>>269859
The invaders would wipe out everybody you know. This orb is the source of the portals, hidden on their own alien world. You want to keep it, bring it back to your people so you can use it for good. She wants to destroy it, sealing away them - and you - forever.

If you fail the invaders will destroy your world utterly, your cities dismantled for raw materials and the remains of your people used as biological fuel to power their grotesque technology.

--- 2011/01/08(Sat)16:25 No. 269906 ID: 18a7fb
File 129453272499.png - (27.31KB , 500x400 , but_there_was_a_price.png )

"The orb is the source of their power. If we remove it or destroy it, it will shut down their portals."
"We can bring it back it with us."
"No. We need to destroy it. We can never let it fall into the wrong hands. We can seal them away forever."
"That would seal us away too!"
"No. Just you. It's the only way."

You stand at the entrance to the invaders' stronghold, hidden in their world. Everyone else in your party so far has perished at their hands. Only you two, the greatest energy manipulators of your kind, still stand. You have fought too many things and seen too many die to challenge her over who would take the orb, and you knew if any survived, it would be only one of your group.

You still aren't sure how your group ever managed to make it to the alien portal. You spare a moment to consider your friends who have fallen. You recall their names, their skills... all indispensable in getting so far.

Who were they? What did they do? What did they look like? How many were even in your team?

>>269906
There were four. One was a thief, a master of stealth. He died when he was was ambushed in the open, unable to disappear as he had before. The second one was a soldier, a grizzled veteran picking up his sword once more to defend his homeland. He died trying to defend his comrades against one of the invaders' war machines. The third was a priest, always protecting and healing the rest of the party. He died when he stayed behind to help a recently attacked village, a village that was later wiped clean by their second pass. The last one was a rather enigmatic outlaw, a master marksman among other things. He often left with no explanation, later reappearing in the strangest places. Though you did not see him die, he was left behind when you entered the portal, a massive force of invaders bearing down on him.

I'll leave names up to the next guy

>>269906
Your team was large. It had to be, in order to fight your way here- all of the best you could gather. The best willing to throw away their lives on what most people considered a harebrained suicide mission, anyway.

Your rival's brothers came with her- all six of them. Fiercely loyal to her and with just as much talent, each in their own chosen field. The family resemblance was strong.

Your three current students, all talented and eager but not with enough experience to survive. Far too young, but you needed people willing to come- and wouldn't they have died if they had stayed and you failed, anyway? It's not enough to wipe away the guilt.

The mad philosopher, who came up with this plan. Buried in his many eccentricities was the spark of true genius, and every time that something went wrong he seemed to have the perfect answer- until he didn't, and died for it.

His daughter, as beautiful as her father was mad, always drawing his attentions back to the present moment. She turned his ramblings into solutions- but didn't have the skill to survive herself.

The eight mercenaries, laughing and telling morbid jokes as they died one by one, bound to their contract and blind to death. They were capable in the extreme and had done more to keep you alive than anyone else- worth every penny you had to steal to meet their price.

>>269914
Seconding so hard.

There were five of them.

The Indian.
The ex-slave.
An explosives expert.
A masked bandit.
And Charles Darwin.

>>269906
>>269914
The six brothers, like their sister, were adept in harnessing and channeling the energies, giving them great power. The three students too, although their skills were less developed.

The Philosopher was the only one who truly understood the twisted technology of the invaders. His understanding of their weaknesses and vulnerabilities was crucial to your team's success.

The mercenaries had only the most rudimentary training in the energies but they compensated in their skill with guns and explosives.

>>269940
Oh god yes.

>>269940
You know what? I'm just going to go with this.

>>269940
Yup. This one.

>>269940
Short and to the point.

>>269940
This. A thousand times this.
At the very least, we must have Mr. Darwin.

--- 2011/01/10(Mon)14:24 No. 270372 ID: 18a7fb
File 12946982566.png - (31.84KB , 500x400 , they_gave_their_lives.png )

Your team is assembled. A stoic, silent figure from far away, a former slave who freed himself and his peers from the tyranny of the invaders, a master of demolitions, a mysterious masked bandit, and a famous although eccentric scholar and naturalist.

Your student and rival is amused by this eclectic gathering. But desperate times meant that any and all help is needed.

Through a long series of challenges and pitfalls, you make your way through the invaders' armies, destroying their fortresses here, carving a path to their main portal.

Your team slowly dwindled away one by one. Eventually, only two of you are left. You stand in front of the portal, and she closes her eyes, concentrating, preparing herself for the onslaught to follow.

"None of them should have died. This entire sorry plan was doomed to fail from the start!"
"No. We had no choice. There wasn't any time left to spend planning."

What was that key vulnerability that meant you only had one shot at this, this precise moment, to incapacitate the invaders forever more?

The syzygy!

They were cold blooded. In winter, they slowed down, unable to generate enough body heat to keep going.

You set out right at the start of the cold months.

>>270375
Definitely the syzygy. Those don't happen every day, you know.

>>270428
Yes, the Syzygy... Cannon.

Only operational during a syzygy, the celestial cannon built by an ancient society was designed to fire the planets themselves at the enemy's fortress, destroying the surrounding force-field and allowing you access.

>>270372
In order to bring their full force in, they had to lower their defenses for several days. During this time, you were able to open a single small portal to their world, undetected... or so you thought.

--- 2011/01/20(Thu)15:05 No. 273213 ID: 3e6377
File 129556470615.png - (17.45KB , 500x400 , just_as_i_would.png )

Yes. The syzygy. That was when the portals would activate. But their army wouldn't invade immediately. They needed time for the portals to be at full strength, or risk losing part of their army to the unstable warp linking their world with yours.

You pour over lists of individuals gathered to you by your discontent student, constantly challenging you over your assumed right to lead a mission as important as this.

You are almost certain which of these you will select for your team. The mixture seems strange, and you yourself can't believe some of the choices you're making here, but you have a good feeling that this is what must be.

It's almost as if you had some minor premonition of what the future required.

But what was it that made you the one chosen to lead this mission? Your skills and expertise were undeniable, but why did the frightened assembled leaders declare you to be the one responsible for the world's salvation?

>>273213
You're the tallest.



Hey, if it worked for Saul in the Old Testament, it can work for us too.

>>273213
A couple reasons:

Firstly, you're able to see glimpses of your future decisions, making you indispensable.

Second, you're highly knowledgeable in this field and are an excellent fighter when it comes down to it.

Third, you're simply the most available.

>>273213
You slept with the programme co-ordinator.

>>273213
You didn't trust anyone else to be in charge. You couldn't let them choose anyone else.

A few implied threats against those they cared about, and the leaders knuckled under- after all, they knew that you were highly competent and the mission was highly dangerous. Either you won or you died; either way, they'd win.

Not your preferred way to work, but it did the job.

>>273214
Tall Player Character is tall.
This.

>>273215
Clairvoyance sounds like a decent reason for them to choose you. So would y'know being AWESOME at energy manipulation along with your apprentice.

>>273215
Yes. Thirding this.

>>273213

Assembled world leaders? Declare you?

Nonsense.

You did it because you realized the danger when no one else would. No one else could. The flashes of possible futures are what guided you.

(You also happened to be quite tall, which helped immensely with the recruiting)

--- 2011/01/22(Sat)15:35 No. 273822 ID: 3e6377
File 129573931959.png - (14.38KB , 500x400 , would_they_miss_me.png )

"...and based on these factors, your future glimpses, your knowledge and skills and your availability, we have selected you to lead this mission."
"I understand."

You summon your student. You know you do not see eye to eye with one another, but she is as skilled as you are, if not more. You detail your plan. You will gather a team and assault the enemy where they are at their weakest and strongest at once, and destroy the one thing allowing them to invade altogether.

"That's... that's your master plan?"
"We don't have time for anything more complicated. Their portals will be active soon."
"Okay. This had better work."

As she collects names and information, deferring to your lead with much reluctance, you have time to consider some of the finer details of the plan and of the life you have thrown aside to do this.

You try to recollect it. Who was important to you? What were you doing with your skills aside from training your student?

Who's going to miss you if it all goes wrong?

>>273822
>Who's going to miss you if it all goes wrong?
The sad fact? No one. Oh, some people would probably say that they do, but while your funeral would be well attended no one there would cry.

>>273822
Before this, you'd spent all of your time training, preparing for the upcoming battle. Your parents died without you, your friends and lover left you. Your only real friend was your student.

Your mother would miss you.

Your nation. Where would they be without your benevolent rule? But this is they greatest gift you could give them. Long ago you swore you would lay down your life for your country. It seems that day has finally come.

>>273822
While you cared deeply about everyone in the nation, there were quite a few who stood out more prominently. Your 12 other students, your old master, a few of your fellow energy manipulators, your loving parents whose lives were tragically taken by the invaders, and the grandfather who inspired you to be your best from a young age, always offering words of encouragement until his passing shortly after your training began.

You honestly didn't do much outside of training. You don't get to be a master energy manipulator by having very many hobbies, after all. Strangely, though, you were quite fond of baking.

Everyone would mourn your passing, obviously, since there is little hope for them if your plan fails. But really, only your old master and him, a fellow student of your master whom you considered your best friend, would be the ones who would truly miss you.

Suggestion 2011/01/30(Sun)13:53 No. 276505 ID: 3e6377
File 129642441863.png - (14.94KB , 500x400 , maybe_just_her.png )

Over the course of your life, you made very few friends. Your family dwindled away over the course of the invasion. You had a variety of acquaintances, of course. Your profession made you a valuable person to know.

Your student is the closest friend you have. You may have had your disagreements, your philosophical conflicts, and your long and sometimes vicious spars between you. In the end, however, you both still knew that you could trust each other right to the bitter end.

Your nation supports you, and knows you're a valuable citizen. When the invasion began, it did not take long for them to contact you.

What was it that made you decide to learn the arts of energy manipulation? What pivotal event long ago, long before the threat of the invaders was ever more than a passing theory by the more eccentric scholars?

>>276505
You wanted to follow in the footsteps of your deceased elder brother, who had pursued the same goal.

>>276505
You stole something of value from dangerous men, and they followed you to retrieve it. You were cornered, and about to be severely hurt or possibly worse, when a mysterious person stepped in and saved you with energy-manipulation powers. From that day forward, you idolized your savior and wanted to be just like him. You took up the practice of energy manipulation, and when you felt you were ready, you searched out that figure. When you found them, you demanded that they make you their apprentice, and seeing potential in you, they agreed.

>>276505
The day that you realized how awesome and useful it is to be able to shoot lightning from your hands (probably back when you were still pretty young).

>>276554
Additionally:

You remember a performer when you were very young. With the perspective of time and experience you realize how feeble his control truly was. But to a wide-eyed youth, it was the most amazing thing you had ever seen.

>>276551
I fully support this one.

You were quite the troublemaker way back then. Nothing like the upstanding citizen you are now. All it took was crossing the wrong men, a helpful stranger, and a stern but inspiring lecture to pull you away from a lifetime of criminal activity.

>>276680
Seconding.

--- 2011/02/01(Tue)17:11 No. 277260 ID: 3e6377
File 129660910277.png - (13.53KB , 500x400 , it_was_awesome.png )

You recall a performer from when you were much smaller, much younger, and much more impressionable. Their skills at energy-manipulation struck awe into you, and made you determined to one day master the arcane arts that dazzled and inspired you.

Of course, in retrospect, your skills far surpass the mere flickers of energy that performer conjured up, but as you studied you found you had almost an innate talent for this specific art. You could use your abilities to protect others and to defend your friends, as well as your eventual destiny to repel the invaders.

But where were you before the first wave of the invasion ever struck? What were you doing before the world changed dramatically in so short a time?

>>277260
>What were you doing before the world changed dramatically in so short a time?
Your student.
Although in time she would become your equal in skill, the bond between you meant far more to her than rank or position. She refused to ever formally graduate, as that would mean leaving to take students of her own.
When the invasion came you were scant days into understanding that and exploring the mutual depth of your silent feelings.

>>277263
I'm not sure if that's what he meant by that. But yes, he was doing his student.

>>277263
Well... I mean... yeah?

>>277272
And actually the immediate aftermath of the invasion is why the relationship between you two has been strained.

>>277277
It began with a kiss.

--- 2011/02/02(Wed)06:47 No. 278162 ID: e59704
File 12966580232.png - (20.43KB , 500x400 , the_beginning.png )

Your student was always highly skilled in every area of the field of energy-manipulation, but she always seemed reluctant to move on from her studies. Even though her skill would come to match and perhaps even surpass yours, she always considered herself your student.

Before the invasion ever happened, you grew more and more close, but as the first wave claimed lives and tore your civilisation apart, your relationship slowly tore itself apart as your mutual fear polarised your respective outlooks.

You stand high from your vantage point, surveying the chaos, and a small part of you hopes that one day, after the invasion ends, you could recover the bond the two of you had.

But that day would never come.

The Beginning.

oh I get it, this is the missing back story for Adventures of Bug Girl With a Laser Rifle
:3c