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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Here are our viable options:
Practicality-BC
Pull off a masterful sabotage, fucking these guys over at a key moment in the near future.
Reasonable Storyfaggotry-AB
We get info on our ultimate enemies, the Masters, and level the playing field (not really, though. More like skew it to our advantage) by taking out their superfortress. Maybe we can later use the Vajra fragment to seal the portal to the Masters' dimension after all of this is over.
Maximum Storyfaggotry-AE
Fuck pragmatism, I want loredumps! No, I really do.
One thing about E: it will tell us if there's a Master on board (plausible, this is a very important installation) and if there is one, what are his strengths and weaknesses (Is Mere a secret member?
) Besides which, the Council can still royally fuck us up, any and all info on them is important.
For Ean especially, he can handle two, maybe three at a time (and that's stretching it), but there are nine of these pricks, they're no joke.
Thinking about going for the second option, but I just want to know about all of our high-level enemies.
Practicality-BC
Pull off a masterful sabotage, fucking these guys over at a key moment in the near future.
Reasonable Storyfaggotry-AB
We get info on our ultimate enemies, the Masters, and level the playing field (not really, though. More like skew it to our advantage) by taking out their superfortress. Maybe we can later use the Vajra fragment to seal the portal to the Masters' dimension after all of this is over.
Maximum Storyfaggotry-AE
Fuck pragmatism, I want loredumps! No, I really do.
One thing about E: it will tell us if there's a Master on board (plausible, this is a very important installation) and if there is one, what are his strengths and weaknesses (Is Mere a secret member?
) Besides which, the Council can still royally fuck us up, any and all info on them is important.For Ean especially, he can handle two, maybe three at a time (and that's stretching it), but there are nine of these pricks, they're no joke.
Thinking about going for the second option, but I just want to know about all of our high-level enemies.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Hmm. The pattern of the fortresses linked together. Maybe there is some way to feed the power back at the Masters...
AC
I think C will serve us well in the future either way. Senya is unearthly sharp mentally. With enough data, he could probably build his own Varja knockoff and open a portal to the Master's dimension without fighting the League.
AC
I think C will serve us well in the future either way. Senya is unearthly sharp mentally. With enough data, he could probably build his own Varja knockoff and open a portal to the Master's dimension without fighting the League.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
A - 10
B - 8
C - 4
D - 1
E - 1
***
Information Medium
The Council and the Masters have had a long history, dating back nearly ten thousand years, long before the formation of the Star League. It appears that an avatar of theirs is still active in the League – an immortal possessed from the very beginning of their contact. This immortal would serve as a liaison between the Masters and the Council. He presented them with aid and obstacles, guiding and frustrating in equal measure. The last gift that he brought was that of the quantum computers, five years ago. There is no further record of any contact with the avatar after that.
As for the League’s Masters in general, little is known, even to the Council. They are a secretive people. Though the Council appear to question little of what the avatar said, with most of the interesting details being hidden under endless blather about the need to win the game and prove their superiority, I manage to derive the following from the recordings of their meetings involving the Masters.
Firstly, there appeared to be no more than eleven Masters at present, and their original number had been thirteen.
Secondly, their home dimension was a very small space; a pocket universe that was no bigger than a solar system.
Thirdly, they wielded far greater power in our universe than they did in their world. As the creators of this universe they would be omnipotent and omniscient if allowed full access, but in their own dimension they were bound by certain limits. What these limits are is still unknown, and the League has no plans to find out.
Lastly, only one representative from the first civilization to reach the gateway will be allowed to enter. This is something that the Council has kept secret. They have agreed to vote on the representative once they arrive; according to the avatar, past civilizations have turned on each other in bloody civil strife to choose the representative. Upon presenting his gift, the representative speaking for his civilization would be granted a single wish, one that would be fulfilled by his Masters after he completes the ritual.
The ritual appears to involve the representative immortal adding his voice to those already present inside him; he will become one of the many, to aid his successors in ultimately reaching the gateway in the endless games to come. They consider it a great blessing.
***
As for the space-fortress Vajra Shula, the specifications were downright terrifying. Mere was either kept in the dark about its true abilities, or had downplayed what it could do. The main gun, the FTL cannon, could destroy an entire star system at full charge, which requires twelve hours of downtime between each blast. It could also fire smaller shots, and even multiple shots – it is perfectly possible for it to lock on and target up to two drones at the same time and hit each one with an attack capable of mass scattering planets. The principle behind the cannon was a complicated trans-dimensional technique that involved the use of slipspace coupled with the artefact that powers the weapon. The drones will relay an FTL signal via slipspace to the quantum computer when it is ready to fire. The drone itself will serve as a focal point for targeting: each attack will destroy the drone that has been used to summon it. The signal is a simple one; there appears to be no way to encode more complicated information onto it other than what the computer requires – the precise coordinates to target.
Besides that, the Vajra Shula is at least as well-armed as the other fortresses around it, and has the advantage of being plated with the super-dense alloy that the League has invented only recently. Judging from the specifications, the density and toughness of this alloy will allow it to shrug off most conventional attacks, and even survive a regular black hole cannon shot. Even though it is roughly the same size as the other fortresses, the alloy plating makes it nearly ten times in mass. It should have collapsed under its own weight by now, but somehow the power source also maintains the structural integrity of the fortress. While it is not firing, it can also output the power in the form of a shield that is similar to the one that the Dragon Emperor employed, though I have a feeling that this shield may be weaker.
Ten mega-scale fusion reactors, each the size of a skyscraper, serve as the secondary power-source of the Vajra Shula. The FTL capabilities and general defiance of the law of physics are thanks to the primary power-source, the Vajra artefact. I suppose they were desperate when they made something that would implode when you plucked out its power source. It’s like having a self-destruct sequence for your base without actually having a self-destruct button. Truly, the Council are plumbing the heights of super-villainy. Granted, there are no protocols for removing the thing, but I may be able to figure something out as I go. They will not be able to recover from losing the piece. On the other hand, I could attempt to tamper with the quantum computer in the control room, which appears to be the only thing allowing them to initiate FTL attacks. Yua and I have had experience with operating one before, making it the easier option.
I can reach both the power chamber and the control room rather quickly from this level, and I should continue moving while I still have the advantage.
***
A. Head to the power chamber and the Vajra artefact.
B. Head to the control room and the quantum computer.
B - 8
C - 4
D - 1
E - 1
***
Information Medium
The Council and the Masters have had a long history, dating back nearly ten thousand years, long before the formation of the Star League. It appears that an avatar of theirs is still active in the League – an immortal possessed from the very beginning of their contact. This immortal would serve as a liaison between the Masters and the Council. He presented them with aid and obstacles, guiding and frustrating in equal measure. The last gift that he brought was that of the quantum computers, five years ago. There is no further record of any contact with the avatar after that.
As for the League’s Masters in general, little is known, even to the Council. They are a secretive people. Though the Council appear to question little of what the avatar said, with most of the interesting details being hidden under endless blather about the need to win the game and prove their superiority, I manage to derive the following from the recordings of their meetings involving the Masters.
Firstly, there appeared to be no more than eleven Masters at present, and their original number had been thirteen.
Secondly, their home dimension was a very small space; a pocket universe that was no bigger than a solar system.
Thirdly, they wielded far greater power in our universe than they did in their world. As the creators of this universe they would be omnipotent and omniscient if allowed full access, but in their own dimension they were bound by certain limits. What these limits are is still unknown, and the League has no plans to find out.
Lastly, only one representative from the first civilization to reach the gateway will be allowed to enter. This is something that the Council has kept secret. They have agreed to vote on the representative once they arrive; according to the avatar, past civilizations have turned on each other in bloody civil strife to choose the representative. Upon presenting his gift, the representative speaking for his civilization would be granted a single wish, one that would be fulfilled by his Masters after he completes the ritual.
The ritual appears to involve the representative immortal adding his voice to those already present inside him; he will become one of the many, to aid his successors in ultimately reaching the gateway in the endless games to come. They consider it a great blessing.
***
As for the space-fortress Vajra Shula, the specifications were downright terrifying. Mere was either kept in the dark about its true abilities, or had downplayed what it could do. The main gun, the FTL cannon, could destroy an entire star system at full charge, which requires twelve hours of downtime between each blast. It could also fire smaller shots, and even multiple shots – it is perfectly possible for it to lock on and target up to two drones at the same time and hit each one with an attack capable of mass scattering planets. The principle behind the cannon was a complicated trans-dimensional technique that involved the use of slipspace coupled with the artefact that powers the weapon. The drones will relay an FTL signal via slipspace to the quantum computer when it is ready to fire. The drone itself will serve as a focal point for targeting: each attack will destroy the drone that has been used to summon it. The signal is a simple one; there appears to be no way to encode more complicated information onto it other than what the computer requires – the precise coordinates to target.
Besides that, the Vajra Shula is at least as well-armed as the other fortresses around it, and has the advantage of being plated with the super-dense alloy that the League has invented only recently. Judging from the specifications, the density and toughness of this alloy will allow it to shrug off most conventional attacks, and even survive a regular black hole cannon shot. Even though it is roughly the same size as the other fortresses, the alloy plating makes it nearly ten times in mass. It should have collapsed under its own weight by now, but somehow the power source also maintains the structural integrity of the fortress. While it is not firing, it can also output the power in the form of a shield that is similar to the one that the Dragon Emperor employed, though I have a feeling that this shield may be weaker.
Ten mega-scale fusion reactors, each the size of a skyscraper, serve as the secondary power-source of the Vajra Shula. The FTL capabilities and general defiance of the law of physics are thanks to the primary power-source, the Vajra artefact. I suppose they were desperate when they made something that would implode when you plucked out its power source. It’s like having a self-destruct sequence for your base without actually having a self-destruct button. Truly, the Council are plumbing the heights of super-villainy. Granted, there are no protocols for removing the thing, but I may be able to figure something out as I go. They will not be able to recover from losing the piece. On the other hand, I could attempt to tamper with the quantum computer in the control room, which appears to be the only thing allowing them to initiate FTL attacks. Yua and I have had experience with operating one before, making it the easier option.
I can reach both the power chamber and the control room rather quickly from this level, and I should continue moving while I still have the advantage.
***
A. Head to the power chamber and the Vajra artefact.
B. Head to the control room and the quantum computer.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
BC would have been the only choice that allowed you to derive the possibility of both hijacking the Vajra Shula and replicating it on a lesser scale with your mech, albeit from reverse engineering the Vajra technology and figuring out how to imitate its powers using your black hole engines (which already have a bit of human-made trans-dimensional fuckery involved in order to stabilize it). But, eh, at least you guys got a small Master loredump. 
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
B, of course. Unless checking up on Rei is an option.
Man, do I regret taking Boshen now: we don't need him for shit and our sis is possibly getting clobbered out there by whoever is in charge of this facility (possibly a council member); don't die, sis.
Man, do I regret taking Boshen now: we don't need him for shit and our sis is possibly getting clobbered out there by whoever is in charge of this facility (possibly a council member); don't die, sis.
B, and Rei should be able to take care of herself. One on one, she could wipe the floor with Senya. Put a little faith in her. She's competent, and she's got the most powerful mech out there at her disposal.
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
I think I know why Mere has defected:
I can't be entirely sure, but I think that she found this out somehow. A darker interpretation of events might be that she also intends to betray us so that she is the only one to reach the gateway.
As for the choice: fuck, I was busy, otherwise I would have flopped to BC for synergy and max sabotage skillz. It appears to me that since we don't know how the Masters jury-rigged the piece, it's also difficult to know how to remove it safely. I suppose the best safest and most productive thing to do is to fuck up the quantum computer itself and render the facility inoperable.
The one major issue with B that I see is this:
How many quantum computers were the League gifted? We had our hands on one, and the League has another, but who knows if they have more? If we sabotage this thing, it's useless if they can get it up and running again in a week.
I can't be entirely sure, but I think that she found this out somehow. A darker interpretation of events might be that she also intends to betray us so that she is the only one to reach the gateway.
As for the choice: fuck, I was busy, otherwise I would have flopped to BC for synergy and max sabotage skillz. It appears to me that since we don't know how the Masters jury-rigged the piece, it's also difficult to know how to remove it safely. I suppose the best safest and most productive thing to do is to fuck up the quantum computer itself and render the facility inoperable.
The one major issue with B that I see is this:
How many quantum computers were the League gifted? We had our hands on one, and the League has another, but who knows if they have more? If we sabotage this thing, it's useless if they can get it up and running again in a week.
An important piece of knowledge we gained by A though, is that the Masters wield less power in their own home universe than elsewhere, and that there are 13 of them. It gives us some sense of scale and tells us this is winnable.
Also, their own dimension is the size of a solar system? The sun bomb would've been ludicrous overkill..
Also, their own dimension is the size of a solar system? The sun bomb would've been ludicrous overkill..
ScubaV
Prophet
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,022
An important piece of knowledge we gained by A though, is that the Masters wield less power in their own home universe than elsewhere, and that there are 13 of them. It gives us some sense of scale and tells us this is winnable.
Also, their own dimension is the size of a solar system? The sun bomb would've been ludicrous overkill..
Yep, this is pretty crucial info.
I'll vote A. If we can't control the Vajra gun, let's see if we can destroy it. All we have to do is somehow remove the artifact and everything will collapse on itself. We just have to hope we can make it out alive first.
Kayerts
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 883
Yeah, Mere's claimed motive that "the League is better off without them" struck me as suspicious at the time, since it can only be truthful if she's in this curious middle ground where she knows about Vajra Shula but doesn't know about the Masters' reset (and also trusts that Senya and the Empire will be merciful in their victory). It seems like the Council probably knows about the reset, given the reference to becoming a voice and participating in "endless games to come."
Speaking of which, isn't it incongruous that all this info is sitting right here? Aside from the fact that we needed a loredump, I mean. Treave told us that all this was locally stored on this particular database. Why would the League do that? It seems like there's a large amount of information here that is (a) privy only to the Council and (b) not very relevant to the operation of a doom cannon.
Also:
So they managed to get both the nigh-on-invulnerable battleship armor and Vajra Shula without him. (And they weren't able to defeat the Empire for five years, even with quantum computers.)
..
Anyway, Esquilax is right about assessing the risk of them just swapping out the quantum computer we sabotage with another. I'd discourage anyone from a plan that relies on the computer continuing to run for an extended period after we leave the station. The League isn't completely retarded; if they know that Senya "Greatest Hacker in the Universe" Hoshikawa made a lightning raid on their superweapon and then left shortly thereafter, without doing any physical damage to the systems, they're not going to decide, "Hey I bet he didn't do anything bad to our targeting systems, better charge up the biggest shot we can and fire it!"
B for now.
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- Jul 6, 2008
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- 11,370
This database is probably a copy of what is available outside. Why they'd have a copy here you don't know. And tech progress doesn't happen overnight unless you're some genocidal prodigy with a penchant for destruction, you just happen to pop up when they're finally testing out their new shit (you didn't really think they actually lent three to the Federation because the League didn't know what to do with them, did you?)
Though you guys might be underestimating the Empire ever since that victory. All this superstuff is useless if you can't bring it to bear where it can defeat the enemy. A confrontation isn't always about brute force, who has the biggatons win. You yourself beat the Empire's crusade not purely by force, but by a mixture of trickery, direct assault and negotiation.
Though you guys might be underestimating the Empire ever since that victory. All this superstuff is useless if you can't bring it to bear where it can defeat the enemy. A confrontation isn't always about brute force, who has the biggatons win. You yourself beat the Empire's crusade not purely by force, but by a mixture of trickery, direct assault and negotiation.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
I always thought they did iy because Terra's scientists were the best in the Galaxy at what they do. Right?
Wait, three supercomputers?
The Storyfag finds that loredump a bit on the short side, treave 
What's this Shulgi's lover business about again? I thought Shulgi had a working relationship with that Master, nothing more. And the final missing Master is of course the one who went: "I want to be a Sphere!
" and posessed Naram. We also heard that one named Ra exists. Also, not really sure that Dio can be counted among the Masters - he's implied to be their progenitor, not one of them.
Anyway, voting B. I highly doubt we can remove the Varja safely. But we sure as hell can fire the weapon to fuck up the League's fortifications in this system at the very least.
What's this Shulgi's lover business about again? I thought Shulgi had a working relationship with that Master, nothing more. And the final missing Master is of course the one who went: "I want to be a Sphere!
" and posessed Naram. We also heard that one named Ra exists. Also, not really sure that Dio can be counted among the Masters - he's implied to be their progenitor, not one of them.Anyway, voting B. I highly doubt we can remove the Varja safely. But we sure as hell can fire the weapon to fuck up the League's fortifications in this system at the very least.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
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- 11,370
There just isn't much left to dump.
Well, sure, if you believe what the League said...
Well, sure, if you believe what the League said...
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Ah, nuts. Oh, well. This loredump gives us more info for use when we inevitably die and get snapped back to the choice with Adrahasis.BC would have been the only choice that allowed you to derive the possibility of both hijacking the Vajra Shula and replicating it on a lesser scale with your mech, albeit from reverse engineering the Vajra technology and figuring out how to imitate its powers using your black hole engines (which already have a bit of human-made trans-dimensional fuckery involved in order to stabilize it). But, eh, at least you guys got a small Master loredump.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Central Brain
The moment I approach the doors to the control room, I realize that I have been caught. A psychic net carpets the corridor, so fine and intangible that I only discover its existence after stumbling into it. It is akin to stepping on a spider’s web and feeling the taut silk under your feet, vibrating to signal the spider that its prey has arrived. Boshen’s cloaking would do me no good here – whatever is beyond those doors feels by senses not of the mundane.
What’s the matter, laughs a voice broadcasted directly into my head. Are you hesitating? I knew you would come.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I step forward with my shields up. The doors slide open smoothly, revealing the control room itself; a large, circular chamber with a dais in the center. Rows of complex instrumentation adorn the panels that line the walls; it'd take me some time to go through them all. A man sits cross-legged on the dais, an ornate looking bowl placed over his shaven head. There is no one else in the room. Behind him is an elaborate holographic map of the star clusters in the galactic core, with Carneus Beta marked out in flashing red print. With exact, exaggerated movements, the man raises his hands and begins clapping slowly.
“It was not out of my expectations that you would arrive here. Bravo. I knew that you knew I would be here.”
“Actually, I was looking for the washroom.” I say.
The smooth features of the shaven man curl into a frown as he peers at me. “We are beyond such petty taunts, don’t you think? After all, we have pitted our intellects against one another for half a millenium – oh, there is no need to act surprised. We both knew this was coming. Your silly disguise as a mortal will not fool me, even if it is particularly well made.” The man dismisses my puzzlement as a front for my true intentions, before I can even speak. He continues, a sly grin on his face. “How did you manage to sneak past our defences? Is it that head that you’re carrying around on your back? Optical manipulation?”
“I am not just any head, dog of the Masters!” snarls Boshen. “I am the right hand Spirit to the Great Deity Jheverg, Second of the Brotherhood of the Dragonwarden. You would do well to be more respectful lest you suffer the wrath of the Warden.”
“Dragonwarden?” laughs the man, ignoring Boshen’s outburst. “Another of your names, then – you seem to be collecting plenty. Does that have anything to do with how you took down the Great Devourer? Your monkeys invented a pretty good machine there. It is the same one currently running riot in my hangars, I presume? I wouldn’t want to face it down one on one, so if it is a threat towards me, it is pretty effective. Colmar and Versais would relish fighting it however.”
“Are you implying that you are weaker than them? Surely that can’t be true.” I am not sure what to say, but baiting questions are probably a safe bet. Probably.
“Physically, I suppose.” He shrugs, a small smirk crossing his lips. “I am connected to the entirety of Vajra Shula through the quantum computer. Nothing that happens onboard is beyond my knowing or my reach. In here, you have only progressed so far because I have allowed you to. Your little detour to the database facility was not out of my expectations either." The man leans forward, his grey eyes gleaming with arrogant humour. "Did you like what I allowed you to find? Consider it a token gift to kick off our meeting."
"That is a very big claim you make there." I try to match his smirk. I doubt he is lying, but I doubt he has the full control he claims he does either. The truth is probably somewhere in between - if there is one thing I have learnt, immortals love to pretend that everything is going to plan, even if it isn't. Well, so do I, but that's besides the point. "Do you really think you could stop me?"
"I could bring the corridors down on your head if I so wished. But then I presume you would only find some other way to vex me, so it seems we are forced to talk for now. It is not like I am uninterested in what you have to say. Now, let’s get to the business of why you are here. I cannot think of any other reason for you to visit me in such a fashion unless it is to talk about what we discussed when we last met. We both know, you and I, that the Council is more fractured than we would like to pretend we are. No one else seems to want to admit it, not Gorski or Lennon. Not even Cooper. I’m not even going to bother with the rest. All this is just going to end up with us backstabbing each other at the Gate.”
“Perhaps. You seem confident that you will be at the Gate.” I give an enigmatic smile, my face composed even though my mind is working furiously to digest what I have just heard and seeking a way to turn it to my advantage.
“With Vajra Shula complete, you don’t really stand a chance. Victory is already ours. I think you understand that. Why else would you have come to talk with me, Shulgi? Despite our differences in the past, I think we can come to an understanding; you know that too, or you would not be here, no?”
Somehow, he thinks I’m Shulgi. This is either going to turn out very well for me, or be an unprecedented disaster…
***
A. Play along at being Shulgi. If he thinks I am Shulgi, I must become Shulgi. I will attempt to tease out every bit of knowledge I can from this member of the Council whose name I don’t even know. It will take every ounce of my poker-face and trickery to succeed, but I believe I can. Perhaps we can even come to a deal, whatever it was that Shulgi spoke to him about.
B. Surprise attack! I toss Boshen’s head at him, and then use the time bought to launch a tentacle attack that will disembody this immortal. My power can stop him from effectively regenerating, and once he is at my mercy I can interrogate him further. This should be less risky than attempting to trick a psychic immortal whose abilities and history are a blank to me.
C. I have no time to play around with this man. Regardless of what they say and are planning, our match is already in its final stages. No more games. It will only end with their destruction, and this would be a good place to start. If I am to destroy this Council member, I must do it thoroughly; I invoke a greater measure of my power for the first time and wipe him from existence. This will be a good test.
The moment I approach the doors to the control room, I realize that I have been caught. A psychic net carpets the corridor, so fine and intangible that I only discover its existence after stumbling into it. It is akin to stepping on a spider’s web and feeling the taut silk under your feet, vibrating to signal the spider that its prey has arrived. Boshen’s cloaking would do me no good here – whatever is beyond those doors feels by senses not of the mundane.
What’s the matter, laughs a voice broadcasted directly into my head. Are you hesitating? I knew you would come.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I step forward with my shields up. The doors slide open smoothly, revealing the control room itself; a large, circular chamber with a dais in the center. Rows of complex instrumentation adorn the panels that line the walls; it'd take me some time to go through them all. A man sits cross-legged on the dais, an ornate looking bowl placed over his shaven head. There is no one else in the room. Behind him is an elaborate holographic map of the star clusters in the galactic core, with Carneus Beta marked out in flashing red print. With exact, exaggerated movements, the man raises his hands and begins clapping slowly.
“It was not out of my expectations that you would arrive here. Bravo. I knew that you knew I would be here.”
“Actually, I was looking for the washroom.” I say.
The smooth features of the shaven man curl into a frown as he peers at me. “We are beyond such petty taunts, don’t you think? After all, we have pitted our intellects against one another for half a millenium – oh, there is no need to act surprised. We both knew this was coming. Your silly disguise as a mortal will not fool me, even if it is particularly well made.” The man dismisses my puzzlement as a front for my true intentions, before I can even speak. He continues, a sly grin on his face. “How did you manage to sneak past our defences? Is it that head that you’re carrying around on your back? Optical manipulation?”
“I am not just any head, dog of the Masters!” snarls Boshen. “I am the right hand Spirit to the Great Deity Jheverg, Second of the Brotherhood of the Dragonwarden. You would do well to be more respectful lest you suffer the wrath of the Warden.”
“Dragonwarden?” laughs the man, ignoring Boshen’s outburst. “Another of your names, then – you seem to be collecting plenty. Does that have anything to do with how you took down the Great Devourer? Your monkeys invented a pretty good machine there. It is the same one currently running riot in my hangars, I presume? I wouldn’t want to face it down one on one, so if it is a threat towards me, it is pretty effective. Colmar and Versais would relish fighting it however.”
“Are you implying that you are weaker than them? Surely that can’t be true.” I am not sure what to say, but baiting questions are probably a safe bet. Probably.
“Physically, I suppose.” He shrugs, a small smirk crossing his lips. “I am connected to the entirety of Vajra Shula through the quantum computer. Nothing that happens onboard is beyond my knowing or my reach. In here, you have only progressed so far because I have allowed you to. Your little detour to the database facility was not out of my expectations either." The man leans forward, his grey eyes gleaming with arrogant humour. "Did you like what I allowed you to find? Consider it a token gift to kick off our meeting."
"That is a very big claim you make there." I try to match his smirk. I doubt he is lying, but I doubt he has the full control he claims he does either. The truth is probably somewhere in between - if there is one thing I have learnt, immortals love to pretend that everything is going to plan, even if it isn't. Well, so do I, but that's besides the point. "Do you really think you could stop me?"
"I could bring the corridors down on your head if I so wished. But then I presume you would only find some other way to vex me, so it seems we are forced to talk for now. It is not like I am uninterested in what you have to say. Now, let’s get to the business of why you are here. I cannot think of any other reason for you to visit me in such a fashion unless it is to talk about what we discussed when we last met. We both know, you and I, that the Council is more fractured than we would like to pretend we are. No one else seems to want to admit it, not Gorski or Lennon. Not even Cooper. I’m not even going to bother with the rest. All this is just going to end up with us backstabbing each other at the Gate.”
“Perhaps. You seem confident that you will be at the Gate.” I give an enigmatic smile, my face composed even though my mind is working furiously to digest what I have just heard and seeking a way to turn it to my advantage.
“With Vajra Shula complete, you don’t really stand a chance. Victory is already ours. I think you understand that. Why else would you have come to talk with me, Shulgi? Despite our differences in the past, I think we can come to an understanding; you know that too, or you would not be here, no?”
Somehow, he thinks I’m Shulgi. This is either going to turn out very well for me, or be an unprecedented disaster…
***
A. Play along at being Shulgi. If he thinks I am Shulgi, I must become Shulgi. I will attempt to tease out every bit of knowledge I can from this member of the Council whose name I don’t even know. It will take every ounce of my poker-face and trickery to succeed, but I believe I can. Perhaps we can even come to a deal, whatever it was that Shulgi spoke to him about.
B. Surprise attack! I toss Boshen’s head at him, and then use the time bought to launch a tentacle attack that will disembody this immortal. My power can stop him from effectively regenerating, and once he is at my mercy I can interrogate him further. This should be less risky than attempting to trick a psychic immortal whose abilities and history are a blank to me.
C. I have no time to play around with this man. Regardless of what they say and are planning, our match is already in its final stages. No more games. It will only end with their destruction, and this would be a good place to start. If I am to destroy this Council member, I must do it thoroughly; I invoke a greater measure of my power for the first time and wipe him from existence. This will be a good test.
Esquilax
Arcane
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- Dec 7, 2010
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Clearly this distinguished Council member is a Codexer. Only one of us would see Shulgi everywhere.
Will vote later, but I am not sure about trying to bullshit this guy yet. Will our knowledge of the Masters be enough leverage to conduct negotiations with him, I wonder? It was enough to get us talking thus far, but any more could be pushing it.
Edit: What it is that Shulgi and this unknown immortal could have discussed? At the moment, I am guessing that they wanted to engage in a pact that would kill off the Council until only the two of them are left, then they'd square off.
So tempted to go for the lulzy option, equally tempted to try and be Shulgi, but most tempted to try and finish this man here and now.
What a waste that Shulgi isn't here. I wonder if the nanites that Sekhenun purged from Senya, does she still have them? They were a "gift" from Shulgi. Perhaps she could do the same to them, as she did to the Inanna flower to resurrect herself and Ean? I mean, I suspect some essence of Shulgi remains in them. Did he not speak to Senya at some point after his "death"?
If Sekh and Rei in concert could bring back Shulgi, it would be truly Epic..
What a waste that Shulgi isn't here. I wonder if the nanites that Sekhenun purged from Senya, does she still have them? They were a "gift" from Shulgi. Perhaps she could do the same to them, as she did to the Inanna flower to resurrect herself and Ean? I mean, I suspect some essence of Shulgi remains in them. Did he not speak to Senya at some point after his "death"?
If Sekh and Rei in concert could bring back Shulgi, it would be truly Epic..
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
Ean and Shulgi: the greatest broteam that never was. ... Or rather, was, for like five seconds.
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