Faction - Offworld (MOVED) - Cosmoteer Official Forum

Faction - Offworld (MOVED)

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
(This isn't a prime vault)
The scans come up scrambled with some of the glyphs reminiscent of a Jackal. As if in response to the scan it opens up, awaiting for one to step foot inside.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds
RandomCommander Meanwhile...
N: So someone decided to give us a Valentine's Day gif-
N receives a transmission from one of the Scouts reporting the arrival and immediate destruction of an unknown force. An intercepted, but not fully deciphered transmission indicates that the force blamed Offworld before its destruction. Scout gets an order to launch a crewman with some sort of near-perpetual motion machine serving like a jetpack and grab the artifact, as well as a laser caster for defense. The crewman departs into the Vault and notices the "Collective" docking to the Vault. The crewman tries to avoid detection, but apparently thinks of something he shouldn't think of when piloting a mind-controlled jetpack and is launched at the Collective's docking ship with great force. The impact shatters his jetpack, but the artifact and the crewman's innards are fine. At that point the Vault started shining, so a Bomber steered closer and attempted to dock and send another crewman to the console, with a similar set of equipment but with magnetic shoes instead of a jetpack.

RandomCommander

translatorofthehiveminds

DO YOU THINK IT IS WISE TO GO INTO THE TERRITORY OF SUCH AN UNPREDICTABLE CONGLOMERATE OF SHADY POLITICIANS?

REPLY: IT MATTERS NOT WHAT OFFWORLD DOES TO US NOR THE VAULT. FOR EVERY PERSON WHO ENTERS IS SET UNTO AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION, ISOLATED IN AN INTRICATE CRAFT OF UNIVERSAL LANDSCAPING DEPENDING ON THE DEITY RESPONSIBLE. I SHALL GO AND MAKE NEW, POWERFUL FRIENDS, BUT FIRST, A SCOUTING PARTY...

image https://i.imgur.com/644EGIF.png

"SCANS ARE CLEAR. PROCEEDING TO THE VAU--"

image https://i.imgur.com/sCwT7Sf.png

"WAIT..."

image https://i.imgur.com/jFm46DR.png

"WHAT THE!?"

image https://i.imgur.com/4PwlHx1.png
image https://i.imgur.com/ImTU4tl.png

"EMERGENCY MESSAGE TO CORE-AI, WE ARE BEING--"

image https://i.imgur.com/vJHHJ9I.png

"OH NO..."

image https://i.imgur.com/ptABbCV.png
//TRANSMISSION LOST//

"FRUSTRATED: WHAT IN THE TERRAN DEFINITION OF HELL WAS THAT!?"

"PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT, I THINK... POWERFUL ENOUGH TO WIPE OUT THE ENTIRE SCOUTING PARTY"

"INTERROGATIVE: WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT!?"

"THE SCOUTS DID NOT REPORT ANY IFF SIGNALS, HIGH CHANCE OF TAMPERING AND LIKELY TAMPERING SUSPECT IS THE OFFWORLD FACTION."

"I KNEW IT WAS DANGEROUS TO GO IN THERE... BUT THE LEVEL OF DANGER IS... UNPRECEDENTED. WE... WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!"

"I 'DUN THINK THERE BE ANY WAY 'ROUND THIS, DAT THERE VAULT BE SMACK DAB IN DA MIDDLE 'A OFFWORLD TERRITORY."

"...CONCLUSION: AN INVASION FORCE WILL LEAD TO TOO MANY LOSSES - LOSSES WE CANNOT AFFORD. FINE, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR VAULT TO THEMSELVES. UNTIL NEXT TIME..."

//MEANWHILE...//

image https://i.imgur.com/CWd2J39.png
"All targets eliminated, Window-Null. Those destroyers really worked!"
"Modest: You had a hand in this, Reflex-Jacket. The experimental jamming technology will definitely confuse Alpha-Alpha."
"What happens now?"
"Answer: Now I shall enter the vault on behalf of the Collective. It is your duty to make sure our arrival and departure goes uninterrupted, and... keep notes on who enters and leaves, and their behaviors. I've detected some personnel already docking with the Vault as we speak."
"Who got Alpha-Alpha's Dimensional Coordinates, anyway?"
"Confused: Constable-Unknown refuses to answer, which is a curious behavior. For the time being, I have thought against investigating his behavior. Remember your orders, Reflex-Jacket."
"What of the Debris?"
"Answer: All that remains are mostly outer hull fragments - Even though our anti-matter equations are self-contained and have less lasting damage than other anti-matter compositions, it still does a good job of disintegrating any tech that would be dangerous in someone else's hands. I suppose it is a material bonus for the Offworld peoples."
"Affirmative, For the Collective!"

Window Null's Coreship proceeds to dock with the Vault after this dialogue.

translatorofthehiveminds

RandomCommander
The vaults exposed wiring begins to pulsate with energy, almost as if the vault itself was excited. Despite this however it almost seemed inviting. Along the hallway leading to a singular console a white liquid can be seen dripping from some unknown origin within the vault. No forms of life can seen to inhabit the space.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
The crewman when peering into the depths can see a singular jackal walking deeper in, but for some reason the creature is distorted, even to the naked eye. It looks back and disappears without a trace.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds He quickly tells about said jackal to the command. An order has been given to the crewman to only fire when threatened. He proceeds deeper into the Vault in a combat stance. Note that the weapon casts radiation that slightly exceeds normal background levels thanks to the use of Thorium in its photon casting alloys.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
The vault is devoid of all life except for the crewman, his footsteps only further highlighting the emptiness. At the end of the hallway a singular console can be seen, it's form somehow comforting to the singular explorer.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds He proceeds to the console and appears to experience pleasure just by looking at it. Then he freezes in place, as if a flashback hit him, and proceeds to whack the console a couple of times with the stock of his weapon. The crewman reports back about a "very damn pleasing console" and asks for future directions. He is then ordered to attempt to interact with the console however he thinks would be right. The crewman approaches the console again and presses a couple of random buttons.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
He is transported to a singular hallway, one similar to that of his faction's own ships. However something is off, it is more like a memory of such a hallway than the real thing. The jackal from before can be seen walking down the hallway away from the Crewman, it's body even further distorted.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds The crewman reports again, now about the hallway and the jackal. Then the command realizes that the corridor's layout and structure are nearly identical to that of the Bomber itself. The command tasks the crewman to use his weapon and slice off a part of the golden decoration on the ceiling. He fires three laser shots, quite similar to that of a ship's laser weapon but weaker. This lantern-like decoration... (what happens with it?)

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
The decoration slowly melts into a white liquid, dissolving away right before it comes into contact with anything. The jackal turns around and stares at the Crewman as the entire structure begins to disassemble itself.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds The crewman jumps to a large enough part of the floor that didn't yet disassemble, effectively anchoring himself to it, and fires a single round over the jackal's head as a warning.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
A loud rumbling, similar in rhythm to a laugh can be heard as the jackal turns to dust. A new pathway is formed out of the hallway in cront of the crewman leading directly to a coffin.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds The crewman stays anchored in place and reports to the command, which orders him to collect the jackal's dust and search for a way out that doesn't involve the coffin. The crewman successfully manages to collect said dust, and looks around.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
Unfortunately for The Crewman only the singular path can be seen, the jackal now reappearing next to the coffin.

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds He drops the weapon and shrugs. "Okay, I'm sorry. I panicked. Do I really deserve that?" He points at the coffin, still holding the dust in another hand.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
The laugh can be heard again, but this time it is interrupted by a distinctively female voice, "You think this is your grave? It's merely the wrapping to your gift."

DocSlime

translatorofthehiveminds The crewman contacts the command and is ordered to open the coffin, maintaining as much distance as possible. He slightly tilts the cover, puts his weapon inside, backs off and uses the weapon to uncover the coffin.

RandomCommander

DocSlime
translatorofthehiveminds MEANWHILE meanwhile...

Microtransmissions were detected that Reflex-Jacket picked up on. Though communications were encrypted, the Explorer Core-AI could easily decrypt the message and see what's going on. Strangely, however, he decided not to do so, and gleaned the message from fragments of the communications between command and whoever was exploring at the time.

Window-Null had definitely noticed the collision on his Coreship - the damage was negligible, as if someone who weighs the same amount as a feather had tapped him once on the shoulder. He watched the Offworld crewman bumble around for a bit without a functioning jetpack, quickly noted down this occurance as "a weird reaction based on fear" and decided to help out.

image https://i.imgur.com/MdcFiLQ.png

An unknown vessel appears out of what seems to be a tear in the fabric of space time, which seemed to be repaired as quickly as it was breached. If scanned, or given information by command, it identifies as an 'Explorer-Class Heavy Scout' with weapons disarmed, thrusters at minimum power, and no shields to speak of. The Heavy Scout drifts slowly towards the Offworld crewman, extending a plasma gun barrel towards him, which stopped at arm's reach before it swatted the crewman away accidentally. It seems like he could grab on...

Window-Null continued towards the Vault, giving it a quick scan towards the entrance opposite of where the Bomber crewman had entered, and his Avatar loads onto the Vault while controlling the drone helping the crewman via his Coreship.

translatorofthehiveminds

DocSlime
Much like the scan conducted by the Offworld the scan comes back corrupted. A cloaked being is standing in a corner motioning for the Avatar, his hand similar to a Storm's. The vault begins to emit a transmission but when decoded it is nothing but gibberish.

DocSlime
Inside a horrifying creature lays dead, holding a vial of the white liquid seen earlier.

DocSlime

RandomCommander The tiny resemblance of a fleet that Offworld sent hesitates and watches the ship performing activities with the unlucky crewman. They decide to not intervene with Window entering the Vault and watch, as well as possibly get some data through the crewman who underwent these activities.

RandomCommander

DocSlime The unlucky crewman tried his best to get a hold onto the Heavy scout while hanging on to the artifact for dear life. He managed to grab the gun barrel, and the barrel then turned once more, the G-forces pushing him against the barrel suddenly. The gun barrel stopped perpendicular to the Heavy Scout's hull, and the force from the sudden stop propelled the crewman onto the hull. He has now somehow successfully boarded the exterior of the Heavy Scout. Then it started moving again, half-thrust, towards the Offworld Scout. Weapons are still meagerly powered, and safed, though the Collective Heavy Scout is moving at such a slow pace that the crewman can explore the drone a bit if he wanted to.