A Shock to the System

>You awaken to the cold, soft light of a frosty cryo-pod. You cannot remember how you got here. Your limbs, back, eyes, and skull ache abominably. Lying in the pod disoriented, it occurs to you that you should get up...

(Hello. Welcome to my very first Play by Post game. The setting is something very much, but not entirely like System Shock II. Combat will be handled by the "Roll to Dodge" system; with damage tracked by injuries to the character.)

edited 20th Jul '15 6:53:46 PM by dvorak

Well, then let's freaking get up then!

> Attempting to stand, you are immediately bludgeoned back into your seat by the canopy. Your head, already aching, is now on the cusp of a migrane. Fumbling around for the emergency latch, you resolve to be more careful next time. Once you have managed to extricate yourself from the pod, you grab a med hypo from the table nearby. The dreadful soreness throughout your body subsides, although you still hurt everywhere. There is a bundle of clothes on a chair nearby.

You are: Disoriented You are: Hungry You are wearing: a Convalescent's Gown

edited 7th Jul '15 11:10:58 AM by dvorak

Joy. Can I use the...what this med hypo thing, and can I use it?

(A cocktail of pain supressants and stimulants to help one recover from injury. You used it as soon as you could; its what made the ache lessen)

Okay...is there anyone else there? Any doors or windows?

...Let's put on the clothes. Also, what other objects are in the room?

There is a door nearby, on the opposite wall. You are alone. You seem to have gotten a private room. Pretty swanky, considering you're a rank-and-file Space Marine... Aren't you?

A voice crackles in your ear; "Collect your stuff and get dressed. We've go a big day ahead of us..."

Ah. That would explain the disorientation, headache, and joint pain: cybernetic implants.

The table and chair nearby holds: 5 med hypos, arranged in a fan pattern.

edited 7th Jul '15 11:45:54 AM by dvorak

And they can't even spell stuff right. I feel so great about this...

Anyway, I go and put on the clothes. Then, I guess I'll put the hypos into my pocket.

You unfurl the clothes. Standard-issue Shipboard fatigues: a black jumpsuit with armored patches over the knees, elbows, chest, and groin; a holder for a Smartphone on the left arm, and an intergrated holster on the right thigh; already holding a blaster. Cargo pouches fill the spaces between the armor. As you don the suit, you key into the fact that your subconsious seems to be really cranky today...

edited 7th Jul '15 11:51:45 AM by dvorak

Well, your subconscious knows some stuff. Plus, it's fun being a sarcastic twit.

Alright, let's try to leave. One foot in front of the other.

Right. Time to get going. You walk towards the door, which slides open with a chime. You find yourself in a coridor with half the lights out. It occurs to you someone should call maintenance. Why they'd let it get like this in the first place escapes you...

The voice in your ear again crackles in; "Head up to the bridge. I will be waiting there for you. We will need to discuss things in person. This isn't a secure connection. And be mindful of your crewmates..."

Whatever could he have meant by that? Anyways, to the bridge...

edited 7th Jul '15 12:07:59 PM by dvorak

It means get out the blaster. Like now. There be trouble ahead, I know it...and keep going, too. Best not to be a sitting duck.

You unholster the blaster. It fits comfortably in your hand. Moving through the semi-darkness, you can hear the sound of shuffling feet, and panting and slavering, like some slob going to town on a peach...

A humanoid figure heaves into the coridor from a doorway, a massive wound in it's chest. Somethig horrid writhes in it's depths. Questions of how they manage to be upright are driven away by the glare he fixes you with, along with the toolkit he swings at your head...

Freaking called it. After we're done blocking the toolkit with my offhand and then firing at the sucker, you need to get me a cookie.

Block (3; partial success): You manage to not take another blow to the head, but do take a good, solid hit to the forearm.

Shoot: (5; critical success): You hit the former crewman with a double-tap to whatever vileness is lodged in it's chest wound and the bridge of the nose.

Victory!

You feel like a you deserve a cookie and check it's pockets for goodies. No such luck, but he does have some pocket money. You resolve to swing by the mess hall on your way to the bridge.

edited 7th Jul '15 12:33:35 PM by dvorak

Not bad, but where the heck am I gonna spend it? Anyway, keep your guard up, mister. This mess hall might be messier than your run-of-the-mill cafeteria...which is really saying something.

Rubbing your bruised arm with the butt of the blaster, you head towards the mess hall, keeping an eye out for a vending machine or more crewmen. Now that the initial shock of the encounter has worn off, you think on what happened to that guy to make him what he was. It would take innumerable bio-chemical adaptations to allow something to hack another creature's nervous system, but whatever was living in his chest cavity pulled it off...

There is a pile of metal crates near a T-Intersection. There is a map of the ship posted on the wall. Following the Red Line will take you to the mess hall and your cookie, but probably another encounter with a bad guy. Following the Blue Line will take you to the command level, and the guy talking in your ear.

Examine the crates, then follow the Blue Line, keeping your guard up and weapon out. We can always return to the mess hall later, but it'd be nice to have someone fill you in on whatever the hell is going on - also, if this is your superior, you wouldn't want to be late for whatever they'd like to meet with you about.

You inspect the crates. The locks seems to be military grade. Linking to the first one with a USB cable in your right wrist, you attempt to open the lock. After a short processing time, it pops open. There is a Data Chip and a standard-issue Smart Phone. The second one is packed top-to-bottom with backup power cells for the Blaster. The third one resists your efforts, but after a little work, you manage to get it open. There is an accessory that looks like it could fit the blaster. You may want to Analyze it to see what it does before just plugging it in first, however...

You put some backup power cells, the accessory, and the data chip in some of the various cargo pouches on your suit, and slip the Smart phone into the holder on your forearm, synching it to your body with another USB cable. Now then, to the Bridge; we've kept this guy waiting long enough...

Following the Blue Line to the elevator, you notice two things: it smells awful and the shaft is full of something that looks a little like meat and a little like mould.

The voice of who you now assume to be your captain crackles into your ear again: "Ah. You won't be coming up through that. Change of plans: Get to the Supply Closet and mix up some pesticide to get rid of that stuff."

edited 7th Jul '15 2:05:08 PM by dvorak

Alright, then. Get yourself into a position where you can scope out the entire hallway (in case one of those things tries to ambush you again,) then analyze the accessory, and if it seems useful, attach it to your blaster.

Then, to the supply closet. Is it visible from where you are right now? If it is, go to the door and see if it's locked. If it isn't visible, is there any sign indicating where it is?

Wedging yourself into a corner to protect your back and sides, you link the accessory to your Smart phone, and initialize the Analysis app. The device will add an Incendiary effect to your shots, but it will drain twice the power from your blaster, going from 10 (8 currently) shots to 5 (3). You decide that you won't need as many shots if they hurt more anyways, and install the device to your blaster.

Supply closet... making your way back to the You Are Here map, you can see it's behind you, in the corridor to the Sickbay you left. You turn to leave, and are confronted by another ex-crewman, this one with a length of pipe...

Duck under the inevitable swing of the pipe, drop to a one-knee marksmanship position, and double-tap the...thing that used to be a crewmate.

Duck! (6; overshot!): You throw yourself backwards and hit your head again.

Double-tap (1; critical failure): Dazed by yet another head injury, your shots go wild. The fiercer recoil also jars your wounded arm painfully.

The... Well, lets not mince words, zombie snarls furiously and winds up another swing...

You're on the ground, right? Then grab its leg with your non-wounded arm and trip the zombie before it can swing the pipe. Wouldn't want to use your last bullet until you have a better chance of hitting it.