Run #3 - The Smoking Gunwale

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:01 pm

""In!"" Achak yells.

The frenzies chorus of a violent mob echoes down the curving corridor.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:01 am

It’s not as though Mouse needs to be told to save her own hoop, and yet at least for one last fleeting instant, she hangs back by the doorside for the others to flow past and into the engine room. Her own heart thudding with an intensity to rival the increasing volume of pounding feet, she fumbles briefly, before managing to slip one last item from her belongings: the remaining vestige of her earlier plan for defensive shenanigans, which in this case, just happens to be full liter of industrial strength lube.

With a twist of her hand and the crack of plastic, she unscrews the cap and begins to dump its contents, pouring a glistening, viscous pool onto the hall-side of the threshold. Hands quaking with frayed nerves, her attention flits from her task to the other side of the curved hall in a back and forth visual pingpong, before some internal tripwire of ‘fuck it’ clearly snaps. The time for precision long past, simply drops the entire bottle of ultraglide in her wake, as she instead scrambles to the room and its promise of safety beyond the heavy bulkhead.

...assuming there aren’t more zombies hiding on the other side, anyway.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:18 pm

Just as the door is thrown open and the team surges inside, an explosion rocks the ship. Sternums and molars rattle from the kinetic thump and a plume of smoke blossoms at the end of the curving corridor. Echo's feed is rendered futile by the amount of smoke and embers. Amidst the resulting ringing in the teams' ears come the sound of pursuers.

The room into which the runners take refuge appears to be some kind of storage space. Approximately thirty meters by ten, the room is jammed full of nautical equipment and assorted tools. Most of it looks quite old.

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:22 am

Achak is last to enter the room. He scans the surroundings quickly, a grim look on his face. "Shall we barricade the door? It sounds like an army out there."

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Fri Dec 30, 2022 8:00 pm

Axel glances up at the ceiling, stretching his hands out above him, seeing a significant amount of empty space between his hands and the ceiling. "Just a sec," he says, looking at the hallway going past the door that the team is filing through.

"You two," he says to the pair of roto drones, "there." He points at a space at the ceiling a bit past the newly opened door and the redneck wrestling pit that Mouse has created in front of it, placing them in the other empty, doorless room with a view of direction of approach of the team's new friends. After making sure both drones are hugging the ceiling as much as possible, he finally follows the team into the other room and moves to the back, inviting Mouse to join him with a tilt of his head.

He sits down on the floor, back against the wall, and RCC on his lap. His eyes glaze over for a moment.

Group select: Wnd, WhrlWnd
Ammo priority main: EX-Exp
Ammo priority secondary: UBGL Mini-HE

His eyes open, and he wears a nervous grin. His heart races at the thought of how much of his life's work he's placing in danger, praying that if all else fails, the drones will be too high for their foe to reach.

"Here," he says to Mouse, and a full suite of marks for Wind appear on her deck. "I think this one's on us," he tries to keep the reedy thread of panic from his voice. "You up for a little VR pest control? That corridor is really tight. Good spot to make some salsa, ne?"

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:07 pm

Despite being the one who just coated the breach point in slime, it’s Axel’s apparent plotting that leaves Mouse wondering. When prompted, she sidles over and sits back on her heels without so much as a second thought, fear giving way to the intoxicating spell of unfiltered curiosity. Her pupils bloom the instant Wind’s loadout flashes across her HUD, breath catching as it registers the sheer amount of heat these drones have been packing.

To be fair, for a decker without a control rig, taking control is less an exhilarating exercise in ‘being the wind’, and more like a round of ‘The Typing of the Dead’. Thankfully, she’s pretty good at that one.

She shoots the rigger a nod, gratitude painted clearly across her still-wide-eyed expression. "WHY NOT? WE’VE GOT EXPLOSIVES AND A FRAGTON OF LUBE. LET’S GO BANG."

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:33 pm

Achak ducks in to the room. Cinders waft past, riding a plume of thick black smoke. Through ears still ringing, the team can hear the sounds of pounding and of bodies sliding. It's growing louder.

Meanwhile, on Echo's feed, the smoke has begun to clear. Six of the assailants lie motionless (again) on the floor of the infirmary, mostly just a jumble of disembodied limbs. Twice as many seem to have sustained injuries but seem unbothered, shambling forward to pursue their quarry. More of the risen corpses are flooding through the broken door. But most disconcerting is the spray of seawater that is vomiting through a tiny fissure in the bottom of the hull, courtesy of the land mine. They just don't make freighters like they used to.

Wind and Whirlwind float into position, barrels gleaming in the semi-darkness. The sounds of shambling antagonists grows louder and silhouettes loom in the smoke.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Mon Jan 02, 2023 2:14 pm

Axel can't help but draw in a breath like a swimmer about to dive under water. It's an irrational habit, and one he's never quite shaken.

The room warps, folds in on itself, and shrinks to a point. The adjoining room unfurls itself around him, and he's hovering, almost touching the ceiling, his fans at a relaxed position hold. No drafts here to worry about. He looks to his right at Wind, as if that will let him know whether his fellow DNI-jockey teammate is possessing it like a vengeful spirit.

<< Watch our asses. >>

(( Diving into Whirlwind, Hotsim VR ))

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:41 pm

The last thing Mouse registers before she pulls the plug on her meatspace consciousness is the glimpse of water spraying through the once-wreckage and into the lab. The sight evokes a kind of idle, passive undercurrent of anxiety- a larger scale analogue to fretting over having left a tap running- not far from a high powered mystery device elsewhere beneath the floors. Of course, with the more immediate threat at hand, such concerns quickly get filed in the category of ‘Future Mouse’s problems.’ Instead, her meatspace form shudders and collapses, ragdoll-like, to the cold ground.

The familiar hotsim territory within her deck now features Wind’s feed, expanded windowlike to the outside world, an array of virtualized controls laid out before her like some multiperson arcade cabinet. The integration is less an extension of her being, and more like having been miniaturized to pilot some teeny tiny mech. Gingerly, she gives one of the joysticks before her an exploratory spin, causing the drone to bank in response with a tight 360. So far, so good… though hopefully she won’t be subject to any trial-by-fire flight tests any time soon.

<< Alright, standard wave defense. We got this. >> Even her comms carry a faux bravado as her persona rolls its shoulders back and fixes the drone’s targeting reticle to the far end of the curved hallway. << Let’s just hope whatever gremlins are haunting the wireless can hold off ‘til we’re done here. >>

(( Also hotsim. :D ))

Loadout

Post by **GM Nick** » Tue Jan 03, 2023 10:30 pm

Achak kneels next to the doorway, his fingertips brushing a bracelet as he whispers an incantiation. The stampede grows louder, mere seconds away. It's a frightening sound-- devoid of any grunts or utterances-- simply a slapping and thudding of flesh as the throng surges forward.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:43 pm

The reminder of wireless gremlins sends a brief chill down Axel's fuselage, the decision to hotsim feeling a little more like a gamble.

<< Yeah, we got this. We should be high enough to keep safe, so just treat it like a gunnery platform. If things get too sketchy, bounce out and hand back control to the dog-brain. >>

For a moment, his words almost sound like confidence to him.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:52 pm

Initiative

The first handful of shambling corpses materialize through the smoke. It's an obscene sight: bloated bodies staggering forward at impressive speeds, mouthes twisted into silent screams. They advance as fast as their twisted, festering limbs will allow in a single-minded pursuit.

John · Post by **John** » Fri Jan 06, 2023 6:33 pm

Mick cocks the underbarrel grenade launcher's pump mechanism forward, chambering a high explosive round with a satisfy THLUNK. The ork isnt sure if it's they're smiling or grimacing. "Full-bodied, with a smooth finish." The grenade whistles as it sails out and f the weapon and down the hall, not unlike a happy go lucky kid zipping down the street on his way to the corner store to pick up a box of candy.

Post by **GM Nick** » Sat Jan 07, 2023 10:21 pm

Dice

There's a deafening crack as the high explosive grenade air-bursts, followed by a brilliant albeit brief fireball. Five of the risen corpses are transformed into humanoid fireworks-- an expansive pink mist that hurls gore in every direction. A piece of intestine flies past Mick's head. An eyeball splatters against their vest.

The hull is scorched and warped where the grenade detoned, and miniature sprays of seawater jet from the fissures. More risen from behind the front line charge forward, slipping and sliding in the viscera and slop.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Sat Jan 07, 2023 10:39 pm

A new sound pierces the crescendo of undead footfalls: a wolf’s howl, rendered tinny through the roto-drone’s speakers. Wind’s metallic shell thrums as a drum machine kicks in like a metronomic heartbeat, as synthesizer chords escalate in both volume and urgency, as though to spur on both the unseen attackers and background wolves. Just as Mick's shot hits its mark, the chords hit their climax, belting out their melodic signature:

-‘Cause this is Thriller! Thriller night!

Wind centers its targeting reticle, sending new information streaming across the decker's viewscreen: enemy coordinates, ballistic arcs, anticipated collision time. In the face of the unflinching former denizens of this Ourang Medan, all these calculations fade into background noise, distilled into a general gut feeling. Propelled by survival instinct and a funky bass riff, Mouse pulls the virtual trigger, following Mick's percussive strike with one of her own.

(( Gunnery - Underbarrel grenade launcher, please!
Gunnery 6 + Logic 6 + Smartlink 2 [Accuracy 8] ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Jan 08, 2023 8:17 pm

Dice

The smoke hasn't even cleared. Nevertheless, Wind sends a grenade whistling toward ground zero. Mouse's aim is true and the airburst detonates in the center of the hallway, right in the midst of the second wave of shambling dead. Another explosion rattles the walls, and a renewed blossom of gore spatters in every direction. A smattering of viscus smears across Wind's optical sensors, giving Mouse the feeling she's just gotten guts in her eye. The army of pursuers is now lost in a haze of thick smoke.

The floor panels which had gained fissures are warped further by the detonation. What were pinholes through which seawater seethed are now small jets. Hot metal hisses as its quenched. More silhouettes loom at the edge of the fog of war as a third wave advances. They just keep coming.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Sun Jan 08, 2023 8:27 pm

<< Okay, not liking the look of those panels. This might have to be the last grenade. >>

Axel feels the air beneath his rotors, wisps of smoke curling toward the ceiling are pulled in and forced back down beneath him. The focus on the air is the closest thing he's found to taking a deep breath and holding it while lining up a shot. Music thumps to his right, and Axel would grin if he had a mouth.

I seee youuu. His own voice is a sing-song in his head.

(( One high explosive granata coming up! 7 LOG + 6 Gunnery + 2 specialization + 2 Hotsim + 2 smartlink + 1 Control Rig and my swingin' cod ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Jan 08, 2023 10:39 pm

Dice

Axel follows up Mouse's grenade with one of his own. Again, the projectile explodes in the middle of a group. Again, smoking chunks of flesh and internal organ sail past and coat the walls. The floor panels-- utterly decimated by the repeated explosions-- finally separate in a geyser of seawater about a foot in diameter. The foaming fountain dislodges a ceiling panel, which crashes into the floor, causing a splash curdled with blood. More pursuers surge into view, though the veritable mountain of body parts and gushing water seem to slow them.

Klaxons-- previously hidden in recesses near the ceiling-- begin to sound off. A strobe flickers neardby, followed by a crackling pre-recorded voice in Russian. "Hull breach detected. Hull breach detected."

The dead advance. The flickering of the strobe renders a horrific slideshow of disfigured, unnatural horrors. Now soaked in a mixture of salt water and body fluids, they stumble mindlessly forward.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Jan 09, 2023 10:55 pm

Dice

Achak mutters an incantation and extends his hands. The air warps and shimmers as it heats. The anti-slip coating on the floor blisters and burns away. A massive fireball materializes and soars down the corridor where it impacts with the three corpses staggering through the smoke. All three simply disintegrate under the extreme temperature, most of their bodies reduced to ash while the remaining, charred limbs drop to the floor. As the fireball contacts the seawater it hisses violently, releasing a cloud of steam that billows down the hallway in both directions. The Amerind shields his eyes from the steam and leans against the wall, clearly fatigued.

The corridor is a mess. The ceiling has partially collapsed, the walls are ravaged and blackened and a massive hole has opened in the floor. Concerningly, the volume of seawater gushing in looks to be increasing.

A banging sound echoing from somewhere ahead indicates that the threat hasn't yet abated. Additionally, the clamor seems to have attracted something else, as a heavy scraping noise can be heard coming from the pump room.

But the runners have won themselves a few seconds in which to breathe and strategize.

Post by **GM Nick** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:46 pm

Achak draws a ragged breath and sidles towards the door. He cranes his neck, straining to hear beyond the rushing of water and hissing of steam. "More coming. A dozen? More." His gaze seems fixed on the ruined corridor. "The bodies from the communications room. Do you think...?"

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 2:22 pm

"YOU MEAN THEY FIGURED OUT HOW TO WORK A FRAGGING ELEVATOR?" There’s a visual disconnect as the voice pipes out from Mouse's meat frame, which remains completely still, her face mashed gracelessly against the cold floor of the storage space. It’s not so much incredulity- she’s already internalized the reality that the team is in fact facing down zombies, even if that scenario seems more like a nightmare, or at least the byproduct of a convincing hallucination.

Instead, her venting is pure exasperation. It’s one more snag in the tangle of problems the team now faces, which otherwise includes the yet-unseen mystery killer, the medical experimentation and giant silver bullet they’d unearthed, the holes that they’d managed to put into the ship (even if that was largely her own fault), and the water now streaming into the hall and washing away all her hard-earned precious goo.

Mouse rattles Wind into an airborne shimmy, attempting to dislodge the viscera splattered across it as though it were a dog covered in mud. "RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE THOSE GUYS IN A BOTTLENECK, AND THEY DON’T SEEM TO GIVE A DREK ABOUT STRATEGY. OR SELF PRESERVATION." Then again, as she counts up the newly formed leaks, it does occur to her that she’s not much better. "MEANWHILE, WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT KILLED THESE GUYS IN THE FIRST PLACE. THAT’S WHAT I’M WORRIED ABOUT." Wind dips slightly, as if to tilt its ‘head’ in indication. "WELL, THAT AND OL’ SCRAPEY OVER THERE."

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:02 pm

Javad has strayed beyond Yung's reach and is crouching in a crate, surrounded by moldering ropes. He peeks over the edge of the wooden container, balancing the lid on the top of his head. It seems despite the perceived fortitude of the runners, his instinct for self-preservation reigns supreme.

Achak cracks his knuckles and shakes his head. "You're right. We make a stand here, clearing the way out."

Just as Axel is checking Whirlwind's ammo counter for umpteenth time, an alert in his peripheral vision catches his attention. The yacht, which is running idle on his auxiliary line, is reporting in. It seems the radar has picked up something new. The storm-- while mostly abated-- still rages with enough fury to sully the output, but the size and speed indicate a vessel of some kind.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 4:43 pm

Anxieties pile on top of anxieties. Are the walking dead the threat? The ruptured hull? Frag it, one thing at a time.

<< Hey gang, this tub just picked up incoming. Not sure about the ETA yet. Looks like a vessel of some kind. I say we finish these monsters off, grab what we can, seal the bulkheads to this section, and regroup. >>

After that? One thing at a time.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 10:40 pm

Achak idly touches the DSECD slung on his hip. "We'll need to be on deck to get a connection." He swings his gaze to the hallway, from which emanate shuffling and stomping sounds. His fingers stretch out and he raises his palms. "Unnatural. Abhorrent."The shaman obviously has no qualms about obliterating the risen monstrosities. "...and in our way."

John · Post by **John** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:00 pm

Mick nods at Achack. "Gotta punch through the fuckers, and fast. The longer we're down here, the harder it's gonna be to get out." The ork gestures to the water levels rising around the team. "Besides, I already had to wade through a chest-high slurry of shit– I'd rather not add to it a chest-high slurry of zombies." They turn the muzzle of their weapon back down the hall. Mick presses forward as far as they can without winding up in the line of fire and waits.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 3:58 pm

The list of ‘Problems for Future Mouse’ continues to compound at an alarming pace, especially with the addition of Axel’s last missive. "MAYBE WE’LL GET LUCKY, AND THAT SHIP WILL JUST BE FULL OF PIRATES." It’s possible that restoring the ship’s power triggered an automated distress call, which summoned ‘help’ from the mainland. This uncomfortable prospect joins ‘the rapid influx of water’ in a second list of ‘Problems Mouse may have indirectly caused.’ At some point she should probably re-evaluate her proclivities for reckless decision making… but then again, that’s another problem for Future Mouse.

"YOU ARE STANDING IN THE SPLASH ZONE FOR ZOMBIE PUREE," she muses to the orc, before appending a ‘helpful’ ARO tag to the mini-geyser of ocean water. "THAT'S WHY WE MADE YOU A SHOWER. YOU CAN THANK US LATER."

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:41 pm

Dice

The corpse-stink is compounded by the massive damage done to the tissue, rendering the below deck into a truly foul cauldron of fumes. Rotting meat and organs are splattered across nearly available surface, save where they've been washed away by the torrent of seawater. The smell of brine barely registered, but somehow twists the bouquet into something even more nauseating.

The clomping grows louder and louder. Silhouettes loom behind the veil of water droplets. They've come.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:47 pm

Axel switches the weapon select from secondary to primary. The ammunition counter reads green, Ex-Explosive.

Anything you can do, I can do better

The fans tilt and reverse to counter the steady thrust from the torrent of rounds spitting out of the drone's Ares Alpha.

(( Covering fire at the zombies. Let's see if they know how to duck. AKA, memories of You Reap What You Sioux. ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:23 pm

Dice

Axel's indiscriminate fire doesn't seem to faze the risen as the stumble forward, mere centimeters from where the hail of bullets is headed. Now successfully constrained, it's like shooting fish in the barrel. Axel watches gleefully as the mob surges forward. Any further and they'll stumble right into hot lead, but any other direction and the team can bullseye them.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:40 pm

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run.
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun-

Apropos as it may be, the soundtrack belting from the little drone is quickly swallowed by a second round of gun-chatter, as Wind fires its own volley of obscenely expensive ammunition toward the crowd.

(( Suppressing fiiiiire! Gunnery 6 + Logic 6 + Smartlink 2 [7 Accuracy] ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Jan 15, 2023 9:48 pm

Dice

Mouse follows Axel's example and whips the drone back and forth, spreading automatic fire along the corridor. There's a veritable wall of angry bullets now.

John · Post by **John** » Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:44 am

The roar of gunfire is deafening, drowning Mick out as they shout "HIT PUREE!" into the cacophony and chaos. The ork squeezes the trigger on their AK-98, their own volley of lead ripping down the hallway into the sea of reanimated flesh.

(( Following suit with Drewsuf and Molly with FA / suppressing fire. ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:27 pm

Initiative

The rifle jerks against Mick's shoulder as they release a volley of automatic fire into the corridor. The sound of the full barrage is deafening and hot shell casings rain down to the fllor where they form a carpet of brass.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:48 am

Reiya flinches at the geyser of water unleashed by her less disciplined comrades, hesitant to do further damage to the rusting hulk that is also the only thing keeping her and her crew mates out of the roiling ocean. First, do no harm. Like any good healer, she looks to remove the disease without damaging the host, and her talons start to tap out points on the ground deep with hidden meaning. The hallway begins to glow.

Sear the rot from the patient.

(( Manaball F3, right in the middle of these boners ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:38 pm

Dice

Violet energy arcs around Reiya as she channels astral energy. A sphere of swirling, spiritual currents gathers at the locus of the group of Risen, gradually taking on mass. The shuffling undead pass right through the crackling orb with no ill effect. It seems they really are dead, in every sense of the word.

Having watched the twin drones and now Mick, Achak gets the picture. He hefts his axe and positions himself in the center, ready to push back any enemies that make it through the wall o' bullets.

Run #3 - The Smoking Gunwale

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