth thinking about..." Kari mulls over her decisions for a minute before speaking. "I... think we can either check for signs of the artifact being moved, which saves us walking into the trap, but there's no gaurantee we'll find anything and could just wind up wasting time... Or..." Kari chitters a little uncomfortably. She fidgets in her seat, but finally speaks up once more. "Send a subordinate in to investigate. If the trap closes, then it closes on a single member without seniority. The agent-in-command can then attempt to assist from the outside or make a judgement call to abandon the subordinate for the mission... Basically, we either look for more clues, or I go in alone. We leave comms open, and if they go dead you know something's wrong."
7:58 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): She makes a hum of approval at your response. "And which do you recommend at this time?"
8:03 PM - Kari: "Well... everyone here looks dead as it is. As much as I want to look for clues, we'd just be wasting time. If there's a trap, then they've likely done what they can to cover their tracks. We'd be banking on luck. Even if we find out this is a trap, they probably know we're here anyway. If we moved on to find where the artifact is really hidden, they could just move in behind us. Either way, I think we're better off facing the trap now and eliminating a possiblity and a threat at the same time. But there's a chance you'll be fighting two against one odds outside if those other two mektons we saw wake up. The best I can do is finish up inside as quickly as I can and hurry to regroup."
8:06 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "An acceptable answer, and one I thoroughly agree with. Move in and investigate with caution. Mind that Mekton; it may be a simple cargo loader, but with hydraulics like that its punches are nothing to laugh at."
8:07 PM - Kari: "Is there a way I can disable it before it turns on? Just in case?"
8:09 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "These Mektons require pilots, so unless they are simply biding their time within the cockpits, there is no direct 'off' switch. You may buy some time by tipping it or simply destroying it before it moves, however."
8:10 PM - Kari: "Alright. Am I allowed to do that?"
8:12 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "While collateral damage is best kept to a minimum, resistance is to be eliminated with extreme prejudice. I leave it at your discretion."
8:13 PM - Kari: "Got it... Moving in." With a little hesitation, Kari pushes forward on her controls, taking it slow as she rounds the corner. She moves her autocannon to the clip on her mek's leg and pulls out the drill instead. Minding the bodies, she moves over to the mek to knock it over before inspecting the truck.
8:19 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): The Mek tilts and falls listlessly, collapsing in a pile on warehouse floor. It makes no move to rise, and doesn't react in the slightest. You then approach the truck, stepping over the bodies carefully before coming to a stop beside the vehicle. It's a fair bit smaller than your Mek, and the tarp is bound down tightly. Unless you wanted to risk damaging whatever is underneath by pinching the tarp with your clumsy hands, you'll have to unbind it on foot.
8:21 PM - Kari: "I... dont' have micromanipulators. I'm exiting my cockpit." Popping the cockpit open, Kari leaves it in a standing position. She rises from her seat and draws the pistol on her hip. With a brief look around the warehouse, she hops down to the tarp with her wings buzzing to softly touch down in the truck bed. Reaching out with one hand, she moves to pull the tarp away.
8:26 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You reach out to the tarp, pulling it cautiously away with your off-hand, keeping your pistol at the ready. The thick canvas falls to the concrete beneath, exposing... a 6-foot-tall metal tube. It has large caps on the top and bottom, looking much like an oversized steel vial. There are a few small mechanical bits studded around it, and on the right side at about chest height is a panel with a red and green button. Within the tube, you hear the sound of something indeterminate moving, like something is shifting within. Could it be a potential survivor holed up inside?
8:27 PM - Kari: "M-Ma'am? The artifact is still here...! There's... there's something moving inside...!" Kari whips around to sweep her pistol across the room before turning back to the tube. "Wh-what do I do?"
8:30 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "Leave it be. I'm moving in, remount your Mekton and I will investigate on-foot."
8:30 PM - Kari: "M-Ma'am? Are you sure that's a good idea? You said most of the colony was cybered, right?" Kari wastes no time, leaping back into her cockpit and sealing the hatch as she protests.
8:37 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "You're right, the coorelation between the artifact and cybernetics could be a potential hazard..." she marches inside, cautiously stepping the bodies as you did, approaching the truck. She pauses, looking the device over. "This is certainly the artifact. You said there was something moving within?"
8:38 PM - Kari: "Th-that's what it sounded like."
8:39 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Pausing again, she stops to listen to her Mek's external microphones. You do the same. The shifting intensifies, and you look to the artifact to find a series of lights on the side flickering on one after the next, in ascending order. Following this, a light atop the device turns green, and you hear a buzz. Eve enters a combat-ready stance, gun aimed at the device as she cautiously steps away.
8:42 PM - Kari: Kari eyes over Eve's stance, and jumping slightly from the realization she moves to do the same. Backpedalling slowly, she switches to her light beam gun, and focuses her aim on the artifact.
8:43 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): The buzzing ceases, and the doors that make up the front of the artifact open sideways. Out of the device emerges... a pile of gray sand.
8:43 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): It sifts out of the device, falling onto the bed of the truck and cascading off the sides onto the concrete beneath.
8:45 PM - Kari: Kari blinks a couple of times, eying over the pile of sand. She takes another halfstep back before making a single "Huh...?" As she continues to tremble in her seat, she forces herself to look at one of her side pannels and checks her sensors, running a sweep on the room and checking the positiosn of the meks from before.
8:46 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): The meks have yet to move, and your sensors are reading all green. There does not appear to be anything detectably wrong.
8:46 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "...unusual," Eve states plainly, strafing the truck with her gun still prepared.
8:46 PM - Kari: "Ma'am...? I just did a sensor sweep. Nothing... seems to have happened... There's... just that dust..."
8:48 PM - Kari: Kari looks over to Eve's mekton once more, and she moves to strafe the artifact from the other side.
8:49 PM - Data: ((Kay, I gotta go to bed))
8:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): kay nerd
8:49 PM - Data: ((This was fun to spectate for a little bit))
8:49 PM - Kari: ((Glad you enjoyed it~))
8:49 PM - Data: ((Goodnight, Appy, Rei))
8:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): niiight
8:49 PM - Data left chat.
8:51 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "...this is certainly strange. I am curious to see it up close; there may be something inside as well." She pauses, considering her options. "I'd like you to get out and investigate it up-close. My cybernetics may make me a target."
8:52 PM - Kari: "I... if you s-say so. May I inspect the other bodies too? I'm... curious about something."
8:52 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "By all means, it may be wise to do so."
8:52 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "I will keep watch on the sensors and inform you of any immediate danger."
8:54 PM - Kari: "G-Got it." Kari pops the cockpit on her mek once more, drawing her pistol as before. Gripping it firmly, she leaps out, and heads over towards the bodies first. She looks them over from a distance, not wanting to get too close. Her eyes roam over them as they slowly swirl with cool colours, and she scans them for any cybernetics."
8:55 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You can plainly see a cybernetic arm poking out of the short-sleeved shirt on the nearest body.
8:55 PM - Kari: ((Do they look... wrong? Like... sickly?))
8:57 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): The skin on their face looks slightly paler than you'd expect, but from a distance, you otherwise can't determine anything concrete.
8:58 PM - Kari: "It... looks like they have cybernetics, Ma'am... I can't tell much more without getting closer. Should I inspect them further, or do you want me to look at the artifact?"
8:59 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "...investigate the body first. It may provide a clue to the source of the sand."
9:02 PM - Kari: "Yes, Ma'am." She sighs a little and chitters quietly, the sound echoing in her helmet. Stepping closer to the bodies, she tries to keep an eye on as many as she can at a time. Moving over to the most isolated body, she looks it over, trying to stay near the feet.
9:04 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You give the body a look-over, keeping as much distance as you can while still being able to see all the details..Roll Awareness
9:05 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again) disconnected.
9:08 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again) entered chat.
9:10 PM - Kari: (13)
9:27 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Cautiously looking the body over, you don't notice anything particularly out of place. Their visible skin is a few shades paler than ordinary, and their mechanical parts seem untouched and intact. For all intents and purposes it looks as though they've just... fallen over. At least, until you look at the face.
9:27 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Their eyes are wide open. And staring. At you.
9:28 PM - Kari: "M-Ma'am...!" Kari says, eyes open wide as she stares back at the body. "Th-they're looking at me...!"
9:29 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "The body is...? Are they still alive?"
9:28 PM - Kari: "I.... They're s-so pale... They look dead..."
9:30 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): As you flinch backwards on instinct, you can't help but be keenly aware of how the eyes track you.
9:31 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Do you have a Human Perception skill?
9:30 PM - Kari: ((No I do not))
9:31 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): I think that's Empathy, if you want to try and roll that
9:30 PM - Kari: ((Okay.))
9:31 PM - Kari: (15)
9:33 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): It's difficult to tell without any proper facial expressions, but those eyes, they almost seem... pleading. Like they're asking for help.
9:35 PM - Kari: Kari starts to calm down, but her eyes open wider as tears well up in her eyes from the tension. "I... I think.... think they're trying to ask for help..." She chitters an exclamation in her native tongue, and takes a halfstep closer.
9:38 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "So they /are/ still alive...!" Eve trails off, thinking intensely before coming to a conclusion. "I'm coming out to assist. I presume you've no proper medical training, and the safety of the citizens takes priority."
9:37 PM - Kari: "N-No! Wait! Something's wrong!"
9:39 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): She stops midway to opening the cockpit, hand on the hatch ready to exit as she responds. "What is it? Do you see something?"
9:39 PM - Kari: "N-No, but think about it! Th... the metal dust...! Let me inspect the dust first... I... what if..." She mutters another exclamation to herself, dry heaving inside her suit. "What if... the dust was a person....? What if they're being harvested...? We still don't know if cybernetics are the point of infection..."
9:41 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Pondering a moment, she settles back into her seat. "Understood. Proceed with extreme caution."
9:42 PM - Kari: "G-Got it. Keep an eye out for enemies..." She gives an apologetic look to the collapsed human before hastily turning around and leaping over to the truck. With a great deal of caution, she approaches the dust, her hands gripping her gun extremely tight. She looks it over, slowly approaching as she inspects it.
9:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You walk towards the truck and spilt metal dust, which has since settled after pouring from the artifact. Glancing within, you don't notice anything particularly off about it. It simply appears to be a smooth interior, with a few curious grates positioned parallel to the machinery bits posted outside the device. You take another cautious step forwards, until you stop dead in your tracks as you notice something else. The dust is moving. And not in any natural sort of sense... it's moving towards /you/, collecting in a growing pile until it all comes together in a massive wave.
9:49 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Roll to dodge~
9:49 PM - Kari: (6+1+8 = 15)
9:52 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You panic, narrowly leaping aside as the wave crashes into the floor where you stood a moment ago. Following this, the dust seems to completely ignore you, rising off the ground and spreading out in a massive cloud, spreading throughout the warehouse and accumulating in pools around the people scattered around, along with the fallen Mekton in the corner.
9:53 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): Eve watches in restrained horror, her gun lowering a moment as she says, "That isn't dust... it's a colony of nanomachines."
9:54 PM - Kari: "N-Nanomachines??" Kari asks, still panicked as she scrambles to her feet. "Wh-what do we do!? Are they from the artifact!?"
9:58 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): "They must be, that's the only possible explaination. Quickly, return to your Mekton and-" she stops in her tracks, watching as the people begin to rise from the floor. Shakily standing on their knees before pushing themselves up, they don't appear to be in quite proper postures. They're hunched over, their shoulders sort of cramped together and tense, their necks bent looking around at awkward - but not impossible - angles.
10:00 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): The fallen Mekton, too, slowly begins to lumber its way back onto its feet. You hear a metallic-sounding groan as it does so, and turning quickly around, you spot one of the people lunging for you, arms extended with the intent to grab you.
9:59 PM - Kari: (Can I quickdraw my stun-gun as a sort of clash or something?)
10:01 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): I was thinking I'd leave it here actually, cliffhangars ho :P
10:01 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): but if you'd rather go a little farther I can
10:00 PM - Kari: (heh... damn)
10:00 PM - Kari: (Um... can we at least resolve this? Just to spend some luck while I can?)
10:02 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): sure, sure
10:02 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): we'll say trying to fire quickly as it lunges will be a... -2?
10:01 PM - Kari: (Okay. It's a ranged weapon, right?)
10:03 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): right, probably a Pistols roll
10:03 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): good thing you trained~
10:02 PM - Kari: (Right?)
10:02 PM - Kari: (8. Bumping to 10.)
10:03 PM - Kari: (10+2+8+3-2= 21)
10:03 PM - Kari: (And they take a +2 to the stun roll if it hits.)
10:05 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): That's a hit~
10:05 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): now lemme roll that stun
10:05 PM - Kari: (I forget, is there any bonus for like... "raises" on stun rolls?)
10:06 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): probably not, no
10:06 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): I don't see how you could score super critical hits with a stungu
10:06 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): n
10:06 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): unless you like, taze them in the nips or crotch, or something
10:05 PM - Kari: (Tase 'em in the brain :P)
10:06 PM - Kari: (Heheh. Yeah, I get ya.)
10:07 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): alriiight, you want this to be a 5 or more
10:07 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): that was a 5 or more
10:06 PM - Kari: (welp)
10:08 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): You taze them square in the jugular, and they go down to the floor in a heap, convulsing wildly from the shock.
10:13 PM - Kari: Kari shrieks, as the mock-zombie lunges at her, half tripping backwards, she reaches for her stungun with her left hand. As she's in mid-fall, she lines up the shot and fires out the trodes, staggering back a safe distance as they strike true and lay out the charging victim. She catches herself as the trodes retract and the battery whines with a fresh charge.
10:13 PM - Kari: (Alright. And break?)
10:14 PM - MonMusu Zeta (Again): sounds good