=>[META] Personnel Deck (Trouble)

[seekingCylem]

Sascha investigates the corridor!

HP: 9/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG
Trinkets:
1/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack.
0/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack.
Telekinesis: 1/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.

It didn't take Sascha long to catch up to Cerpin and Tevini when zombies were on their tail. The heavy fall of his boots tore around the corner in time to see the last of the zombies hit the floor. He hardly had time to take in the scene as Cerpin apologized.

Sascha returned the statement with a look of equal parts confusion and skepticism. He continued to stare down Cerpin as Etsali moved on ahead. Tevini followed shortly behind.

"Your 'outburst,'" Sascha reiterated, "Will be discussed later. Let's go. I don't want the others getting too far ahead."

He managed a cool tone as he spoke, but was clearly guarded. He had no idea what had just transpired. For the longest time Sascha had thought he and Cerpin had been on the same page. It wasn't a sensation Sascha was used to. Clearly it was for a reason. Sascha turned and walked with long strides until he caught up with the girls.

It appeared they'd stumbled across a run-of-the-mill computer console that was still functioning. Sascha craned his neck to better see what data had survived all this time.

Minibosses Slain: 2/3
Ship Advancements: 12/16
Illicit Gerbils: 1  

[Yamashii]

Quote:

HP: 8/20
Military Grade Weapon
Novice Tactics
Training Leadership

Cerpin is looting the place
12/16 advances
2/3 minibosses defeated

"Mmm, sure." Ugh, he hadn't expected Sascha to want to revisit the topic later. Usually the yellowblood was too dense to pick up on anything emotional going on. Maybe he would forget about it by the end of this ship. There were plenty of other distractions and annoyances to busy themselves with. Cerpin followed the group to some kind of study room where a computer console hummed. It was surprising to find stuff that still worked on these old ships.

"Come on, work." He leaned to look over the computer they'd stumbled upon and tried to access the files on it. It was old and barely functioning which made the image grainy and hard to read. He smacked the machine on the side to make it work and miraculously the flickering turned into a steady log.  

[Hivestuck]

The screen flickers with a message...

Quote:

[got news??]

[… Reassigned to pincer class C-31.1.03, The Scathing Selfishness. Lamora sanctions active; I won’t have communications past tonight. I can’t do this anymore. Need to see you...]

[cant believe this grubshite!!! ]

[...Can you pilot the escape pod from gamma 3 like we planned?]

[u bet i can treasure <3]

[...Remember, we have a 2.14 minute window.]

[don’t worry ur sweet nub about me. lets get out of here]

[... <3]

 

[Yamashii]

Quote:

HP: 8/20
Military Grade Weapon
Novice Tactics
Training Leadership

Cerpin is punching the computer screen (VOID RP POST)
12/16 advances
2/3 minibosses defeated

This was what they'd worked hard to find. Cerpin stared at the awkwardly intimate conversation on the screen that was clearly between quadmates. It was so cutesy and sweet that it was sickening, given his current mental state. And at the same time, it was the type of over the top flirtations that he was used to using on random floozies on his prowling nights. His eyes shot towards Tevini uncomfortably. He glanced towards Sascha next. Etsali probably didn't get flustered by these things. From what he'd heard, she already had some guy she was tight with. It was like a bunch of underclassmen freaking out as their senior shrugged.

Cerpin smashed the screen with his fist. His cheeks had a purple tint to them and he shook his fingers out. The force needed to break that thing had hurt more than he'd expected.

Just when he'd tried to set aside his chaotic nebulous feelings, he had to go and read something like that! He started towards the door to keep on track and stop thinking about other topics besides the mission.

Something in the back of his thinkpan nagged at him that maybe that log had contained something dangerous for them to see.  

[seekingCylem]

Sascha advances down the corridor!

HP: 9/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG
Trinkets:
1/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack.
0/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack.
Telekinesis: 1/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.

The look on Sascha's face was incomprehensible, almost comedically so. However, the surrounding circumstances soured the moment a bit. He opened his mouth to say something, but was beaten to the punch by Cerpin's outburst. Sascha's mouth fixed itself in a tight frown. "Least someone made it off this carnival cruise before the Glub hit. Probably." Sascha spoke with a dull tone that was offset by the tension in his shoulders as he surveyed the jagged, sparking remains of the monitor. He knew Cerpin was in a delicate place, though Lord if he knew why. Despite the purpleblood's claim to "behave," he wasn't doing much to repair Sascha's faith in him.

It was bothersome, and not in the usual way that made Sascha jump and rave. It sat heavy and uncomfortable in his guts, which Sascha hated all the more. "C'mon. There are more consoles. At least one of them should have pertinent information. We need to keep moving. Faithe, what's our current status?" Rather than dwell further on Cerpin and the dour feelings that came with, Sascha turned his attention to more productive matters. The mysterious orangeblood was the only one not associated with bad experiences and shaky feelings. Impressive skill set aside, after all of this, if she were to join the military, Sascha would be first in line to promote her.

Minibosses Slain: 2/3
Ship Advancements: 13/16
Illicit Gerbils: 1  

[Doutei]

Quote:

HP: 6/20
Damage: N/A
Military grade weapon: +1
Adept Offensive Style B: 0/2

Tevini investigates the open door
Tevini is using her telekinesis!
2d6 Deal double damage on this attack, 2x per battle. 1 ongoing damage for all turns after. The ongoing damage from these stack.

Tevini's face was still recovering from the last log. Flushed red, she internally cursed the universe for always finding new ways to make her suffer. Of course they would find that log right when she was trying to think of anything but quads. Of course. Cerpin's smashing of the console was a bit overkill but she secretly appreciated it. She averted her gaze from the two boys towards Etsali as they continued on. The orangeblood was a safe place she could turn to. She didn't have any... quad ******** style="color: #b00e0e">'You're pathetic.' The redblood groaned internally at the newest realization. Was she really this hopeless? It seemed she was determined to look for feelings any way she turned these nights. Was she really that lonely? Grabbing a hold of another console, she attempted to distract herself from her self loathing. A file greeted her and she discreetly inserted a drive into the console to start copying it. Once it was complete she ejected it and stashed it in her jumpsuit once more. They had to collect as much information as they could. Now she could open it and see what she'd found.

"Commander, I found something." The redblood called everyone's attention and hit play. She braced herself for whatever happened next. She was still not prepared.

Horrified, the redblood could only stare helplessly in silence.

[Hivestuck]

The screen flickers with a video...

Quote:

The image is crystal clear, although one side of the screen is sprayed with green blood. There is no audio. The scene before you is a gruesome one. Military trolls are engaged in close range combat with seemingly endless waves of invaders; while clearly trolls, their protective gear was mismatched and not of military origin. Bodies litter the floor. The military seems to be overwhelmed, as the intruders push further and further across the frame.

Then the image flickers slightly. And again, and again. The static builds with each snap of the video feed, as if picking up momentum.

The trolls on screen have stopped moving. Some have dropped their weapons.

The image continues to throb. The fuzzy figures the trolls had become suddenly begin to writhe and clutch at their heads, dropping to their knees together almost instantaneously. The entire screen goes into colourful static.

Without warning, the image snaps back into perfect clarity. All of the trolls lay lifeless on the floor, puddled in their bloodbath. The video continues for another few minutes like this, with absolute silence except the beeping of machinery.

Several minutes later, off frame, is a pulse of bright light. It glows faintly, and then all in an instant, a blazing inferno washes over the screen. There is no warning sound. Bodies are incinerated to nothingness by the billowing pillars of flame, rendering the screen bright orange. It fades quickly to white, then the camera feed cuts out.

You turn the video off.  

[Yamashii]

Quote:

HP: 8/20
Military Grade Weapon
Novice Tactics
Training Leadership

Cerpin is advancing down a corridor
14/16 advances
2/3 minibosses defeated

He watched the screen with a grim expression, tugging Tevini into a half embrace at the first realization of what they were being shown. He knew she would not allowed him to tear her eyes away from the sight completely. But he needed to provide some comfort to her as well as himself. This was a dark reality that potentially awaited them down the path they were going. He looked to Etsali to see how she was faring. She was smart, she knew what this was and what it could mean for them.

"That was... intense." Terrifying. Unthinkable. Real. There were a lot of other words he wanted to call it but did not dare to do so with Sascha in the room. The Royalist would not view this footage with the same lens as them. Cerpin quietly turned the screen off as it began to replay the file.

"We gotta keep moving. C'mon." Steering the redblood away from the console, they left the room. He shared one more look with Etsali, his eyes darting to Tevini and back to the thief as if to say 'help me keep an eye on her'. It was threats of that magnitude that drove Tevini's desire to escape the wretched system on Alternia. It would not help her to see that escaping to space was not automatically a safe space.

He'd find one someday. A safe place for the rebellion to call home. And then thrive.  

[seekingCylem]

Sascha investigates the corridor!

HP: 9/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG
Trinkets:
1/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack.
0/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack.
Telekinesis: 1/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.

Sascha nodded at Etsali's report. Good. They had direction. He caught up to the women just as Tevini unlocked the console. He stood beside her as he watched the scene unfold.

"What..." Sascha knew what. He knew exactly what the hell he'd just witnessed. The Vast Glub. Just a mere fraction of its full power was enough to wipe troll life from the entire orbiting flotilla. Sascha's skull pulsed from just the recording of the event. He remained taciturn. Rigid, even as he consciously, intently buried the instinctual dread that had settled at the pit of his stomach.

"Hail to the queen," Sascha said, voice low and emotionless. He turned from the console and walked ahead. His loose hair twisted with the sharp turn of his heel. They had ground to make up. History didn't abide failure.

Minibosses Slain: 2/3
Ship Advancements: 14/16
Illicit Gerbils: 1  

[Doutei]

Quote:

HP: 5/20
Damage: 4 + 1 = 5
Military grade weapon: +1
Adept Offensive Style B: 0/2

27 zombies remaining
Tevini is using her telekinesis!
2d6 Deal double damage on this attack, 2x per battle. 1 ongoing damage for all turns after. The ongoing damage from these stack.

Space wasn't safe.

She'd known that ever since this project started. There were many dangers in space that weren't on Alternia. Many things that could go wrong. But space had transformed into a safe place to go- a sanctuary for her. It was their destination, she choked back a sob. That starry night. That door. She'd met so many people for this project and grown to care about them. There were so many trolls she wanted to protect now. This video was a hard crash back to reality.

She couldn't protect them. Nothing could.

Even out in space, they couldn't escape the Vast Glub. She'd known this all along and yet somewhere along the way had forgotten it. Feeling stupid, she tried to stop herself from crying. She was tired of it. All she ever did was cry. Even now, she hated the self pity. Cerpin and Etsali shared a look above her, as he shoved her face half way into his chest and tried to keep moving- doing everything he could to keep her safe, to keep her going. She owed them both a lot. She wished she could repay them with more than what she was right now.

Zombies approached and they released her, everyone else falling right back into things. That video hadn't changed anything, they already knew the truth. They were already fighting for their lives everynight. It didn't matter if it came from daywalkers, royalists, or a force they didn't yet know. The others, they were stronger, able to carry this burden and shield her. Pulling out her gun, she fired off several rounds as well, trying to just keep up. Her mind swirled as she tried to keep from drowning in her thoughts.  

[Yamashii]

Quote:

HP: 7/20
Military Grade Weapon
Novice Tactics
Training Leadership

Cerpin is punching zombitches
damage: 9
zombitches left: 18
can autokill: 5

14/16 advances
2/3 minibosses defeated

"Aah, you weren't kidding, Faithe-" Cerpin whistled at the impressive amount of daywalkers stalking towards them at an alarming speed. Maybe this was just what they all needed to unleash some stress. He rolled his wrist to loosen it up before falling into stance with his sword prepared. The purpleblood propelled himself forward and pushed his way through the group to get at the zombies in the back. Tevini and Etsali could easily take down the front lines with their ranged weapons and would have an easier time doing so if he weren't also engaged with them. Cerpin could take some friendly fire if he had to but if he could avoid it, he would. Slashing at the masses in the back, he let out a growl and kicked one down to the floor, stomping on its neck.

His body was slower than he wanted it to be due to exhaustion and he glared at the zombies that crawled onto his back, slamming them back against a wall. Seeing some of the orangeblood's kunai go flying, he opted to yank some of them out to collect and return them to her. He was not the greatest at throwing small precise weapons and he opted to stagger over to her to hand them to her. No sense accidentally stabbing his allies.

"Thought you could use a reload against so many-"  

[seekingCylem]

Sascha attacks the zombies!

HP: 8/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG
Trinkets:
1/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack.
0/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack.
Telekinesis: 1/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.

Sascha's attention snapped from Etsali to the adjacent hallway. The bay of computers and a company of undead was far preferable to the toxic morgue and pack of shambling lusii. Sascha readied his knives. A real, tangible conflict was just what Sascha needed. He could solve this decisively.

He moved as wide as he could around the flank of the horde's bulk. The more he could stay out of the range of fire, the better. The ssh-chk of nails through flesh was the soundtrack as Sascha plowed through any daywalker that didn't drop immediately. His muscles burned, but Sascha reveled in the familiar pain. He knew this.

Sascha does 5 damage!

Zombies Remaining: 13
Minibosses Slain: 2/3
Ship Advancements: 14/16
Illicit Gerbils: 1