The Chosen Ones and the Epic of Hope!

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC[11.1][0014]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

The DSSW, Defence Security Safety Wall, cordoned off a large part of Caves101DC from a much larger area of it, being the inhabited zone from the wild zone. Now local creatures were fleeing to the wall, were reluctantly becoming semidomesticated livestock or probationary citizens.

 

Lit-warmed by fibre-optics built into the ceiling in the late 21st Century, the cables were linked to sources of sunlight that they channeled into to that underground environment. The surface aspects were both well hidden and secured.

 

The Wallguards, as a subdivision of the Vaultguards, observed another group of peaceful feral radghouls, of radghoulans, come into the reception outpost where they would be 'processed'. They would be given extensive medical checks, given allocations of basic resources and some luxuries, by their low standards, before being sent to a working living area. While defensive aggressive if they had to be, ghoulans were hardly as dangerous as infamous ghoulers were.

 

Mathew, Menzie, Michel, Morris and Murphy were already serving as part time Wallguards while also carrying out other duties. So Michel was one of those watching through binoculars. He spoke as he did so. "I have seen movements of feral radghouls, of radghoulans, before but those ones are truly terrified of something. I strongly suggest upgrading the capacities of the wall but also checking for other, possible, ways a threat might get into the vaults. There are stories of a type of creature called the radroachers being spotted in smaller, open spaces, quite close to Demivault101DC that has direct access tunnels to Caves101DC but perhaps also some less known ways. Smugglers are one group who might know of such matters."

 

Captain Mary Motherwane shook her head. "You learn our ways fast."

 

Michel, now in fatigues and body-armour, shrugged. "Way back a few of us dwelt in TechVault111DC. It had its experimental purpose, which I will not willingly speak of, but most of the vaultfolk escaped that damned place while making sure all ways to get into it were sealed off with well placed high explosives."

 

The officer frowned just a little. "I would like a clue to that techvault's experiment."

 

The young man nodded but as if to himself and not his superior. "Shapeshifting doppelgangers! They were supposed to infiltrate and cause bloody mayhem as the majority of them did but a few switched sides, warning non doppelgangers of what was truly going on. The positive doppelgangers went their own way."

 

The woman grinned mildly. "Except that you are a doppelganger as are many of those in your group. Our instruments are not as good as we would wish them to be but picking up doppelganger intrusions is just a matter of following certain procedures which are automatically carried out. You are not the first, of your kind, to become part of the Caves101DC population but you remain a very small minority. It has been figured that one day you special abilities will become greatly useful to us. In truth I am a member of Vaultsecurity but also of its small subsection that actually functions well. I am also a doppelganger but, of course, you already knew that as we can not easily hide from others of our kind."

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Continued from Post #21 before this one.

 

[1] Early VenturesDC[11.2][0015]

 

They both turned, in surprise, to spot an odd cloud of black dots flying through the air, towards the wall upon the battlement of which they stood. Both sensed threat, in what they saw, as did others. The refugees were hurried into shelter, going underground, though there they were still going to be checked over as well as being cared for; as it was some of the group took up guns and were soon fighting for TechVault101DC and their own future as part of it.

 

Very large, flying, radroach like creatures were clutching odd glistening, insect materials made, pods beneath them while smaller, faster, versions flew before them; the latter carried nothing as they were soon making an attack on the outpost, strafing it with fired of volleys of spines and dropping black capsules that exploded with flash blasts.

 

Defenders had not really considered that they might be attacked from the air but they had machineguns, rocket launchers, missile launchers, lasers, rifles and other weapons capable of striking back; they did so even as the Wallguards wished their battlements were more enclosed than they were.

 

From the outpost, at first, longbowmen shot off arrows that were just as effective as laser beams, and bullets, but could be more easily made, repaired, reused.

 

The bigger flying radroaches flew down and dropped off their loads before turning back and flying away. If they could have attacked, they were not used in that fashion but it was a puzzle why this was so. The pods cracked open to disgorge radroachers that swarmed at the outpost. Five robots, and two ground turrets, opened up with machinegun fire while a missile wiped out one of the bigger fliers.

 

Michel cursed softly. "There is no way that those oversized, mutated, insects organised themselves in that manner. Clearly they are being guided by some kind of more advanced intelligence." He raised his laserrifle and it spat out a pencil thin beam of focused, intensified, light. A smaller, flying, radroach burned!

 

It proved to be a test of defences for the surviving attackers were soon retreating, the fliers winging it and the others vanishing into holes in the ground. Not one defender was even hurt but Vaultfolk were concerned anyway. Changes had to be made so as to deal with an insect enemy that even had its own air force including fighter-bombers and transports.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC [12.1][0016]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

The FaithOrderhood started its drive to establish protected, caring, service-supporting outposts in the area closer to CitadelDC; they were guarded by both their own ProtectorOrder and Steelguards.

 

The Galaxy Radio Station was soon advertising their services while warning people that their convoys, and outposts, were well defended.

 

The FaithOrderhood quietly began to gather valuable information, followers and those who otherwise work for them along with those they care for. The first outpost was set up at the edge of the very small settlement of Forgetmenot being made up of mostly scavengers.

 

The TechOrderhood began it own research development programs in its own area of CitadelDC. From the first they were seeking to improve the lives of people in DC. They were planning expeditions sent out to find precious data and other resources. A TechOrderhood unit set up in Forgetmenot to help the FaithOrderhood improve that outpost and settlement.

 

Steelguards were mostly focused on defensive activities though they did patrol roads, and some tracks, with necessary caution. Steelscouts, Steelrangers and Steeltroopers were also very busy, those units being smaller, more focused, than bigger ones such as the Steelguards and Steelservers .

 

Sentinel Sarah Lyons set out with LyonsPride03 though its number was deliberately misleading, for military intelligence reasons, as it was the only such LyonsPride squadforce so far established; it was made up of three squad15s, a squad5, additional elements and auxiliaries. Sarah was seeking to 'visit', to check out, a series of locations and to end up at the GBS Tower. There was apparently nothing special about the chosen destinations.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[0] Other VenturesDC [0.0][0000]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

Shankers had departed from the 'shop' when strange, even stranger than normal, supermutants had shown up wearing full body armour suits. More odd than that was their tight discipline and use of sophisticated technologies way beyond the basic slippipeguns normally favoured by supermutants. That is slippipeguns as invented by the same eccentric supergenius that had invented the almost frictionless pipes that had helped turn him into a multibillionaire.

 

Shanker's discovery, through the clever use of advanced instruments, that they were cyborgmutants was the final convincing argument. He had heard of such but had never met anybody who even knew about anybody else who had met one. Now, abruptly, he was threatened by at least 20 of them along with their more typical type robots.

 

Having managed to send a report, to his secretive employers, he learned that he had not been at the 'shop' to pick up an important delivery. To his surprise he was not blamed for his departure given that he had survived to send a warning about the cyborgmutants. He would be sent a large payment, plus a bonus, and expected to stay at a provided, private, set of rooms in Tenpenny Towers. This was normal procedure as he often staid in a middle class apartment in the Silver Tenpenny Tower.

 

It did not take long for him to reach the Tenpenny Towers, as a domed, highly fortified, settlement of its 10 towers along with other structures such as the external dome ringwall. There the tall, angular, radhuman settled down to a routine of such as reading, exercise, careful gambling, visits to a brothel and living on his board'n'bed rent; he spent time watching movies, at the Silver Cinema, going to the Silver Club and shopping at the small number of shops in that tower. Due to strict Tenpenny Regulations he was not allowed to visit anywhere else except the Copper Tower and the Commons Tower though he was free to leave the settlement; he was banned from going to other towers especially the Gold Tower and the Platinum Tower but very few could access the last.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC [13.1][0017]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

The radiation had been fading away quicker than scientists had, in Predoomsday times, had predicted it would or at least that was true in most cases. Toxic wastes had been cleared up by the RobonetworkDC being a network of varied types of robots and drones, some of the robots being very large; it was a mystery who-what was behind those machines. What was well known was that they were heavily armoured-armed, though they were only defensive-aggressive, and had fast, deadly, backup where ever they were. They tended to keep to WashingtonDC, only sometimes going beyond it to closer parts of the Greater DC. FactionsDC tended to agree not to attack them because what they were doing benefited the greater number.

 

Sentinel Sarah Lyons observed a convoy of RobonetworkDC machines moving along a recently fixed up stretch of highway. In her power armour she communicated through the 2ways with her own Command Squad4. "Some questions are often asked about the RobonetworkDC such as who-what is behind it and where is it based as it has to be, it being so large and comprehensive, but few appear to ask why it is doing what it is doing."

 

Paladin Captain Vargas crouched next to his superior, who was doing the same. "Well, that is a question that LyonsPride can help to answer. We know that our traditional enemy, the EagleEnclavers, are coming from the north in large numbers; perhaps they have something to do with it as in getting WashingtonDC prepared for their possible, future, occupation of the ruined city?"

 

They did not hide from the strange robots but neither did they do anything that could be seen to be provocative.

 

Sarah responded with a frown in her voice. "I have a deepsense that the answer is more subtle than that and is linked with the..." Then she stopped before changing subjects. "Now we move on to the next coordinates destination and leave the big old robots to their working."

 

Vargas said nothing but was soon helping to get LyonsPride03 on the move to a subway station.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC [14.1][0018]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

Numbering 130 thousand, they came down across the North American mainland as 10,000 relatively large, grey, parachute-cubeboxes , 30,000 medium ones and 90,000 smaller ones.

 

The big cubeboxes were 9.9 cubic metres in sizes, the medium ones were 6.6 cubic metres and the smallest were 3.3 cubic metres in dimensions.

 

They came down as separate clusters of 13 ; each was one big, three medium and nine small ones there being altogether 10,000 of them.

 

The appearance of them was generally normal except that they seemed to come out of mid air, with fast sharp flashes of energy, high in the atmosphere. They were also spotted moving against the wind and moving in other ways that normal parachute landings did not. They neatly avoided landing in water or other types of terrain that could make them harder to get to. The parachutes vanished, with a small flash of energies, after the cubeboxes had landed.

 

Then there were the parachute-crates of colourful, wooden appearing, crates of varied sizes and with them parachutes of double colour, double stripe, patterns. The parachutes were always easily large enough to carry the crates.

 

This time the parachutes appeared to obey the laws of nature as they came down in more chaotic numbers and formations, thinning out across North America and beyond. It was soon to turn out that the crates were good at floating in water and that the parachutes were drawn into receptacles as soon as the crates landed.

 

The parachute-crates appeared chaotic in nature when compared to the parachute-cubeboxes.

 

Their impact was generally reduced because they came down over a very large area though they did concentrate more in some places, than in others, such as DC!

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[0] Other VenturesDC [0.0][0000]

 

LittleFateObserver always observed what was taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

Gamergods, all 13 of them, were frightened, frustrated, angry and yet patiently waiting for a chance to strike at their enemy, In an inward looking ring, of elaborate capsulechairs, they were protected from the intruder by the security bubble that showed as a dome above the floor.

 

Outside of that the monster went on circling them as a Malignester humanoid with multiple tentacle-arms and three tentacle-knecked heads. It ignored the smashed, dead, armoured bodies of Gamersemigods, and Gamerlords, that had tried to destroy it. The Gamergods had ordered survivors to retreat and then to trap the Malignaster just as it kept them trapped. They could still communicate with the outside and even work there through their avatars but still they longed to be truly free.

 

It was a message, to them, of some kind but they still had not quite worked out what it meant; or was that true at all and they were just trying to try to find some kind of logic where there was none? The Malignasters served the Malignamass and reflected its totally alien nature of utter chaos.

 

Of most concern was that somehow the Malignamass had become involved with the 13G13's mightiest program of all, the creation of a Gamerworld and its secondary gameworlds starting with the one primarily based on the SVR, Super Virtual Reality, game of Fallout. Except that there were troubles arising already that the Gamernetwork was having troubles dealing with.

 

The 13G13 had arrogantly taken advantage of a set of extremely powerful, alien, artefacts that they had obtained, often through evil deeds. Only now was the foolishness, of that act, now becoming truly apparent to them.

 

The Malignaster vanished away with a bizarre pattern of disturbing energies but why so, at that moment, was not understood by the Gamergods; what they did know was that they were, apparently, free!

Edited May 17, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC [15.1][0019]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

Landris, a biodroid of a biological based android, stood back in his elegantly practical workrobe observing the ice cold minded supergenius Timelord do her work on what many were calling the raniroaches. She was the Rani, a criminally insane rogue whose infamy had grown so bad that no Timelords trusted her, not even the largely chaotic Timemasters.

 

Landris, despite his use of the male pronoun, was a sexless neuter, as were his four 'siblings' from the same production set. Secretly Chosen Ones, the L5/15, officially served the 13G13 of other criminally insane scientists, along with other twisted supergeniuses. The Rani was not of the 13G13 and neither would they ever let her be for she was not of the 'Glorious Dynasty' but she clearly had no desire to be one of them, barely concealing her disdain for them at times.

 

Landris spoke very calmly as was natural for him. "It was SageMarshal Jakeari02 who created the airborne assault force and sent them against the vaultfolk of Caves101DC. His 'thinking' was that there was already evidence that the Vaultfolk101DC had learned about what they call radroachers being the basic ground units that you first produced over a year ago. It was sent as a test of enemy defences and he calculated that the target people would see it as such. Information, from his informants in TechVault101DC, have confirmed that this is what has taken place."

 

The Rani scowled coldly. "What other experimental radroach types were used?"

 

Landris responded. "Apart from the radroachers there were large radroachwing transporters and smaller versions of the same as what the enemy called fighter-bombers. SageMarshal Jakeari02 deliberately chose only earlier type experimental results subjects and did not send any of the more advanced, dangerous, types. I calculate that he wanted to trick the vaultfolk into thinking that the threat is less than it really is."

 

The Rani scowled some more, as usual. "SageMarshal Jakeari02 is not smart enough to think of such twists, himself. No, it is clear to me that the fool is being manipulated by others far more canny than he is; there are too many candidates, to choose from, in the 13G13!"

 

They were in the RaniTARDIS being also in a large, exotic, laboratory-workshop chamber. It was dotted with Timelordic machines of Timelordtech along with others 'borrowed' by the Rani or developed by herself though a few were hybrids. In large tanks, with transparent armaglass sides, were radroach variants including very disturbing hybrids.

 

In an alcove was a stolen vending-machine half full of NukaCola Quantum that she found useful in some of her experiments; the vending-machine had 'dangerous hazardous materials' signs on it and warning not to drink any of the glowing liquid.

 

Given that there was nothing useful to add, to the report, Landris departed and was soon glad to be outside of that chamber though it was not as bad as another one that the Timelord worked in.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[0] Other VenturesDC [0.0][0000]

 

LittleFateObserver always observed what was taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

The radraiders were damned tough fighters driven to berserker killing with the use of psycho and other drugs but the reavers slashed through them almost as if they were helpless invalids. The radraiders fell back, firing slippipeguns of different kind, slashing-stabbing with melee weapons, but the reavers moved with impossible seeming speed, agility and trickiness. In curious black outfits that made it harder for them to be fully discerned, and tracked, they struck repeatedly with exotic hybrid weapons.

 

Radraiders fell back in desperate shock, trying to protect their children and what valuable resources that they could take with them. They fled from the well fortified settlement that they had taken months to properly set up and were soon fleeing in the three raidbuggies that they could use. Only about 23, of 176 radraiders, had survived and half of those were children.

 

The reavers, having gained the strategic location and the resources in it, did not bother to give chase; if anything they wanted their frightening reputation to spread and so did their criminally insane lords-masters back in the location that they only knew as homebase.

 

The radraider survivors made it to another, bigger, radraider clan and surrendered before passing on the terrible news. If they had doubted that they would be disbelieved this was soon dispelled by the fact that the other radraiders had received three other groups of radraider refugees. It was clear that the reavers, who freely gave their name, were deliberately targeting radraiders but just why was not obvious though there were a few theories going around.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

[1] Early VenturesDC [16.1][0020]

 

LittleFateObserver always observes what is taking place but mostly, indirectly, through the LittleFateWatchers!

 

Of the Reregulators there to observe the strange incident, five were of the J5/15 as Chosen Ones. JackOman, JessOman, JillOman, JohnOman and JuneOman they were as two men and three women as siblings. They stood, in the shadow of mutated but very green topped trees, in the famous dusters of the Reregulators, watching as grey coloured cubeboxes behaved in a seemingly impossible manner.

 

The cluster of one relatively big, three medium, and nine small ones were not only clumping together but melding to each other, into the hulls of each other, and then the completed formation was being covered with the formerly vanished parachute. It flashed into existence before shrinking around, over, the formation and then smoothing out as its rounded off 'outer skin'.

 

They had been chasing illegal intruders as UPCs, Unauthorized Player Characters, playing out roles as human slavers with real NPC, Non Player Character, followers and slaves. It was no coincidence that all of the slaves were radghoulmans as that was the way across most of North America and it was so in DC. Most 'clean skins' did not care about the fate of radghouls, of any kind, and more intelligent kind ghoulmans were valuable as slaves.

 

Not far off the UPCs were in the back of a cagewagon while their followers were in another and the former slaves were in the back of a normal wagon eating good rations and drinking strong coffee. The UPCs were in truth just children, now blocked from escaping by adjustments done to gamebands on their forehead and confinement bracelets on their wrists. While they would get into trouble the authorities, off in the Gamerworld, would be mainly after the faction that sent them into that gameworld. The children were just manipulated young fools but why had they been chosen and helped to go to that realm?

 

JackOman spoke. "I take it, siblings, that you picked that new information up."

 

They all had done so, of course. The grey structure gained doors, a sloping roof, shuttered windows and other features now dull coloured in a typical fashion of human buildings. It even had solar power panels on the roofs, small chimneys giving off pale whiffs of smoke and an aerial like a combination of one for TV and radio. The J5/15 were to take the UPCs to that GRO, Gaming Regulation Outpost. Only three of them needed to escort the five, fake children, that looked like overdone tough slavers, except that all the group had been invited to visit one of its sections including the Reregulator NPCs being also such as dogs and horses.

 

Getting the 'hint' that is what happened!

Edited May 7, 2023 by Maharg67