Lets Play - Falcon 2: Mechanon

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Thaluikhain
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Lets Play - Falcon 2: Mechanon

Post by Thaluikhain »

Firstly:

"You guys!"saying that in the voice of the 'Surprised' Taylor Swift from the end of LWYMMD "I've been here over a year now"
Anyhoo, Falcon 2. The beginning of the book has much the same stuff as the beginning of the first, I've copied and pasted it here and then stuck the new stuff after that:

Earth 3033 AD
A third of the land's surface is populated with cities which stretch miles up towards the Ionosphere and are also tunnelled deep into the Earth's crust.

The world is united - war within the atmosphere of a single planet can only lead to total destruction. Government is carried out by Executives, each having full powers within a certain area. The Food, Health, Pleasure and Enforcement Executives are centred in Alpolis, a city covering what was once an independent country - Switzerland - and it is here that the most recent Executive, TIME, exists.

People live for fun, not to work. Most tasks are performed by robots, so life is quite easy. Only 10% of the population still works, and then only for fun or out of a sense of social duty. Food is plentiful, the main source being a fungus grown in huge vats under artificial light. Luxury foods, such as meat, are a rarity. Communications have improved so as to transform society: holophones connect all homes across the Space Federation so it is possible to be in direct contact with many alien species light years across space. Travel on earth is done by hovrail, jetcopter or stratocruiser, so that the longest journey need take no more than an hour.

The average Earther lives for two hundred and fifty years and the ageing process only begins during the last fifty years of life. Life-prolonging drugs, called Anagathics, are freely available, and transplant surgery is now a simple operation. Unfortun- ately, because people live longer, there are many problems. There is overcrowding and very little to do which has resulted in a rapid increase in violent crime. With so many people needing new hearts, lungs and other organs there is a shortage of spare parts for use in transplant surgery, so the Enforcement Executive has passed a Termination Code. All violent crimes are punishable by painless death. The Enforcement Executive has had sensors set up to catch criminals, especially Bodybrokers who deal illegally in organs for surgery. If Energy Weapons are used by criminals, for instance, a police jetcopter will be there in seconds.

Earth, using Hyperdrive, faster-than-light travel, has established itself as head of the Space Federation, which includes all the earth colonies and alien planets. The Navy patrols the colonies: Lastlanding, Proxima Centauri, Ascension and so on, as well as the alien worlds: Kelados, Sundew, Dyskra, Clyss, Rigel Prime, the Hive and others. Contact with alien life forms is commonplace and the colony ships of the twenty-fourth century are still approaching the centre of the galaxy.
How to Travel in Time
Travel through time involves crossing a fourth dimension, 'Null-space' or the 'Void' as it is known. This dimension joins all points in time and space from the beginning of the universe to its end. Imagine time as a cable. Earth's Timeline (or past, present and future) is a single strand of this cable stretching from Earth's beginning to the end of time. The timelines of other planets run alongside this and weave around each other, because events on one planet affect things on another. These strands, or Timelines, are insulated from the fourth dimension in the same way that an electrical wire is insulated. At certain points there are holes in the insulation allowing travel from one point on the wire through this hole to a different point on this or another wire. In this way a Time Machine may move from one 'Timehole' to another and from one point in space to another via Null-space.
The Timeholes are formed when the fabric of time is damaged by unknown forces. They can be larger, but are usually less than five miles across. Timeholes come and go as new damage occurs and older Timeholes close up naturally. The Monitoring Section is responsible for keeping the map of current Timeholes. Your up-to-date map is at the beginning of the book. At least one hole has been there for a long time - the Eiger Vault, near the TIME Building in the Alps. It is thought to be a permanent Timehole and your Time Machine, Falcon's Wing, is kept there along with those of the Lords of TIME and other Agents. Some Timeholes are safer than others and it is possible to go back in time only to find that the hole through which you travelled has closed up, trapping the unfortunate traveller in the past. Time passes at the same rate in all Timeholes as on Earth. If you begin a journey to a Timehole ten minutes after somebody else does you will arrive ten minutes later than them. Only those with Psychic Awareness can navigate across Null-space.
Game Rules
ATTACK
In certain paragraphs you will have the chance to attack an enemy. When you choose to do so, you will be asked to make an Attack Roll. To do this, roll two dice and add the numbers together. You will be told which paragraph to turn to next, depending on your score. In all combats you are more likely to succeed if your score is high than if it is low

ATTACK MODIFIER
Whenever you make an Attack Roll you must add or subtract your Attack Modifier to the dice score. Your Attack Modifier may change as the adventure unfolds and you should keep a note of this on your Agent Profile (at beginning of adventure). To begin with your Attack Modifier is zero.

EVASION
In certain cases you may need to avoid the attack of an enemy or escape from a difficult situation. You will be asked to make an Evasion Roll, to which you must add or subtract your Evasion Modifier. This works in the same way as the Attack Roll and Attack Modifier as described above. Your initial Evasion Modifier is also zero.

POWERS OF THE MIND
Some paragraphs will offer you the chance to make a mental attack, either a Thinkstrike or Power of Will. Make an Attack Roll, just as if you were attacking normally, but add or subtract your Thinkstrike or Power of Will Modifier, not your Attack Modifier. In all other ways mental attacks work in the same way as a physical attack. To begin with your Thinkstrike and Power of Will Modifiers are zero, as noted on your Agent Profile.

PSYCHIC AWARENESS
Your Psychic Awareness operates at all times and you will be told when you have discovered anything of interest.

ENDURANCE
You, Falcon, start the adventure with 20 points of Endurance. If you are wounded in combat, suffer something unpleasant such as an acid atmosphere without a space suit, or become exhausted, you will lose Endurance points. A running total of your Endurance should be kept on your Agent Profile. If at any time you fall to zero Endurance or less you are dead and your adventure is over. Endurance points can be regained by visiting the Autodoc in your Time Machine (see equipment list) and you
will be told when you can use your Autodoc.

SCORING
You will notice as you use this book that certain paragraph numbers are followed by a letter in brackets. If you wish to score your performance as Special Agent Falcon, you will need to make a list of the letters following these numbers on the box provided on your Agent Profile every time you come to one of these paragraphs. If you should be killed or fail in your adventure, you should delete your current recorded letters except for all the Qs which must be kept and begin again. Each letter corresponds to a score, and you will be given a rating, depending on what the total of your scores is. The letter scores may be found at the back of the second book of this series, Mechanon. This is necessary, since printing the scores in this book would allow you to find out what the right decisions to take in this adventure are!
Equipment
Standard Issue for TIME Special Agents
ITEM i: MODEL A3 TIME MACHINE [see accompanying specifications]
Your own Time Machine, Falcon's Wing, is silver with bright scarlet markings and is the eleventh machine capable of travel through time ever built. Its cost cannot be computed, since it involves the use of certain materials and scientific skills which are priceless. The silver and scarlet hull will withstand enormous pressure, heat and exposure to harmful gasses and liquids, as .well as providing protection from radiation. The six hydraulic legs which support the machine are extended when it aterialises in a new Timehole, to provide stability on uneven ground. The Main Access is operated by invisible Tractor Beams (energy beams that can be used to grip and lift) that will draw the Time Traveller up into the cabin, to rest on the Access Disc. This disc is matter but is changed to air as you move through it by the Molecular Converter (see Item 4). The pressurised cabin is lined with instruments and gadgets. The crash couch is moulded to fit your shape and can be moved up to the command console or up into the Flyer (see Item 6). The air inside the machine is kept pure by the life support unit and can be flushed out and replaced within ten seconds. The
Main Access will work only when its Memory Scanner recognises your own brain patterns. Specially sensitive cameras and power floodlights are mounted on top of the Machine. The Variac Drive, which forces the Machine into null-space, is housed beneath the deck and is controlled through your computer (CAIN, see Item 7).

ITEM2: HOLOGRAM GENERATOR
Each Time Machine is equipped with a Hologram Generator - very important if the First Law of TIME is to be obeyed. The Generator changes the appearance of the Machine by casting a hologram around it, so the computer can make the Machine look like a small wood, hayrick or grassy hill etc, which is very lifelike unless you are within two metres of the Machine itself. This stops people in history being curious at the sight of a highly technological machine.

ITEM 3: HOLO-DETECTOR
Due to the existence of Hologram Generators you may find it difficult to see other Time Machines. As a member of the Time Police you have been given a Hologram-detector which is portable and operates to a range of fifty metres. This will reveal the presence of a hologram and therefore another Time Machine.

ITEM 4: MOLECULAR CONVERTOR
Each Time Machine is equipped with a Molecular Converter, a device which uses the rarest of all elements, Polybdenum, as its fuel. Small articles, placed in the Converter, are transformed into whatever the computer decides. In this way, Time Travellers have disguises which allow them to pass undetected amongst the intelligent beings of other times. CAIN, your computer, carries information about the Timeholes shown on your map, so that the blueprints required by the Converter to make the disguises accurate, are usually available. Your Psionic Helmet, for instance, can be turned into a legionary's helmet, while keeping its modern powers.

ITEM 5: AUTODOC [see accompanying specifications]
This is a couch-like device which has needles, a drip, a blood supply and surgical robo-arms. You may lie in the Autodoc during the time taken to travel from one Timehole to another, for instance, and come out healed, restoring your Endurance by up to twelve points. You will be told when you can use your Autodoc.

ITEM 6: FLYER [see accompanying specification]
Your crash-couch swivels up onto the platform of your flyer when you wish to use it. The flyer is a small hover-raft which is catapulted out of the Time Machine through the Launch Doors, two sections on top of the hull that slide apart. Once safely away from the Machine the Ion Drive can be cut in, giving the flyer a top speed many times the speed of sound (Mach 6). It can hover which allows you to use it as an observation platform, but it is too small to carry a Hologram Generator and should only be used when strictly necessary. Fortunately, its Ion Drive is almost soundless. You are also issued with a Homing Beacon, which, when activated, will make the flyer move to its location as quickly as possible. The flyer is then piloted by its micro computer. The Beacon is magnetic, and about the size of a die.

ITEM 7: CAIN [Cybernetic Artificial Intelligence Nexus]
CAIN is one of the most advanced computers known to man. Its data banks offer information on all subjects and historical data on all Federation and alien planets. Its memory banks are continuously updated with information concerning the Time-1 holes and it is able to link with the massive memory banks of the TIME Service Computer at the Eiger Vault. A holophone, through which you can contact any other holophone in the Federation, is built into CAIN and you also have access to most of the files kept by TIME. CAIN answers to your spoken commands and runs the Time Machine for you. It can display information visually, via the terminal screen, or verbally, using its melodic chimes.

ITEM 8: BLASTER [see accompanying specifications]
This is your Standard Starship Trooper issue Plasma Pistol. It fires superheated plasma to a range of 100 metres, and the Energy Pack is sufficient for ten minutes continuous use. You have more Energy Packs in your weapons locker. Your blaster is labelled, 'For use in exceptional circumstances only'.

ITEM 9: PSIONIC ENHANCER [see accompanying specifications]
This helmet helps your Powers of the Mind by damping all other thoughts. It senses when you want to use your power and activates automatically.

ITEM 10: ENVIRONMENT SUIT [see accompanying specifications]
A light, pressurised suit for use in vacuum, inhospitable atmospheres and extreme ranges of temperature which monitors your life signals such as pulse and temperature. It is compatible with your Psionic Enhancer.
Personal Background
Special Agent (TIME)
Codename: Falcon
For three years you have studied at the Academy as a cadet attached to TIME: the Temporal, Investigative and Monitoring Executive, and you have passed the difficult training pro- gramme with flying colours. You have been selected from the Academy to be a Special Agent because of your unusual talents, having been born with Powers of the Mind: you can sense things that others can't and even influence their actions through thought alone. These powers have been strengthened and focussed during your training and you have been issued with a Psionic Enhancer, a helmet which increases these mental powers. You have been taught to attack the minds of others with a blast of mental energy you call Thinkstrike. Your Power of Will allows you to control the minds of those weaker than you, and your Psychic Awareness allows you to sense things that others cannot, including the presence of another with such mental powers. This Psychic Awareness also lets you navigate your Time Machine through time and space. Few have such powers and even fewer are trusted with one of the small number of Time Machines in existence. You are expert in survival - including combat — armed and unarmed. History and detective powers of deduction have also been major subjects of study. You are now an Agent in the Time Police, whose job is to guard the Timelines of the past and to ensure that no-one tampers with past events in any way that would change things as they are now.

TIME, the Temporal Investigative and Monitoring Executive, was set up in Alpolis forty years ago shortly after Time Travel was discovered. The realisation that anyone with access to Time Travel could change the past so that the entire human race might cease to exist was worrying, so Time Machines were built for the Time Police in their crystal domed TIME headquarters, in order to stop this. TIME is headed by five Lords, representing the most powerful groups in the Space Federation. Each of these has Powers of the Mind, and their own Time Machine. The Executive is divided into four sections: Administrative, Research, Monitoring and the Special Agent Section (or SAS). The Monitoring Section, headed by Section Chief Jobanque, is responsible for noting any disturbances in the past, or Timelines, of the planets in the Federation. The Research Section, headed by Section Chief Skirrow is responsible for all equipment used by Special Agents and is also examining the possibilities of travel into the future, as yet impossible. Your own Special Agent Section is- headed by Section Chief Agidy Yelov, a Siriun humanoid from the Federation member planet, Sirius Secundus. Agidy Yelov and others have told you the importance of the First Law of TIME when on active service: 'A TIME Agent must, in all cases, act naturally according to the time in which he is currently operating, thus minimising any disruption of the Timelines his or her presence might be causing'. As Yelov once said to you: There's no point in coming back to 3033 if you have left an atomic hand gun near Hitler's bunker, because this would change the present - in fact, you'd probably find you had never existed!' As with all Special Agents, your bloodline has been traced back, in your case to the French Revolution in 1789 AD. Should any one of your ancestors fail to produce the next in line it would be as if you had never existed.
Hints on Play
The rules are very simple - you could almost play this book without reading them at all. But reading the Personal Background and, of course, the Mission Brief will help you to understand what is happening as you begin the adventure. If you come across something you don't understand, don't worry, check the Equipment List and this may give you a clue. If not, carry on anyway, it will probably come clear later

Special Rules
The action in Falcon 2: Mechanon, carries straight on from Falcon 1: The Renegade Lord. If you have played Falcon I, transfer the modifier scores from your Agent Profile in that book, to the Agent Profile in the beginning of this one. It is not essential to play Falcon 1 first, but information you may gain while playing it may help you to complete this mission successfully. If you have not played falcon 1 then all of your modifiers begin at zero.

Good luck, and remember, the fate of the Space Federation rests in your hands.
Strike Fighter and Starship Trooper Battlesuit
During falcon Book 2, you may be issued with a Weeks/Senior Corporation Space Navy Strike Fighter and a standard issue battlesuit. These have 10 Defence points each. When you take damage in the Strike Fighter or battlesuit, you will be told to lose a certain number of points. Simply cross off the relevant amount in the box provided on your Agent Profile. The Strike Fighter also begins with four fission warhead guided missiles of enormous power. Each time you use one cross it off the relevant part of your Agent Profile.

There are pictures of these
Universal Journal
[A Subsidiary of Intelfax Corp]
3rd Solstice Edition, 3033 AD
Section: History
Subject: THE RENEGADE LORD

SPECIAL AGENT FALCON SAVES THE FEDERATION

Twelve days ago, Agidy Yelov, once head of the Special Agent Section of the TIME Executive was made the subject of a Termination Order by the Enforcers.

His crime - aiding the Hiver beings in a bid to seize control of Earth and the Space Federation.

Special Agent Falcon, formerly under the command of Yelov, was responsible for foiling a complex plot to change the course of history using Time Travel. The Keladi Lord of TIME was assassinated and the Hiver Lord of TIME attempted to slow the development of civilisation on Earth by allowing the Mongol horde to overrun Europe in the 13th century. When Falcon thwarted this, he moved through time to change history in Napoleonic times at the battle of Borodino.

Falcon preserved history unchanged, even though Yelov had ordered two other agents of TIME, Bloodhound and Lynx, to kill their colleague.

This courageous and resourceful agent at last cornered the Renegade Lord on planet Hel where a meeting with Yelov had been planned. Falcon destroyed the Hiver Lord and brought Yelov to justice.

Agidy Yelov, a Siriun, has pleaded 'Uncontrolled Actions' saying that the Hiver Lord of TIME had used its Powers of the Mind to force him to do its bidding. Yelov is under stay of execution until further information is received from the Hive, homeworld of the dead Renegade Lord.

There remain only three Lords of TIME, heading the TIME Executive and of these, the Earther, Lord Speke, has been disgraced. Pilota, the Lastlander solar racer, and Lord Silver-mane of Rigel Prime are presently in command. New appointments are expected soon. Jobanque of the Monitoring Section has replaced Yelov as head of the Special Agent Section. Special Agent Falcon has been awarded the Golden Wings, the highest honour the Space Federation can give. We all owe our lives to Falcon.

Complete Datadump in our next update.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Mission Brief (there is a picture here)

As you walk into the recreation centre, under its glasteel dome at the top of the TIME Building, you hear the deep booming voice of Special Agent Bloodhound. You nod to some operatives from the monitoring section and, passing the empty dream booths, head towards the voice.

Unusually, all except one of the SAT team, the Special Agents of TIME, are off duty together. A celebration day has been given in honour of the success of your mission against the renegade Lord. The agents are involved in a historical simulation of diplomatic intrigue; occasionally one or other of them types on the micro-terminal you all carry in place of a watch, and they examine a hovering globe screen to see the results of each move. Bloodhound looks up and says, 'Here's glory hunter, on-line Falcon! Won any more medals since yesterday?'

Lynx smiles sardonically, 'Don't let the fact that Falcon won the Golden Wings straight out of the Academy ruffle your calm, Blood.'

'Oh well, at least I wasn't Yelov's golden girl,' he replies. Agidy Yelov trained Lynx himself and she is more deadly at unarmed combat than any of you, but she laughs at Bloodhound's jibe.

Agent Sparrowhawk says quietly, 'No-one has proven that Agidy was a traitor yet.' Like Yelov, she is a Siriun, and an electronics genius. Her feline features quiver momentarily as she turns on her heel and glides, cat-like, towards a dream booth.

'It's bad for morale, losing a boss like this,' says Lynx.

Sparrowhawk looks back and says, 'Don't you think it is worse for Agidy? They had to rebuild half of him, he's as much a droid as a man.'

The other agent at the table, Leopard, who himself is no more than a living brain in a robot body butts in, 'The advantage is all his, Sparrow,' but she is gone, locked in a dream booth.

You are about to greet your fellow agents at last when the globe screen flashes and your new section leader, Jobanque, seems to become flesh and blood before you. 'On-line, SAT Squad. Falcon, I need to see you right away. The rest I'll see straight afterwards. Where is Sparrowhawk?' You leave Lynx to explain as you run towards the pedway which will take you to your new leader.

The door to Jobanque's office slides open at your touch - the building's service computer recognises your handprint. Jobanque is standing before the holo-projector. He smiles and says, 'Well, I would apologise for asking you here on a Federation holiday but, in a way, it's your fault. I need you. I have a mission for you, Falcon. It may be every bit as perilous as your last.' You nod, then stare as a hologram of Yelov fills the room. The left side of his face is hidden by a silver mask and his left arm is that of a robot. Jobanque says gravely, 'When your blaster seared him he was damaged so badly that the medtechs had to use bionic parts to replace those you had destroyed. He is now half man, half robot. Now this thing (he is quite mad) has escaped from the Vault. Obviously, there can be no question that Yelov's claim that he was controlled by the Hivers is a lie.'

Jobanque's dark unmoving face stares at you. Until recently he had been Yelov's colleague, now you could almost believe he had hated him. 'There was a fault in the Psionic Damper which was grafted into his circuitry. He still has his formidable Powers of the Mind and he has used them to steal his old Time Machine He has sworn vengeance on all Earthers, and on you, Falcon, in particular. There is no telling what damage he will do, his lust for absolute power is as great as ever. Agent Chameleon, returning from a routine patrol with a readout from the Timehole Monitoring Beacons on the current Timeholes, has reported a disturbance in the timeline of Mechanon, an enormous factory planet run entirely by droids, programmed only to mine metals, build copies of themselves and construct the most deadly arsenal of interstellar weaponry the universe had ever seen, until a terrible nuclear catastrophe reduced the planet to a tangled ruin of rock and metal. If Yelov is responsible and if he should find a way of reversing this accident, the entire galaxy would be held to ransom. You are our best agent Falcon, you must stop him before it is too late.'

You leave Jobanque's office at a run, bound for your Time Machine, Falcon's Wing, at the Eiger Vault. The other agents step aside to let you pass. Sparrowhawk is not with them.

1 [score a Q]

The hovrail car which will take you to the Eiger Vault glides soundlessly to a halt. As you secure the bubble hatch and type in your destination you are already considering the possibilities. The steady acceleration of the car lasts for half of the journey and as you begin to slow it dawns on you that this will be a difficult mission. Yelov was a test pilot in the pioneering days of Time Travel; not only is he more experienced than anyone else, he also possesses the cat-like reflexes of the Siriuns. His skill in the Sim-Combat booths is legendary. Behind you the lights of Alpolis stretch for further than the eye can see even though the monorail arcs a thousand feet above the ground.

Less than an hour after leaving Jobanque's office you stand before the huge plasteel hangar doors of the Eiger Vault, set deep in the side of Mount Eiger. Your ID chip is checked and you are mind scanned before access to the vault is allowed by the service computer. As you pass the security droids, you reflect upon the folly of holding Yelov within this tight security net, instead of outside it. He is a million times more dangerous with a Time Machine at his disposal than if he were at large on Earth, 3033 AD. You cross the cavern which houses the Time Machines and the Research Section of TIME. The area in which the machines are kept is partitioned at intervals and you head straight for your own bay. In the centre of the bay, which is lined on three sides with racks carrying maintenance equip-ment, spare parts, the Variac Drive Recharger and sundry other useful items, lies Falcon's Wing, your Time Machine. You approach the access hatch and the Mind Scanner lights up red, then green. You are drawn up into the Time Machine by invisible Tractor Beams, activated by CAIN. Soon you are standing on the glowing Access Disc and CAIN chimes 'Welcome, Falcon.'

210
The hatch seals as you settle into your crash-couch and run routine system checks. The technicians have been over your machine with a microscope and Falcon's Wing is in perfect repair. You decide to ask CAIN for some information.

If you ask for details on planet Mechanon,
If you would like to ask for details of Yelov's escape,
If you would like to ask Jobanque whether he is using any other agents on this mission,
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Man, that's some amateur level shit. They gave him augs that aided his escape, instead of just like, flesh grafts and non-motive prosthetics while telling him he's lucky to be alive?

Let's ask about the planet.
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Post by SGamerz »

Ask for details about the escape.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

TIME was kind of asking for something like this to happen.

Ask about the planet.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

The console screen in front of you lights up as CAIN presents a short history of the planet Mechanon.
Time 03.14
File-Mech 01
MECHANON: Fourth planet orbiting Silurus Six
DIAMETER: 9,200 miles
ATMOSPHERE: Main constituents, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Helium and Xenon
GRAVITY: 1.356 Earth standard
COMPOSITION: Rich in mineral ores, metals and trace elements
SURFACE TEMPERATURE 43C-59C
LENGTH OF DAY: 31 hours Earth standard time

First landing by sentient species: 19067 BC
First colonists: The Danikoi

The Danikoi, a highly intelligent humanoid race, were the first known space travellers. Their civilisation crumbled millenia ago but a small group of Danikoi, realising that their race was doomed, decided to leave a lasting monument to their society.' They built robots which could build and program more robots made from the materials mined on the metal rich world of Mechanon. Mechanon became a single immense factory which lasted long beyond the last visit of a Danikoi spaceship. Unfortunately, the Danikoi had caused the original robots to be programmed to take whatever steps were necessary to ensure that Mechanon remained a lasting testament to the glory of Danikoi technology. The robots of Mechanon sought to assemble space weapons with which they could wipe out all intelligent life, throughout the universe, for there was no other way for them to ensure that Mechanon remained forever.

In 2291 AD, prior to the launch of the roboships, a nuclear disaster reduced the planet to a featureless mass of fused metal and rock. None of the wardroids of Mechanon remained functional.

END OF FILE MECH 01

Will you:
Ask for information on Yelov's escape?

Listen to a message that CAIN has just received?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Ask about Yelov's escape.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

CAIN chooses a visual display for the answer to your question, and the console screen flashes up the following:

Time Now 03.14
File YV29 [New Data]
SUBJECT: Yelov, Agidy - escape from custody
Security lapse in the Eiger Vault
NATURE: Malfunction of Psionic Damper fitted to bionic circuitry which replaced damaged brain tissue
RESULT: Yelov was able to exert his Power of Will to control a security guard who released him and killed three other guards to enable Yelov access to his Time Machine

DISAPPEARANCE: Yelov and his Time Machine winked out of the Eiger Vault Timehole at 01.13 Earth Standard Time
DESTINATION: Unknown

END OF FILE YV29

CAIN chimes, 'He left a message addressed to you, Falcon. He said that he would make sure that your death was a painful one.' you thank CAIN - and tell it not to speak unless spoken to!

195
CAIN chimes, 'I have received data on movements in three timeholes from the Monitoring Section.' The console screen flashes as CAIN presents a list of recent time trips.

Time now: 03.54
TIME DESTINATION TRAVELLER
21.40 Mechanon 2291 AD Yelov
23.17 Thrix 1776 AD Unknown
01.02 Mechanon 2291 AD Unknown
02.00 Thrix 1776 AD Unknown
02.51 Mechanon 2291 AD Unknown
02.59 Crecy 1346 AD Unknown
03.05 Mechanon 2291 AD Unknown
03.10 Eiger Vault, 3033 AD Agent Chameleon

You ask CAIN who the unknown traveller could be and it replies that all the other time machines and TIME personnel are accounted for and that you may safely assume the traveller is Yelov. You ask for information on Thrix and Crecy and CAIN tells you that Thrix is a planet rich in Polybdenum, the rare mineral which the Variac Drives and Molecular Converters of Time Machines use as fuel. It is inhabited by strange intelligent rock-like life forms. Crecy is in Earth's past at the time of a battle-between mediaeval knights in armour which was the first in the Hundred Years War. Yelov has not been idle. Will you:

Travel through time to Crecy?
Thrix?
Mechanon?
Ask for more information?
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

More info. Then, Crecy. It's the place they visited last, but it's furthest back, so they're setting up for the future.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

More info, but go to Mechanon (where Yelov was last) because IIRC this series uses parallel time bullshit to avoid you going back to before the bad guys did their thing in a particular period.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

261
What question will you ask CAIN?
Did Yelov's Time Machine carry a full supply of Polybdenum?
Does Mechanon have reserves of the Polybdenum which is needed for time travel Machines?
What could be done to change Earth's history at the battle of Crecy?
Could a change in the events of the battle of Crecy affect me?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Could Crecy affect me? 'Cuase if so we need to fix that post haste.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Ask how the battle affects us. There's a whole organization looking after Earth and the Universe, but if Falcon doesn't look out for himself no one else is going to, so "us" is always going to be the priority.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

CAIN is silent for some moments before chiming, There is a correspondence between the names of members of the English nobility who were present at the battle of Crecy and the earliest of your known ancestors, Falcon. Sir Thomas Chandos, whose coat of arms is a silver falcon on a blue background may have been a distant ancestor of yours. I assume you know that a coat of arms is the picture carried on a knight's shield and surcoat in a battle of those times? If Sir Thomas Chandos is murdered before his time, Falcon, you will never have existed.'

Thank you CAIN,' you reply, 'and CAIN, has it ever crossed your memory banks that even you don't know everything? I have the information I need now.'

'If I may be permitted to add something, sir?' There is an almost wheedling note to the chimes of CAIN's voice synthesiser, rather than the usual slightly haughty tone.

'Now what?' you ask.

'I can compute no sure reason for a visit to Crecy to change history. A disease called the Black Death, a plague which killed between a quarter and a half of the population of Europe followed two years later, in 1348 AD. Its effects may dampen any changes that may be caused in Earth's timeline at this point.'

'Set coordinates for Crecy, 26th August, 1346 AD, CAIN,' you order brusquely.

You instruct CAIN to turn on the Variac Drive to shift you into null-space and to re-engage the Drive as soon as you have finished inputting the navigational coordinates for the timehole at Crecy, France, 1346 AD. Your scalp tingles slightly as the Time Machine moves out of phase, and everything around you seems grey and insubstantial. You know that should you turn on the outside camera the screen would remain blank, not even blackness exists in null-space. You cast your thoughts into the void and using your Psychic Awareness locate the timehole at Crecy. When you have translated this location into coordinates for CAIN, the Variac Drive engages once more. The process of re-emerging in real time is immediate, but seems to take about an hour for you. You may spend this time in the Autodoc, if you wish, and gain up to 12 Endurance points.

6
Your camera scans the gently rolling countryside of mediaeval northern France. Falcon's Wing stands on a hill overlooking a gentle slope on which stands the English army. Descending the hills opposite is the French army which seems about five times as large. It is mid afternoon, but the vanguard of the French army are advancing to the attack, led by six thousand or so mercenary troops, crossbowmen from Genoa, followed by double that number of mounted knights in full plate armour, the flower of chivalry, their shields and banners a glorious riot of colour. Behind these, and still trooping to the battlefield, are countless peasant infantry, some armed with pikes, but many making do with scythes roped to poles. The English army numbers a little over ten thousand men, composed of knights who have dismounted and will fight on foot, brave Welsh spearmen and a large number of longbowmen.

You decide to station yourself amongst the ranks of the English who are divided into three. Nearest to you are the reserves, and CAIN identifies the golden lions and fleur de lis of their leader, King Edward. Before these is another body of knights led by the King's young son, the Black Prince, who is surrounded by veteran knights, one of whom, Sir Thomas Chandos, bears a silver falcon on his red shield. Away to the left lies the third body of knights, lead by William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, whose blue shield carries three red stars and six golden lions. The men of Northampton and the Black Prince are linked by a line of archers. Where will you position yourself?

Near the King?
Near the Black Prince?
Near the Earl of Northampton?
Near Sir Thomas Chandos?

(Of course, anyone who lived that far back who has surviving descendants would be a relative of Falcon anyway)
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Position ourself in front of our ancestor because Yelov is probably going to target him. He wants revenge on us, which is probably why he came here.
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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Agreed. CAIN confirmed that any effect caused on general history here will probably be minimal, so it's more likely that Yelov is here for individual grudges.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

379

CAIN selects a simple coat of arms for you, a red chevron on a white background, and prepares a sword, shield and armour in the molecular convertor. You glide to the ground, looking for all the world like an English man-at-arms, and an atmosphere of tense expectancy hits you. As you step away from Falcon's Wing, around which the hologram of a group of trees is projected, battle is about to be joined. The Genoese crossbowmen are charging towards the Black Prince and his knights. You clank down the slope and take up a position in the rear rank, behind Sir Thomas Chandos, sword at the ready. The Genoese halt suddenly and let loose a volley of crossbow bolts - the thud of one hitting your shield with great force shocks you as you realise that you could die at any moment. A few of the English fall under the hail of flying steel, but the English longbowmen let loose a volley. The sky is blackened by a great mass of arrows and they fall upon the Genoese in a withering cloud. The Genoese mercenaries must rewind their crossbows before they can fire again, whereas the English archers, tall, deep-chested men, can fire an arrow with deadly precision every six or eight seconds. The Genoese veterans have never faced such a rain of death and they panic and flee within moments. The French knights are so incensed at this that they ride down their own men in their frenzied charge. All nobles, they treat the Genoese mercenary soldiers with contempt. The charging knights are about to attack your position. Will you:

Move back to the relative safety of the King's position?
Remain where you are?
Move closer to the Black Prince?
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Hold position and defend our ancestor. I agree with the logic that he's the target.
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Post by SGamerz »

We're playing the part of a good soldier so we should act like one. Hold position!
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

162

The withering volleys from the English longbowmen take their loll of the valiant French knights again and again. The French knights come on in charge after charge, each time retiring to regroup.As they wait for each attack the English bowmen make a V sign with their fingers, indicating that they are ready with more arrows. From their conversation you can gather that it is the French custom to cut off their fingers with which they draw their bowstrings, if ever they are captured.

At last some of the French knights break through and there is fierce hand-to-hand fighting around the Black Prince's position. The Black Prince's horse is killed under him and he and his banner disappear from sight. A French knight whom you recognise from CAIN's descriptions of coats of arms, a strong lighter it seems, is met by a knight whose name, Sir Thomas Chandos, is called out in a warning by his squire. He is an important French noble, Louis de Nevers, Count of Flanders, whose surcoat is adorned with a rampant black lion. Your Psychic Awareness allows you to pick up a myriad thoughts in the din of battle - fear, pride, blood lust, and, somewhere, a strange blank. Sir Thomas Chandos could be struck dead at any time. Will you:

Thinkstrike Louis de Nevers?
Attack Louis de Nevers with your sword?
Thinkstrike Chandos so that he falls, as if dead?
Wait to see what happens next?

There is a picture here

(Oh, that V thing...arguments there)
Last edited by Thaluikhain on Sat Oct 07, 2017 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Wait and see.

If Yelov is hidden here somewhere, I don't think he'll be disguised as a well-known historical figure. He's more likely to be some nondescript footman/soldier. If the duel between Louis and Chandos happened before in history, we should let it play out as it did (and Chandos must have won back then, or Falcon wouldn't exist). Also, I think we'd have been told if that "strange blankness" comes from Louis, so it's likely to be someone else.

Our ancestor is in the middle of a battlefield, so he's going to get attacked a lot. If we start interfering in every fight he's in, we might end up doing more damage to history than Yelov is aiming to.
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Agreed with SGamerz.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

200 [score an A]

There is a great ringing of steel, and sparks fly as the swords of Count Louis and Sir Thomas meet. The Frenchman is tall and powerful, but Sir Thomas is the more skilful and he turns the Count's sword before burying his own deep in the Frenchman's side. Count Louis falls to the ground, dead, as Chandos searches, panting for breath and peering through the narrow slit of his visor, for a new opponent. Suddenly, you see an English knight in black armour whose shield bears no device but is as black as sable. He is raising his mace to strike Sir Thomas Chandos and it seems to crackle with a blue aura. You cannot detect any thought at all inside the great black helm. Will you:

Use your Power of Will on the Black Knight?
Attack the Black Knight with your sword?
Use your blaster on the Black Knight?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Apply sword to Black Knight - blasters, as previously mentioned, break kayfabe while PoW isn't going to work if we can't detect any thoughts inside.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Blast. He might not care about swords either.
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