Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/04/30(Thu)20:49 No. 964499 ID: b5fb67
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After I crawl in, I am followed by Taylor, Jacobe, Devin, Cherie, Elena, and Keel. It is near silent as we crawl on all fours down the conduit, save for the soft shuffling of our hand and knees on the metallic surface. The conduit stops at an L-junction, but as soon as I turn the corner, I hear groaning and shuffling sounds.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/04/30(Thu)20:49 No. 964500 ID: b5fb67
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"Stop stop stop!" I whisper hiss to everyone behind me. The survivors stop in their tracks. Lt. Taylor gives me the "what is it" expression. I hold up my hand as I get closer to the upcoming grate.

Peeking through, my body tenses as I see two mutated zombified beings: one a lanky Elven lady and one a bloated humanoid, almost crab-walking while heaving around it's swollen belly.

Possible courses of action:
-Back up and ask for help
-Attempt to shoot a zombie
-Try to TK push a zombie into the ladder niche
-Attempt to TK knock over a zombie
-Try to open the elevator hatch with the zombie on it
-Other?

Push a zombie down the ladder

>>964500
Pretty sure we do not want to be anywhere near that belly one. It seems explodey. Let someone else line up a shot if possible, then dump it down the hatch.

Hey, are zombies dumb enough to realize they should release their sudden grasp on another zombie to prevent them from dragging a teammate down with them into a quarantine zone?
You know what I think the answer may be yes.
Use a telekinesis combo:
Open the door to make the zombie trip over. Then move the zombie's arm to the crab zombie's leg.
Then use Jolt-1 to force the zombie to clench hard.
Finally, push zombie further into the hole. Let them both fall in.

>>964500
as far as we know our telekenics do not broadcast our presence, as such: -Try to TK push a zombie into the ladder niche
I think my lineup order may have been misinterpreted. It is my fault, I forgot to remove the copy pasted list of people and it works out anyway.

>>964498
Its unfortunate that there were no smgs or pdws in the armory. That could have given us some more range and the option for effective suppressive fire. Also a shame there was no riot gear (armor, helmets, shields, etc.).

--

Lets all back up and then crush the bloated one to see what it does. Ofc, that would probably cause the entire area to be contaminated with fuck knows what, so this route may just be a bust.

Pushing the bloater into the niche may be the only option to not splatter the area with mystery fluids.

>>964534

seconded

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/04(Mon)09:29 No. 964922 ID: b5fb67
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Focusing on the shambling standing zombie, I manage to shove it into the nearby ladder niche, and it falls over itself, tumbling down the long elevator shaft. It's about 3 seconds before I hear a wet crunch echoing from the bottom of the shaft. I wince from the sound.

This act doesn't go unnoticed, it seems. The bloated zombie's eyes light up with that same disturbing magenta glow as its head darts around furiously.

Possible courses of action:
-Back up and ask for help
-Attempt to shoot the remaining zombie
-Try to TK push the zombie into the elevator hatch
-Attempt to TK trip the zombie
-Other?

>>964922
back up quietly/silently to hide better, intelligence has not been the zombies strong suit, if it doesn't see you it may just give up (if it starts going for the vent probably shoot it)

>>964925

I agree with this course of action

>>964922
Does it seem like the zombie can sense you?

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/11(Mon)09:45 No. 966208 ID: b5fb67
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I start to back up slowly, but I bump into Taylor. I gesture quietly to have him back up, and he nods and starts to gesture in kind to Jacobe. It's only a few second of this game of Silent Telephone before I hear:

Steven: "HEY! WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?!"

Steven's shouting echoes through the elevator shaft as my stomach sinks to my feet. The zombie's head snaps in my direction, and the eyes flash. It shambles violently towards the grate.

"Back up! BACK UP! BACK UP!" I smash myself against Taylor, but it's like afternoon traffic on I-5. Everyone is pressed against each other in a startled mass. I only get about a meter of room between me and the grating.

The zombie presses its head against the metallic lattice, snarling. But as I wonder if it's strong enough to keep the gross mass at bay, I see that the bulbous growths on its body are swelling up. They start to glow with the same eerie magenta color that dot its eyes.

Zombie: "SSSSSSSSSSSSSS."

Possible courses of panicked action:
-TK push zombie!
-TK push everyone behind you!
-Shoot it!
-Brace yourself!
-Other???

>>966208
Shoot it in the head. It can't explode if you kill it

I think it's too late to stop the explosion, the best we can do is try to minimize the effect.

Try to TK push the zombie to the side so that the wall will take the majority of the blast rather than the vent itself.

Take the shot! Quickly!

TK to the side, as hard as you can.

Aim the push/pull spot away from the magenta doom zits so you don’t trigger them early. If you yank the right appendages you could even make it fall in the right direction, easing the task. If you get it most of the way but it seems to be coming back, THEN poke a zit.

Oh, and...

“Exploder! Cover ears, get down!”

You should probably hit the deck yourself, regardless.

Shoot the zombie in the head, then Push the zombie upwards.

>>966228
Oof, i liked bloater...

Anyway, the boom probably wont be as bad as the splatter. Who knows what those liquids may do if they get on you. We should probably TK shove the thing to the side so it doesn't spray into the vent. Doubt we can prevent it from splattering all over the elevator shaft though, so if we keep going this way, we will need to watch our step.

TK to side

Agreed on TK to side. Keep pressure on it until it pops, and whatever you do, DO NOT OPEN THAT VENT. Also, get everyone to keep backing up, and warn them about the explosion.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/28(Thu)17:44 No. 968298 ID: b5fb67
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"EXPLODER! COVER YOUR EARS!"

I scream the orders as loud as I can while I reach out and push the bloating zombie as hard as I can. It slips off its hands and feet and bounces off its expanding mass as it gets shoved to the side. The zombie continues to swell and glow, bigger and brighter, until...

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/28(Thu)17:45 No. 968299 ID: b5fb67
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KABOOM

The entire corridor shudders violently. I feel like someone has stabbed my inner ear as my right eardrum blows out. The pain is extreme. Hopefully everyone else managed to keep themselves from going deaf.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/28(Thu)17:45 No. 968300 ID: b5fb67
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A moment passes. The wailing, ringing noise in my right ear subsides. Looking back, I see everyone covering their ears and curled up, like it's an earthquake drill at an elementary school. Soon, the pungent stench of blood enters my nose. TK'ing the grate out, I enter the elevator shaft to find it completely covered in blood, gore, and viscera. My shoes make a sickly squishing sound as I walk across the mess.

Lt. Taylor exits the corridor and surveys the damage.

Lt. Taylor: "Damn, that thing did a number on the elevator and the shaft. The metal is warped and jammed in place. I don't think we're going anywhere in it."

"So what do we do now?"

Lt. Cmdr. Jacobe emerges from the shaft, making sure not to touch the gory floor.

Lt. Cmdr. Jacobe: "Looks like we're climbing down." He gestures to a ladder inset into a niche.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/05/28(Thu)17:45 No. 968301 ID: b5fb67
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"Same order as before?"

Lt. Taylor: "Well, I think Elena needs to go first this time."

"Wait, why?"

Lt. Taylor clears his throat and pantomimes a skirt.

"Oh."

After everyone emerges from the maintenance corridor while trying to keep them from throwing up, we descend down the maintenance ladder. The order of folks is the same, except Elena is the first to descend. I follow shortly.

The shaft is deep. I try not to look down as we climb down. The climb is relatively short lived though, as we reach the deck that leads to the shuttle bay. Problem is... how do we reach the door?

Possible courses of action:
-Try to TK force the door open and levitate someone into the entrance
-Try to TK force the door open and levitate yourself into the entrance
-Try to TK rip the maintenance corridor grating off and levitate someone into the entrance
-Try to TK rip the maintenance corridor grating off and levitate yourself into the entrance
-Try to bring Wheelbot down to yourself for suggestions
-Look for any kind of equipment around to help
-Other?

Look for equipment to help. You can't float everyone across

>>968301
More poor spaceship design choices I see. Someone put a maintenance ladder in the shaft without any way of actually using it for anything! You're supposed to just be able to reach over to get to the manual door control, and then there should be some way to climb over to the door easily. Telekinesis should not be required for this.

You haven't practiced fine control of Telekinesis. Don't risk flight, bring Wheelbot down to see if he can access something.

Pulling the door open with Telekinesis should work though.

I'd say look for equipment, we need to conserve our energy to defend the group.

look for equipment, floating someone else or ripping stuff open seems to dangerous.

Also use your SOUL POWERS to heal your busted eardrum.

Let's hold off on using our powers too much, and relying on them. COnserving energy, I agree on this. It's a must.

Look for equipment, and ask Wheelbot for assistance.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/08(Mon)22:17 No. 969268 ID: b5fb67
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"You know, this is a very poorly designed ship!" I shout up to anyone who cares.

Steven: "It's a Gregorian-class! It was supposed to be retired years ago! And the gravity is supposed to be 'off' in this shaft during maintenance anyways!"

Fantastic. It's not bad enough there are zombies out for our flesh; now the ship is trying to get us killed too.

I look around for any equipment... but I don't see any tools. What I do see is a panel near the door. It looks small enough for a certain maintenance robot to access.

"Who's got Wheelbot?"

Steven: "I do!"

"Drop him down to me! I see a panel he can access!"

Steven: "Will you be able to catch him?"

"Don't worry, I can maneuver him directly into my hand!"

Steven: "Okay..."

I see Steven stick his hand out with Wheelbot in it, and he lets go.

Steven: "Bombs away!"

Wheelbot: "JC, I'm a bomb!"

I guide Wheelbot right into my waiting hand without issue. I then proceed to pull the access panel off and TK float Wheelbot over to it.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/08(Mon)22:17 No. 969269 ID: b5fb67
File 159167984792.png - (50.78KB , 749x664 , June_284.png )

"Wheelbot, can you find some way for us to access the door?"

Wheelbot: "Yas! Will extent service platfork!"

Wheelbot pokes around inside the panel with his tools. I do my best to keep him steady.

Suddenly, there's a metallic sliding sound as a long platform extends from the base of the door. A smaller platform deploys from the middle to meet the ladder.

Elena: "Finally!"

Elena hops off the ladder and stands in front of the door. I continue climbing down as I keep Wheelbot aloft in front of the panel.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/08(Mon)22:17 No. 969270 ID: b5fb67
File 159167985277.png - (217.16KB , 1100x802 , June_285.png )

The small victory is quickly overshadowed by several angry zombies filling the opening in the door. They thrust their arms through the door gap, angry and snarling. Elena nearly falls over backwards.

The door is still opening as Wheelbot operates the panel. It will be only seconds before the zombies have enough room to get in.

Possible courses of action:
-TK push the zombies back
-Yell at Wheelbot to close the door
-Yell at Wheelbot to try something else
-Yank Wheelbot away from the console
-Pull out gun and shoot at the zombies
-TK lift Elena away
-Yell at Elena to climb back down
-Jump down and pull Elena away
-Other?

WARNING! Sarah has to maintain concentration to keep Wheelbot aloft! Be careful what you suggest or you might drop him!

(Special thanks to LonelyWorld for the update panel)

>>969270
Close the door again!

Then get everyone down here onto the platform, you can breach as a group.

Retrieve wheelbot, TK Elena back onto the ladder, then let the zombies crawl through one at a time and shoot with handguns. If they start swarming or climbing, TK their ankles to make them trip and fall down the shaft.

Wheel Bot Abort!

>>969270
Tell Elena to get back on the ladder, then have Wheelbot retract the platform. With any luck, most of the zombies will just fall down the shaft and we'll only need to deal with a few stragglers.

>>969341
This is a much better plan. Just retract the bridge and they all fall down.

push the zombies back!

>>969270
close the door!

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/27(Sat)12:48 No. 970823 ID: b5fb67
File 159328730927.png - (213.15KB , 1100x601 , June_286.png )

"WHEELBOT RETRACT THE BRIDGE!"

Wheelbot: "Okie dokie!"

"ELENA GET BACK ON THE LADDER!"

Elena hesitates for a second then runs to the ladder right as the service platform begins to retract. Clinging to the ladder, the door opens enough for the zombies to push through, but it is too late. The platform retracts enough that the zombies charge into thin air and fall down the steep shaft, flailing and screaming.

A second passes before a series of wet crunches echoes off the shaft walls. The tense moment passes.

"Whew... okay Wheelbot, extend the service platform again."

Wheelbot: "Okie dokie!"

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/27(Sat)12:48 No. 970824 ID: b5fb67
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The platform extends, and everyone climbs down into the deck proper. In the hall, there are two bodies that show no signs of zombification. Jacobe and Taylor investigate the corpses. I walk up to the Shuttle Bay door, stepping over a bloody mess on the floor. I seem to have gotten desensitized to seeing all this gore.

"Hey, do we even have a pilot for the shuttle? Can it fly itself well enough to get us back home?"

Devin: "Lass, I'm a Helmsman! I've been flying ships for comin' on 50 years now! If it has an engine, I'm pretty sure I can make it go."

Good to know! The warm feelings are interrupted though as Taylor and Jacobe announce their findings.

Lt. Cmdr. Jacobe: "Folks, we have a big problem. See these bodies and the splatter pattern on the wall?"

We turn to look at the slumped figures.

Lt. Cmdr. Jacobe: "Zombies didn't do this kind of damage. These folks are part of the security team."

Lt. Taylor: "They were shot. By guns."

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/27(Sat)12:48 No. 970825 ID: b5fb67
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A cold feeling washes over me.

Keel: "Oh lord... did they shoot each other? Get into some kind of bad argument?"

Cherie eyes the damage and the holes in the wall.

Cherie: "No... these exit wounds and bullet holes are too irregular... too small for 9mm rounds."

".22 LR, maybe?" I suggest.

Cherie stares at the damage a little more, and looks back to Jacobe and Taylor.

Lt. Cmdr. Jacobe: "These are flechette rounds. And no weapon aboard this ship can fire those."

Suddenly, the Shuttle Bay airlock hisses. Metallic clanking from the door opening fills the room. I spin around and draw on the door. Jacobe and Taylor join me, shotguns leveled at the slowly opening airlock.

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/27(Sat)12:48 No. 970826 ID: b5fb67
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The door opens, and several heavily armed figures in strange armor stand there, rifles raised. Upon seeing us, they point their weapons directly at us.

???: "Yri illyf! Umry aot al aradyc yucsyl!"

Their speech is tinny and electronic, like they're speaking through vocoders. I can feel the cold sweat running down my back as we are stranded in a stand-off with these intruder.

Lt. Taylor: "Oh fuck me running..."

Anon44!9Ni.nfJm6s 2020/06/27(Sat)12:48 No. 970827 ID: b5fb67
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Lt. Taylor: "...it's the Volto."

>>970827
Wait, whaaaaat?! This is that canon? Good lord, that just sort of blindsided me.

>>970846
Oh hey, its the unified setting! I forgot how OLD this quest is.

>>970826
>>970846
>>970849

Okay, I'm gonna need a refresher.

Whodafuck?

>>970874

Link in the Discussion Thread:

https://questden.org/kusaba/questdis/res/92269.html