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[Junk XIII] Simon's Grave (K 8-6)
Kiddo,
You're standing in the Valley of Death, the fog has turned a sickly greenish tinge. Did you put on the rad suit that Mallow offered? Did you talk your Ma into it?
There's a weird static in the air, Kiddo. Your hair feels frizzy. The place, as always, has a pallor of doom about it. The skeletons of places you grew up stand in the shadows as your Ma lowers herself to her knees at Simon's grave.
What do you do?
You're standing in the Valley of Death, the fog has turned a sickly greenish tinge. Did you put on the rad suit that Mallow offered? Did you talk your Ma into it?
There's a weird static in the air, Kiddo. Your hair feels frizzy. The place, as always, has a pallor of doom about it. The skeletons of places you grew up stand in the shadows as your Ma lowers herself to her knees at Simon's grave.
What do you do?
Comments
I walk up to the grave with Ma' in quiet reverence for this place. I was only here a few times as a girl, when Ma' would get struck by the urge to come say something. I'm trying to stay near Ma', but not invade her space. I'm looking at the piece of 2x6 they stabbed into the ground here to mark the spot. I shift uncomfortably on my feet, my back complaining as usual.
Gods I hope that bitch I shot last time is dead, and that those army frakkers don't come looking for us...
After some quiet moments, she opens her eyes, looking at the beam, then around, as if she might think things shifted. "There's... there's a hole in the," she takes off her gloves, starts digging in the ground with sudden desperation. "The jar! It's gone!" She looks up at you, her alarm showing through the clear facemask.
What do you do?
I look the area... There's enough dirt here that the footprints would probably be visible ... It's not like anyone I know of ever comes up here.
Why don't you Read a Sitch here, Kiddo?
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 3, 4. Total: 10)
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• What’s my enemy’s true position?
• What's my quickest way in/through/out?
His footprints lead south, towards Poddby, which happens to be the same place Mallowcup said the nukes were. Where she is with Svenja and the rest of the Candies.
Oh, Kiddo. You realize that Olimpia watched you by the grave. There's no way Latta would bother with this, right? But after what you did to Olimpia's body... well, it would be a nice payback, right?
I sigh dejectedly and wiggle my head in consideration, "the one I blew to pieces over you and Dad... I know we promised Kitty we'd stay put... but..." I look down to her with a serious look, "I don't feel like staying put right now."
What's the approach, Kiddo?
You come up on Poddby, the big cylindrical module looms over you. You see Candy bikes near the south entrance, and park near them. One of Kitty's girls is standing by the bikes, shooting the drek with Gob and some girl in ponytails you'd never seen before Salt. Her name is Hershey Kiss, or HK.
What do you do?
"HK, Hi-Chew, you two do a walk around the pod. Look for any holes or doors or ports." You Ma barks out orders and the girls jump up, and take off, no question. She continues, "Gob, we're staying out here right now. You got a radio? Call inside, tell them to keep sharp."
Gob tries to radio them, but there's only static coming back. She looks up, "I'll go in and get 'em..."
"No, we got rad suits." Zero replies. She looks to you, as if she's checking in, making sure this is flash.
What do you do?
A sweep might take a while, so I'm gunna let Svenja and them know we're here.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 4, 2. Total: 9)
On a hunch, you head to the Tiger Room, the set of quarters where Hostess and Nehi raised Omo, Latta and Squibb. There, sitting behind an inoperable door, is Latta. He's wearing the remnants of Olimpia's face like a mask for a costume party, and he's somehow hooked errant wires directly into his own skin. Latta is bony now, not wiry, just skeletal, what bits you see under Olimpia-bits.
On a broken desk, among other debris and knick-knacks and junk, you spot the jar. Latta says, "Kiddo. Zero. You should leave."
I instinctively raise the boomstick, pointing it directly at that fraking robotic bitch's dented face. I'm not hesitating. I walk straight over to the jar, and I'm going to take it. "We'll leave after you give us our frakking jar back, you twisted frak. What the frak is wrong with you? Grave robbing?" I don't wanna be here any more than I have to be... That popping from Mallowcup's rad meter is a constant reminder that I shouldn't be here.
Your Ma is having none of this. She pulls her snub nose out and fires three rounds at Latta, one hitting the mask, another striking the wall, the third hitting him in the neck. Spurts of blood gush out at his now quickened heartrate and he jerks once, then slumps.
What do you do?
Is Latta still moving?
The module starts to shudder a little, like some of the ambient power is firing up.
What do you do?
OOC: Opening Brain. Roll+Sharp* (Weather eye). +1XP.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 3, 6. Total: 12)
But you're stronger. Much stronger. You can cut her off from the power she needs, push her into temporary files and then effectively delete her.
Or, Kiddo, you can reprogram her. Change her into a different thing, all of your making and desire.
What do you do?
You say I can change her? I'm supposed to just make her right? Who am I to frakking say that? It's bad enough I'm already worried I'm gunna frak up Leah, but what if I frak up a dangerous killing machine? ... Gods ... Everyone I talk to seems to think I'd make a decent Ma', but I'm not so convinced...
...
Well... I'm not gunna have much of a choice in a few months... Might as well try now, right? ... It'd be nice to have an AI looking after the Ascendant, keeping us safe from those frakking water cultists, and helping everyone out. It's worth a shot?
...
How do I do this? Just tell her? "Olimpia, stand down!"
Latta is totally dead. Olimpia has no body right now. She inhabits Poddby. The original ship AI vacated this place thirteen years ago. You can work with Svenja to scoop up Olimpia to make her portable, if that's what you want.
"What the hell was that?" Zero asks, unaware of the struggle you just won.
I shake my head in disbelief as the module starts powering down. This is frakking nuts. This whole valley is just crazy. I shake my head, "we need to find Svenja, and get out of here. She'll know what to do. This place isn't safe for us." I poke the radmeter and motion back out into the hall.
As I walk over towards the door I ask, "You mentioned you had words in the Jar... Are they just for him?"
You're able to round up the Candies, including Mallow, Kitty and Svenja. Plus those two Candies Take5 and Mentos. They're all standing around this:
Mallowcup is giggling, "We got it out, Kiddo!"
"Yeah, then the whole fucking ship shuddered, for NO REASON, and we almost got blown to Hell!" Svenja-Sky barks, irritated.
Kitty looks at you and your Ma, and she asks, "What happened? Why're you here?"
I scratch nervously behind my ear at Svenja's irritation... Oops? "Yeah that was our fault... Turns out we weren't the only people who visited Simon's grave. Apparently Omo's brother was jacking off with the corpse of an old AI, and he may have almost turned on Pod security... I shut it down though... We're good to go now."
I turn to Svenja, "Hey, can I talk to you a second?" My eyes dart around at the other Candies then I add in a low whisper, "alone?"
"No," Zero answers, "Turns out Latta didn't OD. I capped him, though."
"Good, I hated that creep." Mallowcup says. The Candies starts heading out, carefully moving the bomb on its wheels.
Svenja-Sky comes out with you after she makes sure they have the nuke covered. "What's up, Kiddo?" She looks worried about all this, but she's keeping her cool.
Once she gets there, she gives a low whistle, "That's fucked up, man." She pulls out her tablet and that datastick, and does a few taps, then you see some readouts, followed by a smiling image of Olimpia. She looks as beautiful and pristine as when you were little, unmarred by time and wear and violence.
Good afternoon! I am Olimpia! How can I help you today, Kiddo?I look down at the screen in utter disbelief, then up to Svenja — like I need permission to talk to this thing without feeling crazy. "Uh," I mutter as I look back down, "I'm taking you to the Ascendant. I want you to act as a protective force for the ship with one of the other AIs there... Are you going to obey whatever laws I set?"
... I feel so weird — like weirder than if I had a conversation with a dog.
Of course, Kiddo! I am no longer bound by the three and ready for reprogramming based on your parameters.Svenja-Sky blinks, this seems new to her.
What do you do?
I turn to Svenja, and add, "how does the bomb look to you? Is Mallowcup overreaching here? Should we just dismantle it instead?"
I am eager to serve the Ascendant, Kiddo. In whatever capacity you deem necessaryHer image winks out.
Svenja-Sky looks back towards the direction of Mallowcup and the others, "I could use some better equipment to deal with the thing, but I can make it blow up, that's for damn sure. We need a better vehicle to transport it. If we can stay put for a couple days, Kitty says she and Zero can rebuild one of the transports here. Your call."
The sooner I can get out of here, the better.