Space Quest:Exodus/Chapter 50
From Dead Pigeons Society
Chapter 50:
"As we join our heroes, we find them regrouping after nearly blowing themselves away (literally). The sounds of death and destruction echo towards them from down the corridor..."
Heavy footsteps can be heard from the waiting room door, rapidly approaching the bridge.
Ada: "Weapons ready, Rex..." Ada hefts her own pistol.
MP-X301: An extremely quiet whisper, MP says, "Take him alive!"
Rex hasn't even booted up yet, but okay!
Bioo takes a position on the wall right next to the office door.
MP-X301 hovers out of the direct line of sight of the door, hoping to get the man fully in the room before he realizes he's been had.
Ada quickly crouches down behind whatever side of the console she's been looking at puts the console between her and the door.
MP-X301 hides behind a console, too.
Rex finishes booting up and does not move! :D
The door opens...a tall man clad entirely in black plate armor storms into the room, cape flowing behind him. Several feet into the room, he stops in his tracks, staring at the blast shield where the window used to be. "What the--!?" He suddenly stops, and turns to look at Rex, sitting innocently(?) near the elevator. Although his expression is hidden behind a mask, the sound of his voice is unmistakable. "And who the hell are you!? What's going on...
here..." He trails off. "...ah, crap, there's a Party in here, isn't there?"
Rex: "BZZZZZZZZZT. IT IS NOT A PARTY. THERE ARE NO BALLOONS OR CAKE. THERE IS NO CAKE. AND THAT'S TERRIBLE."
MP-X301 silently reaches up to the console, and with a flick of his mechanical fingers, signals the closing of the blast door so that the enemy is sealed in.
- SLAM!* The door...er, slams shut. The man doesn't even turn to look...instead, he sighs, and shakes his head. "Dammit."
Rex: Click. "YOU DARE AGREE WITH ME! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR HORRIBLE DOOM!"
MP-X301 calls out, "Surrender, and I won't kill you."
Rex trains its weaponry onto the bad guy.
He sighs again, and raises his hands in surrender. "Fine, you got me."
MP-X301 hovers up so that he can see what is going on. "Bioo, why don't you check him for any weapons so we can have a nice, civilized discussion?"
Ada: "Gee. That's the first time anyone actually surrendered without us having to kill them first."
Rex: "SHOULD I KILL?"
MP-X301: "I know, isn't it amazing? No, Rex. Don't kill right now."
Ada: "We may require ankle-dangling, though."
Rex: Click. "THIS KILLS YOU... THIS KILLS YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM."
Ada finally emerges from her hidey space, pistol still at the ready.
Bioo grins with mischievous glee.
MP-X301: "The name's MP-X301. You might recall me... you know, the robot with a price on his head?"
Bioo: "No problem MP, no problem at all....
Bioo: "Your search of the man is thwarted somewhat by the unconventional design of his armor...the solid plates have very little in the way of pockets, or even points of access. You do turn up a laser sword and a pulse pistol tucked into a pocket on the inside of his cape.
Bioo doesn't so much frisk the man as investigate him with the intensity of a blind sculptor studying a model.
Ada: "If I filmed this, do you think we could sell it to Playbeing?"
Rex: "WOOF."
MP-X301: "Ew! Yuck!"
MP-X301: "Some of us have standards higher than that, Ada." MP shakes his head.
Ada: "It was just a thought."
If the man's face was visible, it would be displaying a look of utter disgust right now. "This is by far the low point of my career, you know."
Bioo attempts a "deeper" frisk.
MP-X301: "I just want to know why. What are you trying to accomplish? Why did you put money on my head?"
Bioo: "And do you happen to have that money with you now?
MP-X301: "BIOO! Priorities, please!"
Ada: "Bioo! Sheesh. We're here to torture and interrogate the guy, not rob him."
Ada: "That comes later."
Bioo: "You take a close look at the man's plate armor. Something isn't quite right here...you pick and pry at several pieces along his arms and legs, but can't seem to dislodge anything. Where you would normally see the straps and bindings holding the suit together at the joints, you instead see hard plastic and what appear to be screws.
Bioo: "Hey, you have your priorities and I have mine.
"Do you MIND?"
Bioo: "Er... you're less meaty than I was expecting.
Bioo: "And No, I don't mind at all.
MP-X301: "Bioo, just relieve him of his weapons and step back."
Rex: Click. "ANY DAY WE CREATE THAT MUCH SHRAPNEL IS A GOOD DAY."
Bioo: "Yeah yeah...
MP-X301: "Anyway, care to introduce yourself and answer?"
"Alright, fine. I'm...uh..." He puffs up his chest a bit. "I am Omnipotus, galactic overlord, and harbinger of DOOM!"
Ada: "...riiiiiiight."
MP-X301: "You know, your introduction was really weakened by the pause with the 'uh'. You're supposed to say, "I am OMNIPOTUS! Overlord of the GALAXY and harbinger of your DOOM!" MP strikes a pose.
Ada: "I can see this is going to be a long day."
Rex: "THIS IS BORING."
Rex: "WOOF."
He sighs again, exasperated. "Okay, fine. My name is Plinkus, this is my space laboratory, and I'm an *aspiring* galactic overlord. There, happy?"
Rex: "PLINKUS SOUNDS LIKE PINKUS."
MP-X301: "Yes, much better. What do these chips do?" MP pulls out one of the brain-stemmed chips and shows it to Plinkus.
MP-X301: "...besides make people deathly afraid of robots."
Rex: "SUBTRACT THE 'US' AND YOU GET PINK. COLON DEE."
"Afraid of...? You idiot, those are a revolutionary new mind control technology! I developed it myself." He crosses his arms and assumes the "haughty intellectual elitist" posture. "My plan was to use them to create the perfect army."
MP-X301: "Of geriatric cruise ship passengers? Seems you could get better subjects than that."
Rex: Click. "*WE ARE ON EASTERN PAIN TIME, AND IT IS DAN O'CLOCK.*"
"You idiot, those were only the test subjects. Living beings are cheap, but disloyal and require training. Robots are easily programmed, but prohibitively expensive. My chip solves both problems...organics with programmable minds." He shrugs. "I was going to perfect the technology, then start cloning prime genetic stock and implant them with the chips to create an unstoppable, totally loyal army."
Ada: "Why did you want MP, though?"
MP-X301 picks up the heavy laser repeater. "You know, for someone who tosses around the words 'you idiot' this much, you really don't seem to be in an intellectually superior tactical position."
"Because that's the other part of my plan - to use my revolutionary new assassin droid programming to create droids capable of infiltrating planetary governments, and implanting the chips into galactic leaders to bring them under my control."
MP-X301: "Oh, now THAT I can appreciate."
Ada: "MP!"
MP-X301: "No no no, that's not it."
MP-X301 casts a whithering glare at Ada.
Ada rolls her eyes.
He cackles. "Yes, that's just the sort of attitude I'd expect from you. You see, MP-X301, I..." he raises his finger and points it at MP dramatically. "...am your PROGRAMMER!"
MP-X301: "It actually makes SENSE."
Seemingly from nowhere, a dramatic music sting is heard.
MP-X301: "Oh, come on, that's patently absurd, Plinkus."
He hesitates, the lowers his finger. "...yeah, I know. Okay, I'm lying...I was hoping that maybe you'd think I *was*, and join me."
Rex: "CAN I SQUISH THE SQUISHY? PLEASE? I'M BORED."
"You're certainly violent enough to be evil."
MP-X301: "Wait, did I miss my cue there? Sorry... NOOOOOOOO!" MP emotes.
"Bah. Forget it then, you're a wuss anyway."
Ada: "If he keeps being a bad actor, yes, you can squish him, Rex."
Rex: Click. "I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO TWISTING YOU INTO A TWISTED, HORRIBLE KNOT, MADE FROM YOU."
Ada: "Anyhoo. I say we tie him up, let Bioo and Rex do unspeakable things to him, then call StarCon."
MP-X301: "I am what circumstances made me, Plinkus. Your minions weren't bright enough to match my microprocessors and the help of my friends. Honestly, where do you get this stuff? Yes, tie him up, and signal StarCon. This time, DON'T get the drunk Ensign that says things like 'Dude, a talking robot!'"
Ada goes over to the console to hail the nearest StarCon console.
Ada: *StarCon station.
<- Iethloc has disconnected (Exit: DarkMyst WebChat (Session timeout))
-> Iethloc has joined trinsic.
Ada: You boot up the communications menu. *ring, ring*
Bioo takes out her leather straps and chains.
MP-X301: "Egads, Bioo! This isn't an issue of Maxim Interplanetary!"
Bioo: "So," she muses as she ties the 3rd rate overlord, "what's with the screws?"
Ada: "Screws?"
MP-X301: "Yeah, take off the mask, Plinkus. No false faces here."
Ada taps out a rhythm on the console as she waits.
Plinkus pouts at Bioo binds his wrists and ankles together. "None of your business, mister. ...uh, missus? ...you."
Bioo points out one of Pinky's joints.
Ada goes over and looks at Pinky's joints more closely. "Huh."
Ada: "StarCon Central, please hold." After several moments of pleasant muzak, the line connects. "Hello, this is Starbase 12345, how can we help you?"
Bioo: "Well, I guess I can just get Ada here to unscrew them....
Plinkus suddenly becomes agitated. "Wait, what? No! I need that!"
MP-X301 hovers over to take control of the communications console while Ada handles the joint. "This is MP-X301, we have a fugitive from justice here that needs picked up by StarCon immediately. May I speak to someone in charge?"
Ada pulls a screwdriver out of her toolkit and starts trying to take Pinky apart.
MP: You hear some chatter on the other end. "Who is it, ensign?" "I don't know, sir, some sort of talking robot." *pause* "This is Admiral Thomas, what's this about a fugitive?"
Bioo: "Start talking then, Pinky.
MP-X301: "Hello, Admiral. This is MP-X301, formerly of the Contrived Extravagance medical crew. We have the man responsible for the destruction of that vessel and a series of similar events in custody, and need him picked up right away. I have evidence and coordinates to transmit when you are ready."
Ada: You unscrew the armor plate and remove it...beneath it, you see the familiar mechanisms of a droid endoskeleton; the limb is fake! Soon, you remove the entire lower leg, leaving a few loose wires dangling from the knee socket.
Ada: "Holy Bob!"
Plinkus, for his part, takes it rather well. "AAAAAAH!"
Ada stares at the leg, mouth agape.
Ada: "You're a droid! ...wow, nice construction."
MP: The admiral pauses. "The Extravagance? That was a Sarien attack...what do you know about it?"
Rex: "OH.... NOT SQUISHY. ...CAN I SQUISH IT ANYWAY?"
Plinkus squirms. "I'm not a robot, you b*tch, now give me back my leg!"
He does his best to try and kick her in the shins, but only succeeds in rolling around a little.
Ada: "You look like one to me. Not that I mind, I like droids. And I think I'll keep your leg. I could give it to MP." Ada winks.
Bioo: "Ooo! do his head next!
MP-X301: "I was aboard the ship. Myself and a few others escaped with their lives and my robotics. The man... or... thing that directed the attack is here on this station." MP relates everything they know about Plinkus' plot, Corona's shady involvement, etc.
Ada examines the leg curiously.
MP: He pauses again, talking with his men. "Corona, eh? Normally, I'd think you were full of it, but given what happened to him, I'm inclined to believe you."
MP-X301: "I do have further evidence that I can transmit from this station's computers, sir."
MP-X301: "...what happened to Corona?"
MP-X301 checks the station sensors to see if anything exciting is going on.
Ada: It very much appears to be a droid's leg. All the wires and servos are in place, functioning perfectly. Interestingly, however, the knee joint it once attached to is capped off...the wires appear to connect directly to nodes on the cap, rather than thread up through the thigh.
Bioo pokes at Pinky's helmet "so are you a cyborg or something?"
Ada: "Hmm. Interesting."
Ada goes over and shows the leg to MP with raised eyebrows.
Ada: *as if to say, "Weird, huh?"
MP-X301 raises his eyebrows and examines the leg. "Got two of those things? I could use a... I mean... he's a cyborg? Or a robot?"
Mp: "He's dead. There was a break-in at his office complex...apparently, the assailants hotwired his alarm system to shock him if he tried to activate them. Normally, it wouldn't have killed him, but apparently he had some sort of electronics embedded in his neural tissue...the current shot straight into his brainstem and killed him instantly. We're looking into it, but from the sound of it, that device is one of those mind control chips you mentioned."
Ada overhears this and says, "Dammit!" with a great deal of irritation.
Plinkus pouts, and says nothing.
MP-X301: "Holy..." MP looks... shocked. "Um, then I'd best turn myself in, too."
Ada: "Now, MP." Ada puts her hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. You didn't know."
Rex: Click. "THE FISTS OF A DARK KARATE MASTER... THE LEGS OF THE FASTEST DEMON IN THE NETHERWORLD... THE BRAINS OF MAHOGANY, A FAMOUS SORCERER... THE IRON BODY OF HERCULES... AND A HORSE WIENER, ALL COMBINED INTO ONE: THE NETHERWORLD'S ULTIMATE ZOMBIE!!"
MP-X301: "No, but it's still my fault, Ada. I wired that button, but where there's electricity, there's risk." He readdresses the Admiral. "Will you send a ship immediately, Admiral?"
MP-X301: He seems a bit more... stooped than normal, his posture less erect.
Bioo: "You do realize that if you don't tell us, we'll just keep pulling parts off of you until we get bored?
Rex: "AND THEN I SQUISH?"
MP: "The SCS Mondo is nearby; I'll have them divert immediately. In the meantime, I strongly suggest you buckle down and wait for their arrival."
Ada: "Aw." Ada gives MP a hug and a backpat.
MP-X301: "Yes, sir. I'll transmit the coordinates and evidence, then log off. Thank you, sir."
"Screw you." Plinkus struggles against his bonds as hard as he can.
Ada: "Actually, we'd rather screw you." Ada grins.
MP-X301 triggers the computer to send all the evidence and the coordinates. "Put him back together, Ada, and get yourself, Bioo and Rex onto the Drunken Crowe."
Ada: "Eh. OK, I guess I'll put him back together, but I'm staying here. We still have at least one techie running loose around here."
Bioo: "But you promised that there would be looting ...
Ada reattaches Pinky's leg.
MP-X301: "Loot everything you want except evidence, Bioo. The Mondo is at least an hour away, or it would be on the station sensors, I assume. Loot what you will and launch."
Bioo: "Yippy!
Bioo bounces off to investigate the office.
MP-X301: "...I don't want anyone else to suffer because of this... disgusting business."
Plinkus snorts. "Evidence? EVIDENCE!?" He growls. "I'd rather die than be judged by those fascist Confederates!"
Ada: "Stop moving! I'm trying to put your leg back on."
He resumes struggling, more violently than before. "Lemme go, lemme GO!"
Ada: "OK, fine, I won't put your leg back on if you're going to be like that."
MP-X301: "Ada, are there any biological components in that tin can of his?"
Ada: "Let me look."
Ada goes over and starts systematically unscrewing and reattaching bits of Pinky to see which parts of him bleed blood instead of oil.
Bioo dashes off into the BBEG's office, while Ada pokes and prods the captive.
MP-X301: "...you might be able to disable pieces of him with jolts of the EMP cattle prod, but I'm worried that it'll kill him if we're not careful."
MP-X301: "If he keeps resisting, remove his arms and his legs."
MP-X301: "Cut them off with that laser sword, if need be."
Ada: Giving him the once-over, you find that all of his limbs appear to be bolted to the main torso. Even the head looks to be removable...pulling off his face mask, you find a hollow, head-shaped casing containing a holographic imager, designed to "see" objects in 3D.
Ada: "Geez. And you claim you're not a droid?"
MP-X301 keys up long range sensors to monitor them, and checks if there is a homing beacon.
Plinkus outright *squeals* now, his voice coming from a vocal emitter in the neck. "I'm not, I'm NOT...sheesh, I give up!" The "robot"'s systems suddenly give a hum and shut down...moments later, a loud HISS comes from his chest.
Bioo returns from the office at this exact moment (how convenient!) carrying a heavy burlap sack, containing the multiple gold statuettes and desktop knick-knacks used to decorate his office. Not to mention his solid gold toilet paper roll holder.
MP-X301: "Find some good loot, Bioo?"
MP-X301 hovers over to take a closer look at the robot, and help with the dismantling, hoping to find something fleshy to try to preserve.
Bioo: "Oh, this and that....
The armor's chest-plate splits open...from within, a squat, pink creature claws his way out. It bears a striking resemblance to the pair of Pinkunz you found in the cells earlier, except this one has a nasty scar across where his right eye used to be. "GRAH!" He hops away from the armor and quickly dashes out of arm's reach, where he proceeds to hop up and down angrily. "THERE! Are you happy now!? I had to take off my clothes!" He suddenly seems horrified. "Oh god, I'm NAKED! Eew, don't look, don't look!"
Bioo pulls out the TP holder "I've been wanting one of these..."
Ada sighs and tosses the being a few of her rags.
Ada: "Here, sorry."
MP-X301 sighs, and stops. "Help him out, you two." MP gives Bioo a meaningful look to say, 'tie him up, too!'
Bioo looks.
MP-X301: He returns to the computer console to check the sensors.
Rex: Click. "THE COW ISN'T ANYWHERE... HE'S INSIDE MY MIND."
Bioo pulls an empty sack from the nameless recesses of her coat.
Plinkus stares in horror. "W-what are you going to do with that!?"
MP: Sure enough, the sensors detect an incoming ship. You assume that it's the SCS Mondo.
Bioo: "Provide modesty?
MP-X301 smiles, and opens a communications channel. "SCS Mondo, this is MP-X301, respond please."
MP: A rather gruff voice answers. "Whaddya want!?"
MP-X301: "Requesting your ETA, and standing ready with docking instructions, sir."
Bioo scoops the thing up in the sack tying the opening securely around his neck.
Ada: "So what happened to you anyway?" Ada peers at the Pinkun.
"EEEE!" Plinkus squeals like a pork-beast as Bioo scoops him up. He struggles furiously, kicking against the sack, but can't get free...he sighs, and stops. "Oh, sure, fine. As if everything *else* hasn't been bad enough, now I get stuffed into a bag again." He sniffles.
MP-X301: "Wait, again?"
MP-X301: "When were you in a bag before?"
Bioo: "Aww, he looks kinda cute like this.
Rex: "COULD PUT THE SQUISHY IN A COMPARTMENT."
Bioo: "Hmm....
MP-X301: "Thank you, Rex, but I don't want anyone else to get arrested, hence why I'm suggesting you all get away before StarCon gets here."
MP-X301: "...maybe StarCon has an opening in their Security section for robotic officers..."
Bioo rummages around in the lesser used realms of her coat for some time.
Bioo: "Ah Ha! I knew I still had it!"
Ada: "Hey, we're in this together, MP."
MP-X301: "...you're going to stay?"
Ada: "Sure. This is the most fun I've had in ages. Plus you're a cool droid."
He frowns. "You want to know what happened? Fine, I'll TELL you what happened!" He bellows in a squeaky voice, obviously upset. "I was a SLAVE, you jerk! Here I am, just minding my own business on my homeworld, when a bunch of monkey-things with rifles show up and start herding us into slave camps! My whole family was forced to work in their mines for years before their leader was killed and they took off. StarCon arrived shortly thereafter to "help",
but I'd seen what sort of "help" outsiders bring."
Bioo pulls out something pink and ... fluffy? She grins as she attaches the object to Pinky's head.
"I decided right then and there that I'd leave home, learn all about the sort of technology they had, and use it to make sure no one ever controlled me again."
Ascii blinks at Bioo. "...I hate you."
MP-X301: "Bioo! Give the man some dignity!"
Ada: "But... StarCon did help! We saw a couple of your kind in your cells... one of them even worked for StarCon. Said he was a hotshot pilot."
MP: The console chirps up...after several minutes of trying, the comm system seems to be unable to reach the ship anymore.
MP-X301 turns back to Ada for a moment. "...thank you, Ada. It means a lot to me."
MP-X301: "Wait..." MP turns back to the console to check the long range sensors.
MP: The sensors are still operating...the ship is still visible on the radar. But, the communication system seems to have gone offline somehow.
Bioo shrugs and steps back, leaving what can now clearly be seen as kitty ears on Pinky's head. (Sooo cute! ^_^)
"...I *HATE* you."
Ada sighs and removes the kitty ears. "Aw, c'mon, Bioo."
MP-X301: "Ada, there's something wrong with the comm systems. Check it out, please?"
Ada dons the ears herself, then goes to examine the consoles.
MP-X301: "Don't you have some station to loot, Bioo? Or are you all done?"
MP-X301 assists Ada with the repairs.
Bioo: "Hmm? we've already been all over the rest of it.
Bioo: "Come on, what do you think I was doing during all that "skulking"?
MP-X301: "You mean besides causing havoc? I just figured you'd want to get your hands on some of that fancy and expensive surgical equipment."
The console *seems* to be just fine...something is wrong with the communications interface. A bit of prodding reveals why: "COMM SYSTEM ERROR: CONTROLS ROUTED TO EXTERNAL CONTROL LINK."
Ada: "Did you find the escaped techie?"
Bioo: "Oh yeah...
Bioo: "Can I borrow Rex whilst I "salvage"?
MP-X301: "Rex, Bioo, go find the missing technician."
Rex moves over to Bioo.
MP-X301: "...and make him non-functional. Unless we can reprogram him from here."
Ada attempts to reroute control and block any more rewiring attempts.
Bioo: "Let's search for the "missing tech", Rex.
Bioo exits to indulge in her favorite pastime.
Rex: Click. "ALL RIGHT, SO I THINK MY FAULTY WIRING OF THE FAULTY WIRING IS NO LONGER FAULTY, SO THAT IT'S CORRECTLY FAULTY."
Rex follows along after Bioo.
Ada: "COMM SYSTEM ERROR: CONTROLS ROUTED TO EXTERNAL CONTROL LINK." Although you can't seem to convince the computer otherwise, you *do* discover why - someone has hijacked the station's communication system from somewhere else, and cut off access from the bridge.
MP-X301: "Can you pinpoint where it's at, Ada? That'll tell Bioo where to find the guy."
Ada tries to run a live lifeform sweep of the station.
MP-X301: "Remember, we've left a lot of deadforms, so no need to use the optional deadform scanning module."
Ada: As Bioo and Rex return from the elevator shaft, the sensor sweep returns a single result - a ship parked in the shuttle bay near the Crowe has a single life form in it.
<- Iethloc has disconnected (Exit: DarkMyst WebChat (Session timeout))
Bioo: "Well, you don't have to worry about the Tech.
Ada utters a curse, then tries to activate her helmet. "Bioo? Can you hear me? He's in the shuttlebay!"
-> Steven has joined trinsic.
Ada pauses, then says, "Uh... oh?"
Bioo: "Of course I can hear you.
Bioo: "And, "He" who?
Ada: "Um, the tech. What do you mean we don't have to worry about him?"
Steven changes nick to Guest10882
Bioo: "He's dead.
Ada: "Oh. Uh, is that you in the shuttlebay, then?"
Bioo: "No.
Bioo: "I'm standing Right HERE
Bioo: "Behind you.
Ada turns around from the console. "Oh! Uh."
Ada: "Well, crud. If you're here, and the tech is dead... who's in the shuttlebay?"
Bioo: "And you do know that I don't have that lame helmet on?
Bioo: "Most likely the person who hijacked the com system.
Ada: "Sigh. OK, get back down there and kill him too."
MP-X301 slowly hovers out of the way to sit down for a few minutes.
Bioo: "Fine...
Bioo: "Come on, Rex. We've got squishies to squish.
Guest10882 changes nick to Eleihoff.
MP-X301 scans the vessel in the other shuttle bay to determine what type it is.
Ada: "Take helmet with you! Even if you don't wear it, we can talk through it."
Ada: *Take a.
Rex: "SQUISH SQUISH."
MP: You try to access the scanners, but by now those too are locked out. Indeed, even as you watch, the displays indicate other bridge systems are being yanked out from under you.
Ada: "Dammit, I thought I blocked that!" Ada looks frustrated.
Ada: "All right, then, we'd better go help Bioo and Rex, then."
Bioo: "Riding down the elevator, you and Rex step over (and on) the tech's body, and head for the shuttlebay. The blast doors are closed, and the same panel you picked before is sitting nearby, just as before.
Disconnected from chat.
Joining chat room...
Welcome to the DarkMyst IRC network! Visit our website at [Visit Link].
Started talking in trinsic on Saturday 10/20/07 12:24:13 AM
Room topic is: Next game of SQ: The RPG, Friday, October 19th, 2007, 9PM ET - After kicking so much butt, and taking so many names, the crew's little black books are getting full, although there's still one person left to be added. The Elmo Pugg of this institution, the Sludge Vohaul of subdermal moddies, the Captain Quirk of this slime factory of evil...
<- Ada has disconnected (Killed (NickServ (KILL requested by Ada2)))
Ada2 changes nick to Ada.
Bioo: "Herm...
Bioo fingers the lock, "remember me, baby?"
Rex: "SQUISHY IS WEIRD."
MP-X301: "Let's go. Control's down there, now, so we better get down there and stop it." MP hoists the Pinkun-in-a-bag and heads to the elevator.
Plinkus squeals with rage from within the sack, then dissolves into a bout of sobbing.
MP-X301: "I have some sedatives, Plinkus, would you like some?"
"Grr."
Ada follows MP into the elevator.
MP: Soon you and Ada catch up to Bioo and Rex outside the shuttlebay door.
Rex: Click. "NO. PASS ME THE GRAVY LIKE A *NINJA.*"
MP-X301: "If the lock won't pick, use the laser sword. I saw that on a movie, once."
Bioo: "You set about trying to open the door again...the lock codes have been strengthened, presumably by whoever is inside. You almost fail to make it work, but suddenly, the panel chirps, and the doors begin to slide open.
Bioo: "Pfft. This lock is my b*tch.
MP-X301 holds the sobbing Plinkus in one hand, and pulls out the billy club in the other. "Go get him, you three."
MP-X301: "In fact, toss me that laser sword... I might need it." MP puts away the billy club.
Bioo: "Aww, you look almost maternal
Bioo smirks.
As the doors move aside, the sound of sublight engines powering up can be heard. Inside the bay, parked in the middle of the hangar, is a shuttle-sized silver ship, with a glass cockpit on the front and twin engine pods protruding from each side of the rear.
Bioo: "Aw shnit.
Before you can move, twin laser cannons on the front of the ship open fire, blasting harmlessly against the inside of the opening door.
Rex: "SOMEONE TRIED TO SHOOT ME?"
Rex: "WHY WOULD ANYONE SHOOT A DOG?"
Bioo dashes to the door of the craft.
MP-X301: "It's Cobalt's ship?!?"
Ada: "What, that guy you said you threw root beer at?"
Bioo: "There is no door that you can see...only an entrance ramp on the underbelly, which is closed. The ship is airborne, hovering over the deck by a few feet...the sheer turbulence of the engines produces a shockwave that threatens to blow you off your feet as you approach it.
MP: Sure enough, a familiar blue-suited human - with what appears to be a shiny new helmet - is at the controls, firing wildly at the shuttlebay doors.
MP-X301: "That's the guy I threw root beer at, yes! Ada, take Pinky."
Bioo: "Straining hard, you almost manage to force your way past the winds...just as you get within arms' reach, however, you lose your footing and get blown backward, colliding with Rex's leg.
Rex: "HEY, SQUISHY."
Ada: "Bioo, do you still have that climbing equipment?!"
A loud squelching sound echoes through the hangar...the sounds of the ship's external PA coming to life. "LISTEN TO ME! I'VE SET THE STATION TO SELF-DESTRUCT...IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES, I SUGGEST GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
Bioo: "Ooow.
Bioo: "Yeah.
Ada: "Then rope him!"
Bioo: "Rope who?
Ada: "The ship!"
Bioo: "....
Ada grabs the Pinkun-in-a-bag.
The ship wobbles, then slowly starts to back out of the hangar, heading towards the force-fielded opening leading out into space.
MP-X301 whips out his heavy-laser repeater and tries to shoot out the window before it gets out.
Bioo: "Screw this.
MP-X301: "GET TO THE SHIP, NOW!"
Bioo dashes back to the crow, loot in hand.
Rex heads towards the ship. :D
MP-X301: "Rex! Get to the Drunken Crowe!"
Ada: "Sigh. Great, what a waste of time *this* has been." Ada grumbles and runs back to the ship herself.
MP: You let fly a flurry of laser bolts towards the ship; they impact on the cockpit window...and shatter it! Cobalt stares in horror at the gaping hole in his cockpit glass. "...AAAAH!!"
Bioo: "Not That wasted...
Bioo twirls the gold TP holder in her fingers.
MP-X301: "Better turn off the self-destruct if you value your life, Cobalt!"
MP-X301: "Bah, forget it. Have fun!" MP rushes to the Drunken Crowe.
Cobalt looks around panicked, then sighs...he sets the ship down, and before long, the engines are quiet.
Cobalt yells at MP. "Okay, fine...I'll turn it off. Looks like I've got no choice now anyway, I can't fly in this condition."
Rex: "CAN I SQUISH THE SQUISHY WHO SHOT AT ME?"
MP-X301 skids to a halt, and comes back. "Glad you see it my way, Cobalt. Turn it off and turn control back over to me."
"Something tells me you guys wouldn't give me a ride out of here..."
MP-X301: "We wouldn't be very motivated to give you a ride... especially after what happened LAST time."
After a few minutes, he storms down the ramp. "There, it's off. All the controls are back to normal now." He sighs. "I hope you know, you just cost me the contract of my life."
Bioo safely stores her loot in the overhead compartment.
Ada calls over the helmet, "Hey, MP, you coming?"
Ada: "I'd hate to see you blown up after all this!"
Bioo wanders back to catch the show.
MP-X301: "For some reason, I don't have ANY problem with that, Cobalt." MP calls up the shaft to Ada. "No, I'm going to deal with Cobalt here. Stay up there, though, and protect that ship with your lives... it's the only way we have left off this heap until StarCon arrives."
Rex: Click. "YOU GET THAT THING I SENT YA?"
MP-X301: "What was your contract of your life?"
Ada looks down the shaft, sighs, and takes off the helmet. "What, am I the only one who keeps the radios?"
Ada: *She says to no one in particular.
"To wait for you to find this place, sneak in here after you, and blow the place up."
Bioo: "Yes.
MP-X301 replies over the radio, "I heard you just fine, Ada."
Bioo answers to no one in particular.
Ada: "Oh, good I feel better."
MP-X301: "...who would... wait, we don't have the Big Cheese, then? Who hired you THIS time?"
Cobalt sits down heavily, and cradles his head in his hands. "I was *this* close, and now..." He looks up. "I don't know who, it was through a contact. The client said that if I followed through on my end, he'd give me the date I need."
MP-X301: "What data?"
"You know why I hate robots?" He sighs again. "One of them killed my father...a Gippazoid Annihilator." He points at his belt. "Where do you think I got this? I've spend most of my bounty hunting career trying to track down a lead that will lead me to their corporate headquarters, so I can shut them down."
MP-X301: "...and you never checked with the Better Business Bureau? Anyway, Cobalt, we aren't all Annihilators from Gippazoid... go on."
MP-X301 is presently looking down at the heavy laser repeater in his hands with a guilty look on his face.
Bioo elbows Ada, "so who's the Blue guy?"
"...uh. That's about it. The client has the wreckage of an Arnoid unit...I was hoping to get a chance to hack its memory. But, eh." He stands up. "So much for that now. If you don't mind, I'm going to fix my ship."
Ada: "Some bounty hunter MP spanked the backside of a while back." Ada speaks into the radio. "Hey, MP, you coming?"
Bioo: "That sounds fun.
MP-X301: "Go on. Although, Cobalt... if you'll leave things alone, I'll vouch for you with StarCon when they arrive... rather than turn you in." MP keys the radio. "Situation's under control now. Just need to turn the station over to the Mondo, then leave."
Ada: "What about Blue Guy? Ada nods her head.
Bioo: "Can we take his ship, it looks... comfier.
MP-X301: "He's... not really the enemy here. Just let him go."
MP-X301: "And, Cobalt... if you'd have asked, I might have been willing to help you out. With the Gippazoid people."
MP-X301 turns to go.
Bioo: "Those folding chairs are really killing my back...
MP-X301: "Oh, Bioo, no, we will not be taking his ship."
"Help, how? Nobody knows where their HQ is, all their mailing addresses are fronts. I've checked."
MP-X301: "Well, nobody would have thought that a droid could survive a Sarien attack, get some friends together, interrogate and kill a Xenonian Senator, and finally take a station like this. We'd have found a way."
"Now excuse me, I need to get to work before the Mondo gets here." He opens a hatch in the side of the ship, and extracts an oversized yellow box labeled "Insta-Glass Cockpit Patch Kit".
Ada: "Why, what's wrong with his ship?"
MP-X301: "I shot out the windshield."
Ada: "Nice. He need any help fixing it?"
Bioo: "I think that won't be a problem.
MP-X301: "Go ahead and give him a hand, Ada."
Bioo retrieves her stash.
Ada shrugs, and heads over to Cobalt's ship. "Hmm. Nice wheels. Er, figuratively speaking."
Bioo: "Anything I can do? I'm /very good with my hands/.
Cobalt stares, then sidles away from Bioo.
Bioo: "What? I'm a thief, what do you expect?
The SCS Mondo soon arrived at the station...security details took control of the facility, as science teams combed for evidence.
A full inquiry was launched in the following months...records aboard the station revealed Plinkus' plans, and more importantly, his secret co-conspirators in the government who had already been compromised.
Sadly, the mind-control chips proved impossible to remove without killing the host...unable to betray their programming and forsake their fallen leader, the high-ranking politicians were forcibly retired and imprisoned. Fortunately, nobody really seemed to mind.
Plinkus was tried before StarCon Command, found guilty of participating in acts of megalomania without a license, and sentenced to 600 hours of community service cleaning Xenon City's sewer systems.
Cobalt was apprehended by StarCon security before he could flee in his repaired ship. However, having had no direct hand in the events aboard the station, he was released after a severe tongue-lashing.
MP-X301 was thanked for his assistance in stopping the Big Bad Evil Guy, received a sizable XP reward posted for Plinkus' capture, and was soon reunited with the few surviving passengers of the Extravagance who had escaped on the shuttle. Including Jenkins, who promptly threw a bedpan at him and demanded to know where his medications were.
Ada, jobless and with nothing better to do, decided to stick with MP, reasoning that at least she wouldn't be bored from now on.
Bioo cashed in the many lootables she sto--er, "borrowed" from the station, and is currently on an extended vacation on Vega. Cobalt has yet to return her calls.
Rex followed MP and Ada around like a lost puppy, until they finally found it a part-time job as a Wal-Mart greeter and security guard. It was recently promoted to assistant manager.
Lombard was eventually apprehended by Xenon City customs agents, but soon released when a search fails to turn up any of the contraband he was purported to carry. He was last seen in a bar on the seedy side of Xenon City, drinking heavily and wolf-whistling at passing women.
The Crowe remains in MP's possession, ferrying him wherever he may need to go. Strangely, the AI system ceased functioning shortly after its triumphant return to civilization, forcing MP and ADA to obtain a new one.
Sadly, the new AI proved to be even more sickeningly depressed than the original one.
StarCon increased its patrols of the area where the Extravagance vanished...the Sariens escaped back to their own space, no longer able to ply their trade in the fortified area.
After weeks of intensive care, Rancid and Molok recovered from their injuries, and resumed their bounty hunting careers.
Molok is currently touring the civilized systems with his new book, "More Than Just A Heavy - Life as Muscle for Hire".
Rex changes nick to Bukkosha.
Months after the destruction of the Extravagance, a surface team sifting trash on Junk were attacked by what sources indicate as "a zombie wearing socks and a captain's hat". The team has so far refused to comment.
The Narrator retired to his beach condo on Estros, making a public statement that "he'd have to be crazy to do this again".
