Triage PBEM (me, Lazerus, dacole)

[Arcainite]

2172

Turn sent to Laz. I did it last night, but forgot to send it out.

[Lazerus]

Hive Report 2172

Shimoda strode down the long featureless tunnel, humming to himself as his left eye navigated a holo-projector while his right the corridor. He was not known for his sanity, too many hours locked up alone dissecting codes, bodies or equations had warped his reality into one big anagram that, in his own mind, his intellect alone could solve. It was as he approached the corner heading towards the main shaft he reeled back, his chest heaving to catch the air that had just forced from it. Flicking his eye-piece up he caught sight of the extended arm still rigid, fist clenched, he recognised the coloured band around the wrist ... Zheng Jian.

Zheng-Jian - "My heartfelt apologies Shimoda, i thought you had realised my presence" Showing only the slightest hint of a grin whilst he turned his hand, unclenching, to reveal a data crystal lying in his palm, the points causing three small cuts that now trickled with blood.

Shimoa, still short of breath - "The day .. when all factions are united .. under the Chairman and your job becomes obsolete I will relish hearing of your 'retirement' " as he snatched the crystal from Zheng-Jians hand, trying to remove the blood that was defiling one of his beloved stones.

Zheng Jian - "I guess i'll have to make sure you aren't around if such an incident occurs then" he hissed, almost spitting.

Shimoda - "Threaten all you will, if you'd excuse me now i have work to do deciphering this information. Oh and give my regards to the families of the men who lost their lives stealing three energy credits from the Spartan energy banks, i'm sure it will go along way in the war effort."

Zheng Jians hands jolted up startling Shimoda into taking a step back before he slammed them into his own chest in an old Hiverian military salute before stepping back into the shadows and skulking off like the ghost he had always imagined himself as, despite acheiving his position more through his organizational skills, deep sense of paranoia and failure of defeat then actual field stealth work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Chairman and Ota Kyi, the Hives leading empath, sat facing one another in stolen Virtual World seats, definately prototypes, that Hive scientists and engineers had so far been unable to duplicate for the masses or enhance to the finished article.

Chairman Lazerus - "Lets begin"

With that both lowered the cumbersome helmets down, as attendants placed sensor pads on their fingers, arms and legs before lastly administoring a small sedative and inserting a thin probe directly into each of their spines. The world faded, breaking apart and shattering into nothing, then reforming as their minds dictated.

Ota Kyi - "Over there Chairman, that borehole"

Chairman Lazerus floated over, looking down the borehole, its massive shaft with searing heat pouring out seemed different, more a wound then a mine. He could see the nearby soldiers desperately holding their thoughts together as they used their flame guns on approaching mind worms. He himself could feel their psi assault tugging at the back of his mind.

Chairman Lazerus - "So what do you make of this ?"

Ota Kyi - "Well Chairman to be honest we're not sure. Fungus and mindworm activity definately increases in areas where we have high industrial activity, this isn't the first time we've had so called "pops". It feels like something is directing the attacks, a massive neural net, on a planetary scale ... we doubt that the planet is an organism in itself and yet ... it somehow stirs and like a sentient mind awaking from a slumber."

Chairman Lazerus - "Can we awaken it to make contact?"

Ota Kyi - "Not yet Chairman, even if we could i'd advise against it. To something of its scale we'd be no more then insects, parasites even, gnawing away at its flesh."

The movement of the world underneath them suddenly stopped and they both looked at one another, and then to the sea of fungus that was racing towards them. Before they could will themselves to awaken from this reality the screech of the mindworms attack rung through their ears and the fungus washed over them and then everything went black.

Assisstant - "Chairman, Chairman Lazerus are you awake?"

Chairman Lazerus - "What happened ?"

Assisstant - "We're not sure sir, we encountered some problems trying to boot you both into the program and had to stop before you entered cardiac arrest"

Chairman Lazerus looked across to Ota Kyi who still lay there unconcious.

[dacole]

Nice good work! hopefully will be able to put in some roleplaying next turn...anyway turn sent to Arcan. Oh and lal finished the hunter seeker algorightim..(if only he had waited one more turn...)

[Lazerus]

2173 to Dacole

[Arcainite]

2174

Turn sent to Laz. I'll try some roleplay again next turn when I get another new tech. Will make a little more sense that way.
-Treehuggin' Arcainite
PS - I can't be the only one to think that turns should be months rather than years...for the sheer logistics of the unit movements if nothing else, years are rather beyond ridiculous.

[Lazerus]

2174 to Dacole, damn this wars expensive. Soon they will suffer though, numbers gradually beating the better trained.

Yeah but look at it this way, does it really take just 100 months to go from starting with nothing to developing sats to provide food

[dacole]

University report 2174

The crowd erupted into cheers as the provost with his trademark unkempt white hair and colored eyeglasses, quiteing as he raised his hands. "For seventy years you have pushed the boundraies of human knowledge as we made a home for ourselves on this planet submitting unquestioning to my leadership. Together we have harnessed the power of biogenetics, praticle impactors, and found ways to once again prowl the seas, and soon we will return to the skies!" The provost smiled here before continuing as a chant of Long live the provost erupted from the crowd. "Today I stand before you to announce a major change in our government. No longer will you have only a limited say in what goes on in our faction. Today I announce the founding of the University of Planet Republic! Once again we will return to the democracy of our fathers, but no longer will it be a democracy founded soley on the opinons of the governed, but guided by the ethical calculus recently devloped by our philosophers. The stars, the planets, and even electrons can be explained through the power of mathmatics why not then human behavior? I say it can and the University of planet republic will stand as a testament to the power of understanding how."

2175 sent to arcan sorry for the delay my girlfriend broke up with me yesterday (by moving away without telling me or leaving any contact information-so I wasn't in much of a mode to play)

[Lazerus]

women ...

[Arcainite]

2175

Youch! Understandable, dacole. I wouldn't have been in much of a game playing mood either.
Treehuggin' Arcainite
PS - Turn sent to Laz.

[Lazerus]

2175 to Dacole,

Hive Report 2175:

Hive War Chamber
Chairman Lazerus - "Kai-Lu your spearhead base is prepared correct ?"
Knowing full well the answer he continued without a single pause in breath
"I want a two pronged attack, firstly to remove the 5 battalions of Spartan troops around the alien monolith that have just destroyed our plasma defenders, and secondly to take Centurion Cave no matter the cost. Santiago needs a message of just what she has unleashed now."

The fact that the Spartans had shown the first aggressive move in counter-attacking a slow Hive siege of Centurion Cave had both angered the Chairman who viewed the incident as a defeat yet pleased him for presenting a plethora of new tactical options with which to use.

Kai-Lu - "Chairman, i believe a three pronged attack with our rovers cutting off the spartan retreat to the north while at the same time Zheng Jians operatives initiating further development of our shadow army coinciding with your direct frontal assault would utterly devastate all spartan troops in this region"

Chairman Lazerus - "Zheng Jian are your men upto this?"

Zheng Jian - "Your will carries my men to whatever needs to be acheieved Chairman"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Alien Monolith
The elite spartan troops formed ranks, their gatling laser mounts hovering at perfect intervals. Sporadic fire from the incoming fresh Hive rovers triggered the retaliation as every other shot hit a unit sending it spinning out of control and flipping insanely across the plains or engulfing it in a fireball. Still the Hive soldiers pressed on with a single mindedness, a single life lost meant nothing, the collective group would succeed. Rovers came from all directions, like fire ants swarming from some unseen nest to protect their territory from enemy marauders.
The Spartan soldiers outnumbered and with no means of retreat were surrounded on the open plains, their plasma armour which had long protected them began to buckle at the seems, exposed flesh melted and screams of pain began to echo. Energy continued to arc through the air sending the Spartan soldiers sprawling, breaking their tight formations allowing the rovers to tear in between ripping apart the defenders from all angles. None were left alive as the battle became a slaughter, collateral damage dooming each spartan as his neighbour fell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Centurion Cave
Kai-Lu - "Report commander"

Commander Jinzo - "Sir there is heavy defense ahead, half a dozen plasma battalions, however we do now have roughly a 2:1 number superiority thanks to some of the garrison moving out towards our decoy outpost. What strikes me as odd sir is that the fools haven't made any attempt of constructing a perimeter defense."

Kai-Lu - "Arrogance i guess, they won't hide behind walls when this is the Spartan army thats supposed to be kicking our butts. Enough talk though, signal the attack"

Commander Jinzo - "yes sir!"

Two weeks later at the Hive

Jong hui - "Chairman! We have an incomming transmission from a Spartan source, priority urgent"

Chairman Lazerus - "So my dear Santiago is willing to talk now, give me audio and visual"

As the two leaders spoke the Spartan garrison which had been slowly crumbling under the sustained assult of Hiverian rovers eventually broke. Those that surrendered were shot where they stood, while those that did not were subdued until the probe teams arrived. The frightening efficiency at which the once proud spartan soldiers were pinned down and covered in staples, the grey metal plates peppering the flesh, opening every nerve as they spewed out their fibre glass tentacles stunned Spartan commanders who viewed the downfall of their prized military strongpost in real time, helpless to alter outcome.

Colonel Santiago - "Chairman Lazerus, as you know my people exercise their right to bear arms and as such we are the military super power on Chiron. If you wish to end this war before you are destroyed you will transmit to us all of your research data!"

Chairman Lazerus - "Santiago you are in no position to make threats, as we speak you'll be receiving reports of my forces running rampant in your territory. I suggest you change you demands to offers of tribute"

Colonel Santiago - " ..... I must confess Chairman my council does view this war as a needless confrontation and engaging in this course of action only allows the other factions on planet to grow stronger. I despise your brutal nihilism but for the sake of my own people i am willing to sign a blood truce to cease hostile activities between us"

Chairman Lazerus - "It's surrender or die Santiago, you're worthless to me otherwise."

Colonel Santiago - "you WILL pay for what you have done to my people!!"
She hissed, her face contorted with a released rage before cutting the link.

Chairman Lazerus - "you never could lie Santiago"

Jong Hui - "Chairman?"

Chairman Lazerus - "She's afraid, afraid of being alone again with only endless nights of torture to live for and without help that is her fate."

With that Centurion Cave become the first base casualty of the collosal war between the military juggernaughts of the Spartan Federation and the Human Hive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shimodas Lab
Shimoda - "Chairman as you know my lab studying the manifold nexus has attracted librarians and talents from all over the Hiverian empire so that our facilities have become a rival to that of even the Hive itself. Well now that my plan is beginning to enter fruition i have some interesting data here to show you...."

[binTravkin]

Grreat RP, Laz!

[Arcainite]

2176

Turn sent to Laz.
--------
Morganites have betrayed me! They launched a surprise attack, which should reflect on their integrity. I lost a unit but so did they....unfortunately it is more to the Morganite's benefit because he's got more units to come sweeping through and now I'm shuffling units to defend my bases.

[Lazerus]

2176 to Dacole

I doubt the AI really cares about its integ arc get some worms trained and go kill, and if you think morgan has alot of troops you should see Santis 33 rovers, but even worse are all those damned elite 5-3-1 (now 2) infantry lol

[Arcainite]

2177

Actually, to my surprise I am actually doing that...it was a quiet turn except for my converting a little worm. He will be useful for reaching my last crash pod that I can see until I get my feet wet. It's really frustrating that the only faction I've met is at war with me, though. And yeah, better to have to fight Morgan alone than Santiago alone I guess.
-Treehuggin' Arcainite

[Lazerus]

Hive Report 2177:

The Great Dunes of Chiron
General Kai-Lu stood surveying the horizon or what seemed to be it, the endless stretch of the great dunes rippled in the heat playing tricks on the human eye.
Kai-Lu was a mammoth of a man, taller and broader then even the prototype genetically modified drones, with a brain and loyalty just as large to match. His methods of warfare; "The collective victory" and "Strength, speed and sacrifice" were well known among the Hive military chain of command, kept in every fledging commanders bedside drawer.

Comm - "General Sir, Chairman Lazerus requesting update"

Kai-Lu stepped back into the command tent, brushing off the thick of the sand that had settled in his hair and among the folds in his clothing before taking several gulps of water from an attendant stood to attention next to the table placed in the center of the room.

Kai-Lu - "Cheers Markus" he said as his face relaxed and a small grin emerged as he patted the young soldier on the shoulder and walked round to the rear of the table. Such courtesies weren't common place in the Hive military, especially with grunts on the front line. However they had always helped boost morale around the General and earn him the total respect of the men, most of whom knew following Kai-Lu into battle meant a charge into deaths cold embrace.
"Okay patch me through Comm"

Chairman Lazerus - "Greetings Kai-Lu, I see you couldn't resist getting back to the front line and serving the Hive as only you can"

General Kai-Lu - "The troops loyalty to yourself and the Hive has been unquestionable Chairman, they've taken Hommel's Citadel, research data in the labs and continued to decimate any Spartan forces found in the open. I felt the time was right for a superior officer to come out here and take charge as we continue to push ever further into enemy territory"

Chairman Lazerus - "I concur.. congratulate your men on the capture of the base and the data. Quite fitting that the Spartan tribute to the desert rat himself is captured alongside those inhospitable dunes"

General Kai-Lu - "Will do Chairman, has there been any change in the diplomatic situation or are we to proceed with the current attack ?"

Chairman Lazerus - "Santiago is still rambling about nothing, bring me her alive if possible Kai-Lu, that is all"

General Kai-Lu - "For the Hive"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zheng Jian - "What the hell is going on?"

H149 - "We've got an enemy incursion in one of the security links, 5 agents down, 2 wounded and reporting a University attack, they've beached near the western front and are attempting to hack into the lab data"

Zheng Jian - "Get me Tang Yue and then the Chairman QUICK. Move nearby agents to re-establish control and alert the police within the base to shoot dead ANYBODY suspicious around that area"
The frustration grew in Zheng Jians voice, his prized networks which he had become so psychologically attached to were under threat.

Tang Yue - "I know Zheng, we've spotted him and are on course to intercept"

Zheng Jian - "Your damn patrols are leaking again old man"

Tang Yue - "Don't start with me boy, calm down before you make another enemy on the council, they're not going to get far"

The fleeing agents could be seen climbing back into their foil before turning off the engines and awaiting contact, realising they were surrounded by a scrambled gunskip and cleanse team gathering on the beach.

Comm - "Incoming transmission from the University probe ship Sir"

University probe team - "Hive reaction force, we call upon UN Charter rule 184 paragraph 3. You must return us to the nearest University base"

Zheng Jian - "Silence! or i'll have you dragged screaming to the nearest nerve staple center" Zheng Jian ran his finger across his throat to the comm "Put me through to the Chairman now"
"Chairman Lazerus, we've got a problem with the University ... mainly being that they're here and trying to hack into our networks. Only one logical course of action, seeking your approval sir"

Chairman Lazerus - "Agreed, Kill them."