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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 7, 2015 15:39:22 GMT -6
Two explosions were heard coming from the entrance to the docking bay. One for each grenade Maelstrom had given to the doomed elcor Xenos, verified by the shockwave patterns on Eric's seismometer app. Then it became deathly silent for a moment that seemed an eternity. And then a blue glow manifested by the entrance.
The seismometer was picking up wave upon wave of low frequency vibrations, too quick for it to make any real sense of the readings. But their point of origin was the wrecked Collector lift. The vibrations stopped and a series of spaced thuds took their place, growing louder and closer. A cold chill seized Eric's gut. The readings were similar to that of an elcor's stride, only slower.
And heavier.
"... incoming zombie!" Eric pushed out of his throat as he switched off his omni-tool and took up his assault rifle.
Malestrom and the other braced for attack as something shambled slowly into the docking bay. The elcor that once was Xenos had been transformed into a hulking horror worthy of H.P. Lovecraft's tales. Tendrils poked through its vocal slits. Its limbs and torso lined with tubes and glowing patches of skin. Its back was grossly swollen up with a protrusion at the front. A tank with legs much like Murdach's mech.
The tank fired a plasmic fireball into the mercenaries' midst.
"Scatter!" Maelstrom called out, launching a grenade and running to cover away from the others.
Eric barely got clear himself as the fireball slammed into the floor, leaving a molten puddle in its wake. The impact threw him forward onto his face yet he scrambled upright and ducked behind a low partition. Eric checked his barriers. They were 3/4 strength, enough for small arms fire and fragmentary ordnance but even at full power they would be little worth against Vanguard's firepower. A weapon that could tear through starship hulls. He switched to his sniper rifle to get a read on the creature's next move.
"Your deaths are regrettable but necessary. Nothing can stand in the way of our coming," Vanguard's voice issued forth from the elcor-husk hybrid.
You're gonna pay, Vanguard. You are gonna fucking pay...
Maelstrom called to the rest of the group, "I think I know how we can keep this bastard from giving us any more trouble. First we get his defenses down and take out that cannon. Then we feed him vacuum. Should be able to survive that, and so long as he doesn't die, he doesn't hop into any more of his buddies. Sound like a plan?"
Eric dropped down behind the partition again to avoid shrapnel from Maelstrom's next grenade. He open comms to his team.
"Outstanding! We Just need ta keep it from killin' itself and keep it away from Vengeance. Even without the gun it can still tear it ta shreds if it gets close enough."
Eric did a mental check of his inventory. He had one high-ex grenade and enough plasma det cord left for one more improvised "plasma spitball." His cryo grenade was used to block off a passage. Eric pulled out the EMP and prepped to throw it.
"Everybody should have one o' my anti-Praetorian spikes. We can each take a shot at th' barrel while the rest wear down its barriers and keep it in one place. Then we vent the bay n' space th' fucker. B - that should be right up your alley!"
Eric raised up from cover and tossed the EMP grenade at the Reaper Elcor. "Ready...? SPARKER OUT!"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Feb 7, 2015 16:16:25 GMT -6
Joe was about to offer his own tactical opinion when two explosions went off, one right after the other, and he found himself sincerely hoping that the elcor was dead; their size and thick hides made them hard to kill, and the thought of it still being alive, still being a victim of the Collectors, was not one he relished.
A hush fell over the station, as if it was holding its breath. An image of the tunnel suddenly morphing into a throat and the team sliding down it into an acid-filled stomach flashed through his mind, but he pushed it away.
He saw a bluish glow from down the tunnel, gradually growing bigger, and leveled the Typhoon at it.
Looks like V wants to say good-bye personally…
And then the elcor came into view.
Except it wasn’t an elcor. It was wearing armor in places, but it wasn’t metal; it seemed some sort of fusion between metal and flesh. There were open patches of what used to be wounds, but in place of tissue was circuitry.
And then there was the big fucking gun on its back.
He had been to the elcor homeworld of Dekuuna once as part of a joint training exercise and had seen them effortlessly lumbering about with massive chain guns on their backs, effectively making them walking artillery barrages.
What he saw now was a bastardization of it. There was some sort of glowing blue thing on its back from which protruded the unmistakable barrel of a very large gun. Another bluish glow began to rise from within it, and he knew it was about to fire.
“SPREAD OUT!” he yelled, moving as quickly as he could to get away from the rest of the group.
The cannon fired, sending a massive bolt right down the middle of the bay. He knew without a doubt that such a blast could make things very bad for a ship if it was on the receiving end of such an attack.
And a whole lot worse for one of us…
“YOUR DEATHS ARE REGRETTABLE BUT NECESSARY,” came the booming voice of Vanguard. “NOTHING CAN STAND IN THE WAY OF OUR COMING.”
He heard Maelstrom and Lysander offer suggestions on how to best deal with the creature, and he found himself nodding in agreement.
“Bon, activate missile launcher and target the main weapon on the approaching creature,” he said. “Fire at nothing else, and keep firing until it’s destroyed.”
“Or we’re dead,” his VI replied.
“Or that,” Joe said as he fired a long burst at one of its forelegs.
‘…OUR coming’?
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Post by Weyrloc Karn on Feb 7, 2015 19:30:45 GMT -6
The krogan seemed oddly quiet during the whole situation with the reapers, the hollow, almost haunting tone of their commanding voice still loomed in his big head. Odd, that a krogan would find himself concerned all of a sudden, someone as big and brutish as himself wouldn't seem to have much of a problem, he'd be a pig headed moron and laugh at every situation presented to him. But this was something different, something not even the biggest lizard could even begin to imagine, let alone crack a joke at the situation. Everyone around him wasn't in the position, or the stable mindset for a poorly timed joke, hell, even Fischer wasn't in the mood for anything of the sorts. He'd protest to being around a bunch of worry-warts, but.. Even he too was just as worried, just as annoyed and isolated by the confining walls of such a gigantic mess of rock mazes and fleshy walls.. He just tried to keep quiet, collect some thoughts and just attempt to not do anything rash or stupid to his agenda at the time. He couldn't collect his 'hard' earned pay from his generous boss if he didn't come back with his still stuck to his shoulders.
With the rest of those now in the hangar, the elcor wasn't much of a surprise to him, but overall it was.. More of a haunting reminder of what these beasts could do to a docile creature. It was a sickening sight for sure, no less to someone mostly used to seeing malformed and mutated masses. The krogan could simply thank Tuchanka for that hardening.. Regardless, upon Fischers loud, commanding bark, he shoved himself into the closest corner he could find, before being burnt away by such a mass of energy. A cannon seemed like a plain level of tacky overkill, even for an elcor.
"So what brilliant plan do you have this time, human?!", the krogan would bark out to his friendly N7 compatriot, now returning to his vocal form after such a long time of silence. Karn seemed to be a little more used to Fischer's grand schemes. A little amusement for a jaded lizard, for once in his life. He would remain in the corner cover, for as much good as it could give him...
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Post by Joe Fischer on Feb 7, 2015 20:28:21 GMT -6
"So what brilliant plan do you have this time, human?!" Karn bellowed at him.
Suddenly, the image of the krogan on the back of the mutated elcor popped into its head, only now the krogan was decked out in cowboy gear, swinging a ten-gallon hat in the air as the elcor bucked about, trying to throw him off.
Where do I come up with this stuff?
"Well, I hate to repeat tactics, but how about you jump on its back and smash that cannon into bits with your hammer?!" he yelled back half-jokingly.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Feb 8, 2015 3:12:09 GMT -6
To call it all hell breaking loose would be an understatement. From the moment Esteban heard someone shout 'scatter' it was a blur of motion. He remembered leaping to the side, summersault rolling behind a piece of debris next to another team member. It could have been Iskra. Or even Meldom. He couldn't tell. Everyone was moving so fast.
His VI flashed frightening data on the lower right side of his HUD..... if he was reading that right, that Elcor...that thing's primary weapon could blast a hole through nearly any frigate he could think of. What kind of...
YOUR DEATHS ARE REGRETTABLE BUT NECESSARY. NOTHING CAN STAND IN THE WAY OF OUR COMING.
How polite.....
Esteban peeked around the outcropping to see what was happening. The Krogan was still up. Maelstrom was doing some sort of flip. The enemy... the... Esteban damn near froze again. It was an unnatural blend of organic and synthetic. He saw things like this in his nightmares.
"Data," Esteban whispered to his VI, getting ready to dart to his feet. "Find me a weakness. I have a monster to kill..."
He sprung up to his feet, unleashing an Overload attack....
[Declared action - Overload on the Elcor Reaper's shielding]
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Post by Game Master on Feb 8, 2015 17:28:40 GMT -6
Elcor Reaper - The shielding surrounding the Reaperized Elcor shimmered and rippled with every impact, absorbing the damage from Joseph's barrage and Maelstrom's grenades. - The moment the EMP grenade released its charge, faint red tenticle-like electrical bolts danced around the Elcor's outter shielding. Nothiing else seems to happen yet.... - Overload has no noticeable effect.
- Declared action: Shockwave-Advanced - in the novels, when a human with no biotic potential was possessed by a Reaper (thanks to implants from Cerberus), the human's biotic powers were unnaturally powerful, even when compared to other biotics. This biotic attack sweeps away all the debris and sends NPCs and PCs flying through the air. Some slam into the far-away wall. Other simply fly back and lands, rolling away. Your shielding took over 1500 pts of damage (multiplayer reference), potentially wiping out your shielding for one action (your shielding should be able to recharge)
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Post by Joe Fischer on Feb 8, 2015 18:45:26 GMT -6
The bullets and missile slammed into the not-elcor, along with Maelstrom's grenade, the thing's shields rippling with each impact.
The creature replied by raising one of its forelegs and slamming it down, sending a wave of energy spreading out from it.
Shockwave, he thought. Shit...
The wave of biotic energy slammed into him, swatting him down as if he were a fly.
"No detectable decrease in target's shield strength, but ours is down by 40%!" Bon yelled as he pushed himself into a kneeling position.
All right, the direct approach isn't working...
He activated his external speakers and shouted, "Hey everybody, let's try giving this fucker a headache!"
He deactivated them and then said, "Bon, new target for the missile launcher. Target the ceiling."
"You got it, Joe," the VI responded as he began shooting at the ceiling.
Let's see your shields keep a couple tons of rock off you, fat boy...
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 8, 2015 18:48:39 GMT -6
The members of the team still standing sprang to action with the kind of skill he expected from a group of professionals as capable as them. Fisher sent explosive after explosive launching at the possessed Elcor. Having not seen the man in action on such a level before, Maelstrom found his assessment of the man's abilities go up slightly, though he never thought of him as a slouch. Bridges overload sparked against the Reaper's shield, but seemed to do nothing. That surprised Maelstrom; though his boss was no fighter, he never would have dismissed his capabilities or the power of those attacks he did deem called-for. Lysander's attack showed the most immediate result, though Maelstrom was unsure what to make of the red arcs of energy playing across the shield which enveloped their foe.
Maelstrom put away his SMG knowing that it would be little more than a pea-shooter against a force like this. Perhaps he would draw it again if the engagement dragged on, but he hoped the team would be able to deal with the threat before that came necessary. He doubted they would all still be standing at the end if it turned out that way.
"Fools. You view your resistance as an act of defiance. The truth is that every action you take against us only furthers our goals," Vanguard continued.
The Reaper glowed brightly for a moment, the epicenter of some terrible power. It raised on of its forelegs. When the limb came hammering down, leaving a decimeter-deep depression in the decking, the attack came. Wave after wave of power burst forth, a shockwave the likes of which Maelstrom had never seen. It would have been impossible to dodge without the ability to fly, the attack issuing forth in three hundred and sixty degrees. Such terrible power explained, in part, why the Reaper chose to appear alone rather than with the aid of the rest of the forces at its command. Everything in its path was being thrown into the air. There were no exceptions.
Maelstrom had just a moment. He could have set up a barrier, but he doubted that would be enough for him to withstand the coming flood of power. It would have been like trying to shield oneself from a tsunami using a single sandbag. He considered jumping using his biotic abilities, but that was equally pointless, the height of the visible field being almost four meters high. There was no guarantee it ended there. His eyes flicked to his shielding. Full power. He considered the structural strength the armor added to his body; a bone would be almost impossible to break without a corresponding break in his armor.
He exhaled and let himself go slack, and the shockwave carried him high into the air.
*****
"I don't get how practicing in low-gravity will help me with my acrobatics, Mestre," Jonathan said quietly, speaking with the teacher in private. He was the eldest in the youth class and the one with the highest cord. The Mestre often used him to help lead class. There were even whispers from the professors that he might be promoted to an adult cord at the next batizado. These things gave him some privileges the others lacked, such as being able to ask questions like this. "I mean, we never play roda in low-grav."
"It's a way for you to learn how to do the moves safely and without having to rely on on a mat, which shifts under you, affecting your balance. Plus, it's fun to do a three-meter high flip. Just try it," the Mestre replied.
Jonathan still felt confused. In Earth-standard, the moves he and much of the rest of the class were having trouble with would still feel different. He knew that in normal gravity, he and many of the others would still panic, and that was the real problem. Maybe just doing the moves, even in low gravity would help some of them, but what if they got back to normal gravity and froze at the wrong moment. Such a mistake could do great harm or even be fatal.
"The game is changing, Lagartixa," the Mestre said, his usual jovial manner suddenly gone. He was very serious. "Myself and the mestres of the other grupos are still trying to figure out how we will adapt the art to account for biotics, for playing in exotic environments, and for the body-structure of non-humans. I can't tell you what Capoeira will look like in another decade, but I can tell you it won't be the same." Brightening again, he said, "Consider this practice for the future."
*****
"Thanks, Mestre," Maelstrom whispered, as he found himself nearly a dozen meters high. His suit was undamaged, but his shields were only at sixty-seven percent. Speaking up, he issued a command to the suit's VI. "Zum, zum, zum."
Maelstrom arched his back as the music began to play. His torso now horizontal, he launched a biotic kick at a piece of metallic-looking debris between himself and Vanguard, accelerating it to ballistic speeds. Still more than a six meters off the ground. He twisted his entire body, doing a three-sixty along a horizontal axis, sending another powerful bitoic kick into the piece of metal just as it made contact with Vanguard's shield.
Three meters. He extended his arms, hands outstretched towards the ground, as he arched his back, bringing his body into a vertical alignment only a meter from the floor. He used his biotics to lighten the impact as much as he could, but his forearms still ached in protest as he made contact with the floor. His arms bent. If his head hit the floor at these speeds, he knew he could easily get a concussion despite the armor. Gritting his teeth, he pushed off the floor with all his strength, going into a flip.
As his first leg touched down, he knew he was landing too hard to stand stably, so he let the leg give out under himself, crossing the other in front of it, almost at a right angle. He fell, slightly to the side, until he was crouched over one leg with the opposite hand was on the floor. The leg in front of himself kicked up and out, as he jumped with the other, pivoting over the hand in contact with the floor. Another biotic kick, before he finally landed. He was panting, as the music carried on.
Zum, zum, zum, Capoeira mata um.
"The truth is that your presence here is no mistake on our part," Vanguard boasted, as Maelstrom grabbed a long, sharp strip of metal from the floor. "You are formidable among your kind. Your resistance reveals how your peoples will oppose us. With every moment you survive, you herald the end of your race."
Or yours, Maelstrom thought, as he launched the length of metal biotically towards the cannon on the Reaper's back. The action was in-time with the music playing in his helmet. Zum, zum, zum.
[Declared actions- 1: Metal debris launched at Vanguard's shield, accelerated by two sequential biotic kicks. 2: A biotic kick. 3: A length of metal launched as a spear, powered by biotics.]
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 9, 2015 10:50:47 GMT -6
The mercenaries unleashed their opening volleys on Vanguard’s avatar. Maelstrom’s grenade and Joe’s missiles had no effect on its shields. All Eric’s EMP grenade achieved was getting the Reaper Elcor’s barrier to shimmer momentarily with red, tendril like bolts of lightning. “Fools. You view your resistance as an act of defiance. The truth is that every action you take against us only furthers our goals.”
Once the field regained its full strength Vanguard raised its front paw and slammed it into the ground, unleashing an even more powerful shockwave than the one in the prison cells. No one was safe, even in cover. The silver-armored ex-marine found himself lifted off the ground and thrown backwards into the docking bay wall spread eagled. When the waves died down, the base’s gravity peeled him off the wall and sent him face first into the floor. Shield failure warnings blared inside his helmet once again.
Eric struggled to lift his head. “… you dirty…rot-ten… sonovaaa bitch…!”
He managed to tuck his arms under his chest and used them to drag himself forward along the ground, returning to the partition. He was able to lift his head up and cancel his suit alarms as Vanguard continued its proclamations about the superiority of the Reapers.
"The truth is that your presence here is no mistake on our part. You are formidable among your kind. Your resistance reveals how your peoples will oppose us. With every moment you survive, you herald the end of your race."
Maelstrom offered a rebuttal in the form of a metal strip hurled biotically at the avatar. Joe’s opinion comprised a partial collapse of the docking bay ceiling on its head. Eric ducked back down again, his barriers only now starting to reconstitute. Maelstrom’s ploy along with the brief effect of the EMP strike gave Eric an idea. He opened up comms to share it with the team while his shields recharged.
“Guys… B… how ‘bout we whip up some lightning rods? Metal rods, metal cabling… kinetic barriers are just contained, shaped electrical fields, right? All that juice is lookin’ for a place ta go… give it enough roads out and it might overload his field or short it out long enough for me to get a shot off down the barrel…”
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 11, 2015 19:23:40 GMT -6
Maelstrom was immersed in the fight. He kept moving around the docking bay, throwing whatever attacks he could at the enemy without draining himself too critically, as the rest of the team executed their own plans. His dance with death occupied himself so much that he barely noticed when Lysander piped in over the comms.
“Guys… B… how ‘bout we whip up some lightning rods? Metal rods, metal cabling… kinetic barriers are just contained, shaped electrical fields, right? All that juice is lookin’ for a place ta go… give it enough roads out and it might overload his field or short it out long enough for me to get a shot off down the barrel…”
Maelstrom considered it for a while. That explanation did not mesh with his understanding of the theoretical underlying forces behind mass effect technology, but it had been years since he immersed himself in any serious studies. Rather than poke holes in the team leader's plan with what might have been faulty data, he replied, "You build them, I'll launch them, but no way in hell you'll catch me sitting still and cobbling together a harpoon while we've got this kind of firepower to contend with."
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Post by Game Master on Feb 11, 2015 23:44:52 GMT -6
GM Post
Note: For simplicity's sake, I will summarize Esteban's actions here. He is going to be scanning the Elcor-Reaper to attempt to find a weak point in the technology as Lysander requested. He was starting to do a scan to try to usurp control over the tech, but Lysander's idea sounds far more workable.
Results of action 1. Falling rocks fall onto the sizable Elcor, each rock bouncing off. None of the hits caused it to waiver. 2. The assault from Maelstrom on the shielding revealed something strange... though it has the appearance of an electronic barrier, it is behaving exactly as a biotic barrier, having a noticeable effect on slower-moving objects. Most of the attacks were absorbed. Though after the combined devastating assaults from last round as well as this round, the metal spear managed to break through and impale the Elcor Reaper. It does not seem to notice, although thick black gook leaked from the wound. 3. Anyone under cover would have their shielding refreshed.
Elcor's next action 1. It takes aim straight at Eric with its primary gun. This action takes a moment so Eric can respond. While responding, it fires. Does Eric dodge?
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 12, 2015 11:17:03 GMT -6
Eric’s HUD showed his barriers had reached full charge. “Keep it busy then…”
From cover he observed the results of Joe’s minor cave-in on the Reaper avatar: no effect. Eric stood up and took up his assault rifle as the creature pivoted in place searching for a new target.
“Better switch tactics, Joe - Vengeance needs a place ta land when this is all over!”
[Insert remark by Joe, if any]
Vanguard ceased turning about and charged up its cannon for another burst. This time it pointed directly at Eric who was scanning around him for materials that could conduct electricity. He looked up to see a swirling blue corona build around the cannon’s muzzle. There was only a second or two before it fired. Again Eric’s fight-or-fight instincts and training came to bear. He dropped his rifle and activated bomb disposal mode while simultaneously leaping out of harm’s way as a plasmic fireball slammed into his previous location, melting everything in its wake including his rifle. He went into an awkward forward roll, his helmet skidding along the ground for a second before falling onto his back. Unlike after Vanguard’s previous attack Eric was still conscious, his suit’s barrier alarms helping keep him that way. Eric’ rolled on his side to gage his position relative to the avatar, his neck immobilized by his locked down helmet. He was off several feet from the creature’s side.
“… I don’t think I’ll have time for basket weaving, Mal,” Eric groaned. “Looks like Vanguard’s…”
Then he saw it.
“… got a thing fer me…”
Near the top of the Elcor-Reaper’s hip. Eric’s eyes locked on to it, his thoughts dredging up more quotes from ancient vids that could have been mistaken for Spartan sayings by modern ears:
“… the slow blade penetrates the shield…”
“… if it bleeds… we can kill it…”
One of Maelstrom’s improvised projectiles managed to get through Vanguard’s shields and lodge in its side, causing it to bleed out. The avatar did not seem to notice. Adrenaline coursed through the senior N7’s veins.
“Love that psycho Cyclops!” Eric said aloud into the comms as he sprang to his feet. “Dude - you scored a hit on it! Right on his backside! I’m gonna keep this bitch focused on me while you guys go whale huntin’. Keep aimin’ for his cannon. ‘Member we need to keep Vanguard in that body ‘til we can get away!”
He noticed a piece of wreckage by him left over from Joe’s shots at the docking bay ceiling, a thin rebar-like rod almost as long as he was tall. Eric snatched it up and fired a couple of round s into Vanguard’s’ side to draw its attention. He switched to external speakers.
“MISSED ME, YA SONOVA BITCH…! Come on, Tubby, I’m right here – come n’ get me…! Yeah… ya don’t know me but you’re gonna… I know you know Commander Shepard; took out one o’ your buddies like nothing… me…”
Eric lined up a shot at Vanguard’s head. “I’M TH’ GUY WHO TRAINED ‘IM!”
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 12, 2015 20:57:55 GMT -6
“Keep it busy then…” Lysander called out.
Maelstrom continue to attack Vanguard, launching a couple grenades, as well as various pieces of shrapnel lying around the bay. Each attack was focused on the elcor's cannon, though some were admittedly a little off their mark, landing more towards the body. He blamed the amount of combat he had already seen on the mission for his less-than-pinpoint accuracy.
“Dude - you scored a hit on it! Right on his backside! I’m gonna keep this bitch focused on me while you guys go whale huntin’. Keep aimin’ for his cannon. ‘Member we need to keep Vanguard in that body ‘til we can get away!” Lysander called.
Maelstrom focused on the length of metal in question, which he almost missed in the midst of all the technology piercing the hulk's hide. It was located on the back hump which comprised the rear portion of the cannon. As the elcor seemed to focus on Lysander, Maelstrom took a deep breath in preparation for his attack. He opened his right hand, imagining gathering enough material from the atmosphere to create a black hole. He knew it was impossible, but the habit did help him gather an ultra-dense sphere of air into a hardened biotic sphere. It was much like his standard biotic punches and kicks but far more powerful. Taking his time, Maelstrom lined up his shot and aimed it at the butt of the length of metal. If the attack worked the way he hoped, it would plow into the metal length, driving it deeper into the avatar's main weapon. A moment later, the air would decompress in a concussive blast, hopefully driving it even further through. Since it was already piercing the barrier, he expected it would produce startling results.
Without giving his slowly mounting fatigue the chance to lull him into a brief rest, which he knew would only leave him feeling more exhausted, Maelstrom kept moving about the bay. He did allow himself the luxury of using his SMG for a short while, though.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Feb 13, 2015 10:35:05 GMT -6
Esteban let Data get to work while he fired his assault rifle at the Elcor's shielding. He knew it wouldn't do anything. In fact, he was counting on it. If the creature could be distracted from his true intent, it would make it easier to get the scanning done.
He tried to not pay attention to the back and forth between Lysander and Maelstrom, at least the best that he could. His full attention was on the data stream that his VI put on the lower right side of his HUD. It gave the energy output for the...
"The Elcor is producing more power than a number of Alliance frigates!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "But I see a few power flow conduits. I need someone to blow off the plating around it so I can disable it. Can I get a volunteer?"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Feb 13, 2015 11:07:57 GMT -6
"Well, the last time I volunteered, I ending up getting my head shaved and having some very mean people yell at me," Joe said. "But what the hell, I'm feeling adventurous."
He then cut the comms. "Bon, new target for the missile launcher, it's the armor point designated by the boss."
"Feeling a mite indecisive, eh?" his VI said, but complied.
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 13, 2015 12:34:25 GMT -6
"I see a few power flow conduits. I need someone to blow off the plating around it so I can disable it. Can I get a volunteer?" Bridges said.
Maelstrom quickly grabbed another of the lengths of metal and withdrew a couple of the zip-tie-style restraining mechanisms he brought with him in case there were prisoners who needed to be placed under more security. The weapon was charging, as Maelstrom noted as he regularly checked his foe while constructing his makeshift weapon. The hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end, despite the weapon not being aimed at himself. Whether it was the unnerving knowledge of what the cannon was capable of or some form of energy penetrating through even his armor and shields, he could not say. As quickly as he could, he fastened one of his grenades to the metal spear and launched it at the edge of the plate covering its shoulder. If he aimed it right, it would wedge between the plate and flesh. Against an elcor's hide, he doubted it would do much other than blowing the plate free.
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Post by Game Master on Feb 14, 2015 10:25:18 GMT -6
[GM Post] Note - First and foremost, I am sorry for the delay in posts. I have been suffering from blinding headaches and fevers ever since Monday. I'm not completely better yet, but I'm feeling good enough to post 1. Between Joseph's missile barrage and Maelstrom's biotic efforts, the plating protecting the power conduit on the Reaperized Elcor came loose and crashed down to the ground.... joining the debris left by Joseph's previous assault. 2. Esteban shorts the power flow on the monster, cutting the shielding and ablative armor protecting it.... 3. It was at this moment that Lysander lined up his shot at the Elcor's head and fired. Xenos' bone, blood, and metal sprayed up into the air from the N7's well-lined shot. 4. Xenos crumpled lifelessly to the ground. The cold blue lights faded. ----------- Additional Info: 1. (already mentioned to PC of Maelstrom) - The Vengeance makes contact with Maelstrom, telling him they will be there shortly. The shuttle managed to lose the chasing Collectors, so it would be safe for them to make a hot landing)
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Post by Joe Fischer on Feb 14, 2015 12:10:26 GMT -6
As the now-headless body of what was once an elcor fell to the ground, emotions swirled about in Joe.
First and foremost was joy, the knowledge that he was alive. The enemy had probably thrown their best chance of winning at them and had failed.
The second was grief for the elcor. To die here, in a place like this, was a fate no one should experience.
…except Udina, the dark thing hissed.
Following right behind the grief was rage, rage at the Reapers for doing such a thing. He had seen plenty of disrespect for the dead during his time in the service, but to actually bring someone back in a grotesque mockery of life and use them as a weapon was by far the worst.
And then there was the analysis of such an act. No doubt this was a deliberate move on the Reapers’ part, repurposing the dead to serve as their soldiers; most people would have no problem putting down some alien who threatened their lives, but what if it looked just like them? He knew some people would not be able to pull the trigger, and they would die—only to come back as the very thing that killed them.
But he pushed all that aside. The shuttle would arrive soon, and one emotional meltdown this mission was more than enough.
“Good job, everybody,” he said. “But we’re not out of this yet, so stay frosty.”
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 14, 2015 20:03:50 GMT -6
Eric fired his Phalanx pistol into the Reaper Elcor's neck, figuring while its barriers would hold it would still be enough to annoy it and draw its fire away from the others. He was ready for an extended confrontation with Vanguard - how many more times could he dodge one of its fireballs until his teammates were able to wear away or break its shielding? Would they take advantage of Maelstrom's hit or manage new ones? Everyone still conscious had their part to play in stopping Vanguard before the Vengeance arrived.
What the senior N7 was not ready for was how quickly the battle would end.
What was to be a shot to get its attention ended up the killing blow. As Eric taunted Vanguard, Joe and Maelstrom worked in concert to knock off a piece of plating on the elcor's side covering key power conduits as indicated by Esteban. With the conduits exposed the engineer was able to short out the avatar's considerable energy flow. The Reaper Elcor's barriers completely collapsed just as Eric pulled the trigger on his Phalanx, plunging a slug into and through connecting vertebrae, severing and shattering the head of the possessed creature.
Holy shit... we killed it!
There was an initial twinge of victory that swept into momentary remorse in memory of the life that was usurped by the Reaper Vanguard with a hope that Xenos was not still present throughout the confrontation. Then a terrible realization dawned on him.
Ho-ly shit... we killed it...
“Good job, everybody,” said his younger counterpart Joe. “But we’re not out of this yet, so stay frosty.”
"... ohhh shit," Eric said out loud as he dropped the metal rod and deactivated bomb disposal mode on his armor, restoring normal movement. "Mal... please say Vengeance is on route... we-we just killed the biggest thing on this base next to a Praetorian... next time Vanguard shows up... it might be in person..."
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 14, 2015 23:11:40 GMT -6
As Lysander's shot splattered the former-elcor's brain over the base's deck plating, Maelstrom cursed inwardly. The elcor had been their best chance to trap Vanguard in one form. Now that he was dead, the Reaper could possess another praetorian or other enemy that could not be feasibly disarmed and jettisoned.
Looking at the corpse before him, he could only think that his own life could have proceeded and ended much the same as the elcor's. After all, he was taken prisoner and experimented on. Implanted with technology to give him abilities he did not naturally possess. The difference was that his captors were not so advanced.
Lysander's reaction was what snapped him out of his thoughts, "Mal... please say Vengeance is on route... we-we just killed the biggest thing on this base next to a Praetorian... next time Vanguard shows up... it might be in person..."
He looked at his HUD. A message from Vengeance had indeed been received, having passed unnoticed through the fight due to its having been received as a fragmentary text transmission. With a couple commands, he brought it up and read it quickly.
"Yeah. Pretty close. Still can't say exactly how close, though."
He thought for a minute, before adding, "Hey, Lysander, I've got a nuke on my shuttle. Help me set it up when she arrives? After all, Vanguard's been such a thoughtful host. It would be rude not to leave a parting gift."
He thought about leaving a message behind with the nuke, but he thought better of it. If the Reapers were watching them, as Shepard seemed to think, he imagined that AI's would have thoroughly examined all parts of their culture. No words he could think of could possibly improve upon what the greats had put onto paper or into electronic media, nor could he imagine any words that might have any effect on an emotionless enemy so staggeringly powerful that they considered themselves a force of nature.
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