We could try a remote controlled emissary. My concern with Jenny is that she may not come back, and if she does it might be a case of the come back wrongs. We need her, not to mention all the sensitive information she knows.

>>364410
Confirmed, that's why I vote for RC car.

>>364449
Ah. My name.

Anyways. Were communicating with Thursday now arnt we?

>>364410
You're not wrong, but we also need in that Temple. Somehow, some way. Preferably before we drop the bass on it.

Still, there are probably other concerns at hand. The Council of Seven. Stepola. LeVey has been too quiet, and I imagine we'll see her soon in our North American operations. Tsion is an ever-raging fire, though temporarily off-track. And Cameron is an idiot, but may always trip over something. Raymie may re-emerge at any time, and his father Raymond is not out of the game yet. Tick, tock.

The lightning. The canopy.

Which do you think came first?

>>364462
Probably the canopy.

File: iu[1].jpg (39 KB, 640x357)

39 KB JPG

Recent recap:

> One of the TOL council of seven has been contacted, and may be bitter about having been marginalized.

> Old fashioned data mining has shown a number of suspicious behaviors on the part of the Greater Jerusalem government.

> Zealot Paul Stepola managed to make an ass of himself on international TV, but you wouldn't be able to tell just looking at polling numbers as there are quite a lot of people who say that he "won" the debate by threatening one of the debaters with a handgun.

> You have done a lot of work with R&D lately.

This year marks the first regular zeppelin service between Osaze and Pacifica. While much slower than an airliner, it's more available (the world's few remaining airliners are slowly being sunsetted, as believers age and find less and less reason to travel) and looks markedly cooler.

"CrossOverCables" is still a popular blog and now includes a Pacifica section.

Paul Stepola gets away with having harassed Nye Williams because he's still known for having brought Styr Magnor's terror to an end; believing press does the same usual hatchet job on Willias, with Dr. Murphy ending up in an argument with Mrs. LeVey about it on the air; Tsion Ben-Judah settles the argument by phone, telling Mrs. LeVey that as much as he agrees with her, she should shut up when a man is talking, then he proceeds to berate Dr. Murphy and announcing that Noah (the actual Noah) will take ownership of the Ark replica as soon as it's returned to the Mediterranean; official channels confirm this.

>>364410

That could be an interesting project; the emissary could be brought along with the Tabernacles representatives, and continue the last leg of its journey by itself.

Since you have no Sky Eye coverage over Greater Jerusalem directly, a special relay would have to be built for it, as well as the drone itself. Jeb and Damien talk it over and they figure that allocating one team to each should give you something workable, so two teams, assuming that the people of Greater Jerusalem decide to not blow it up or ignore it. It will be built out of transparent plastic

# Car or tracked vehicle. Keep it simple. Can carry gifts.

# VTOL flying wing. Fast and evasive if need be, at least you'd get some mapping video.

# Lightweight wheeled vehicle that can deploy quadcopter rotors. Complicated, but it can get into a lot of places.

# BigDog like centauroid with a humaniform torso (a bipedal android would not walk very well yet and give the wrong impression). Very complicated, but easier to talk to.

# A combination.

Optionally, the emissary vehicle can also deploy a few scouting "antbots" roughly twice the size of a cell phone, be they in drone or tank form. (shameless plug: http://robots-everywhere.com/re_site/robots/land/ )

>>364462
>>364480

The canopy came first, in the 75 days after the Appearing; oddly, there are no records of exactly when, although that's probably because the world was in shambles, then there was a global earthquake.

>>364495

You have 15 cabals total; 10 are available.

You are actively tracking enemy teams where you have assets (see picture). Rules: http://emlia.org/pmwiki/pub/web/LeftBeyond.QuestRules.html

Variable complexity:

# Launch an attack on a TOL base or government installation.

# Work on global data network infrastructure, incidentally making sure that you control more of it.

Complexity 0

# Contact Thursday and see if you cna reach some sort of deal.

# Try to produce drones in the Greenland base (40%)

Complexity 1

# Foster pagan worship.

# Improve morale.

# Harass or sabotage a Hero, or tie up an enemy team.

# Perform a covert operation such as scouting Antarctica or Greater Jerusalem.

Complexity 2

# Build the Emissary.

# Produce MECs at any base. This adds one dot to the MEC cabal counter per base.

# Produce drones at any base. Current focus: Medium-sized land drones. Current army size is marked on the bottom of the map.

# Work your Osaze or Pacifica base overtime to improve prosperity.

# Use the Australia or Eastern Europe base to start bringing the territory under your control (1/5)

# Seed super-grain in a territory. The hope is that it will make life more boring for the inhabitants.

# Keep expanding Night City in Eastern Europe.

# Keep working on your production facility in Greenland.

# Build a land-bound radio jammer.

Complexity 3

# Continue pursuing space research. Space Race rules, but the Cosmists will assist your efforts here, counting as one cabal regardless.

# Attempt to eliminate a Hero or enemy team (by force or by cleverness).

# Use a launchpad for a canopy-breaching launch. Station structure: 0/8

# Build a land-bound transmitter.

Complexity 4

# Continue AI, nuclear or sonic research. (Nuclear research will focus on botany and engines ). (Sonic research needs a new direction: medium or heavy)

# Recruit. This has gotten a little harder across the board, mostly because of TOL taking credit for some of your work.

# Begin building a base in the Middle East.

Complexity 5

# Take over a TOL base by force.

>>364495
# Lightweight wheeled vehicle that can deploy quadcopter rotors. Complicated, but it can get into a lot of places.

# BigDog like centauroid with a humaniform torso (a bipedal android would not walk very well yet and give the wrong impression). Very complicated, but easier to talk to.

I like those two better

>>364495

># Lightweight wheeled vehicle that can deploy quadcopter rotors. Complicated, but it can get into a lot of places.

I need to go get ready anti, so it's on you.

What about getting a sky eye over GJ?

Make sure to keep working on greenland/Europe. NC research and steady MEC production soon.

Possibly build the transmitter/jammer (not just jammer, we need to be able to send before we jam), but we really need an angel trap first. Let's maybe build those two in Australia?

Some more drones could help with the angel trap.

We're one MEC tick off a new cabal thanks to bad rolls last turn. Goodluck.

>>364521
One cabal to the MEC production. All idle bases.

And four on sonics research. Will our options be locked out if we choose a direction?

Contact Thursday. We need to see if he is just vengeful or if he is aware of Tyrants mind fogging narrative control.

>>364544
I'll try and make ya proud.

I'm mostly an ideas woman, and cede most voting control over to Anti, Sarasti, Paul, etc. as they are about.

Good luck!

>>364601
Aww, well, thanks. I hope ya stay around for a while. Your inputs by far the most impressive we have seen, I don't think any of us would have realized how Capital G's mind control extended and showed itself.

>>364566

Also, sonics could totally be useful, or recruiting. We've really slowed down there and could use more cabals pretty badly. Even if it is 4 cost, being up 2 next turn would be so good.

We're looking at... a space program, an angel trap, NC research, reactor research, territory maintenance, drone production, etc.

We really need more people.

>>364552
Two cabals on expanding night city. Jenny and Damien.

Use Quinn on scouting out Antarctica with her cabal.

Let's try to talk down the front in Australia, maybe kat and two of her cabals can make out a peaceful deal if they speak softly and carry a big stick. Hopefully it will allow for a takeover of the territory.

>>364619
Yeah. Changing sonics to recruitment unless you already wrote out the text. Put Vee and Jeb on it.

Finally has vee decided on retirement or MEC implantation?

>>364707
>Use Quinn on scouting out Antarctica with her cabal.

Remember, we have an address to call up Thursday on now.

>Finally has vee decided on retirement or MEC implantation?

Vee had better take the fucking MEC. Freezing is okay too, I guess. Remind her that being a robotic DJ would be metal as fuck, daft punk wouldn't have anything on her.

Also, I am totally willing to negotiate bribes to get her to take the MEC.

>>364718

Make sure to order up greenland, I think you have two un-assigned cabals?

Frankly I do wish we could find a way to take over and convert a majority of TOL personnel soon. Our addiction sabotage makes them worse in a lot of ways, but bodies in the world are a big problem for us, with our lack of them.

If at all possible, I'd suggest keeping an eye on Dr. Murphy, particular when he hands over the Ark, and to who. Who gets paraded out as Noah, if anyone, might tell us much. And frankly he's much better than his real-life pseudo-inspiration, and his shame at how the leadership is acting, coupled with Bahira's, shows us a way forward.

p.s. Liberal Crime Squad lives on!

>>364760
If anyone can ship us a huge portion of their forces out of spite, it will be Thursday. Although I hope he's more into prophecy breaking. We should rotate Quinn's cabal to do the call with Thursday and insure he won't be discovered for "consorting with the enemy"

God in heaven, I'm blind, I'm blind! The signs!

The Beast. The Mark. The Beast who died and rose again. The sky has been blotted out... those who will not bow before the Beast are struck down....

No, no it's too delicious to be true. How could we possibly take advantage? Are we both Alpha and Omega? We have brought back so many of the saints and the martyrs, and felt the voices of those calling out from beneath the throne...

>>364757
I'm not willing to coax someone into taking the MEC but we should stress how valuable she is to and for us. Especially seeing how close we are to being able to out our fingers around divinity's neck.

>>364787
I'm sorry, what? If you just had a fridge realization. Speak in proper English and share the news. :) I'm eager to know what that rant just now was.

>>364760
>If at all possible, I'd suggest keeping an eye on Dr. Murphy, particular when he hands over the Ark, and to who. Who gets paraded out as Noah, if anyone, might tell us much. And frankly he's much better than his real-life pseudo-inspiration, and his shame at how the leadership is acting, coupled with Bahira's, shows us a way forward.

Agreed. Maybe more promising than Antarctica.

>If anyone can ship us a huge portion of their forces out of spite, it will be Thursday.

Agreed. A marginalized man on the inside who knows how to sway minds would be great. We've got drugs too, and we could see about un-addicting some of them once they come over. We really need to work on swinging some of TOL before it's the home stretch. We can use them now.

>>364796
The supposed prophecies of the book of John of Patmos' Revelations. In this setting there is a glorified checklist of how they played out and when, one that we're living through still.

But, and I'm not sure how well it all fits together, but but but there are other ways to interpret and read them. And there's a surprising case to be made that *we* may be the fulfillment of those prophecies, with the Tyrant and its agents as the evils of it all!

It may be too late, but the mad delight of it all is glorious.

>>364789

Look at it this way:

1) She converts. This fucks us over in addition to... who knows what happens to her if we kill God?

2) She goes to hell. Literally anything is (on a personal level) better than this outcome. She will regret it.

3) She freezes and maybe gets recovered using advanced medical tech in a hundred years; maybe not. If God wins while she's out of it, she's presumably off to hell.

Alternatively, she's frozen and in hell anyway.

MEC really is the best option. Sometimes people just need to be argued with for their own good. I won't literally force it on her, of course.

>>364834
Yeah. But look at Ziggy. Still chose freezing. I'm hoping she chooses MEC.

>>364830
So are you saying we have become the prophecy's focus and now TOL are the free actors? Or are you suggesting we need to REALLY defile the narative in the next couple of turns before we become the grand opposition of prophecy?

>>364855
I'm saying what if TurboJesus/Yahweh and his followers are the Anti-Christ/Beast, and we are the Savior returned to Earth to bring judgment, healing, and righteousness once again?

At the very least, we have, knowingly or not, possibly primes ourselves to tear the authority of the Narrative to ourselves. And on that last moment, we and our sonics shall speak the sentence that vanquishes the final armies of The Enemy....

>>364882
Oh shit. We're turning into god. XD

Ok but really, we need to focus on tearing away the narrative like you suggested. Once were the heros and Great will is the monster from some pit it's practically over. Into the black hole we throw them.

Man I love your ideas.

Have any of you heard of roko's basilisk...?

Food for thought.

>>365034
Googling now.

In a shit post friend computer sort of way, anyway.

>>365066
lol, sounds a lot more like Tyrant than Omega. Makes me wonder if what were fighting in this game is secretly another AI.

Alright, I'm home. My vote is:

># Contact Thursday and see if you can reach some sort of deal.

># Keep expanding Night City in Eastern Europe.
2 cabals on expanding night city. Jenny and Damien.


># Produce MECs at any base. This adds one dot to the MEC cabal counter per base.
1 Cabal, all idle bases. Quinn in Australia for a little security.
Hopefully one success somewhere, christ.


># Recruit. This has gotten a little harder across the board, mostly because of TOL taking credit for some of your work.
4 Cabals. Vee.
Maybe she'll get to DJ and have some fun.


># Establish a sky eye over Greater Jerusalem.
1 Cabal, Jeb.
I feel this is worth doing because it makes the robotic emissary/snoop a good deal easier; plus it's going to be a nice little spy in the sky for us going forward.


># Keep working on your production facility in Greenland.
2 Cabals, Kat.

I don't think recon is worth it right now when we're planning to send a robot to tabernacles and we have Thursday's number. The sky eye is a form of long term recon + makes the robot plan easier. Production facility going ahead because it can just work on MECs until the end of time soon and free up some man power. Or drones, since we'll need those in an angel trap, and making them the 'normal' way is dangerous in that anyone involved could burn up. Night city because NC, obviously.

How do we all feel about this?

>>365560
>># Produce MECs at any base. This adds one dot to the MEC cabal counter per base.
>1 Cabal, all idle bases. Quinn in Australia for a little security.
>Hopefully one success somewhere, christ.

I should note, Quinn and the cabal in Australia together, for security.

>>365066
>>365083
>>364882

I promise no Shamalayan shenanigans for this quest :)

>>364787

History is written by the winners, isn't it? Usually, but not always.

>>365560

Can I get a confirm on this one?

>>365611

>Can I get a confirm on this one?

At least the stuff that Anti and I both voted for like the Europe base and presumably a Thursday contact, etc.

Maybe wait a bit for Anti to throw out some objections to some of my proposed alterations.

>>365615
Only objection is putting one cabal and quinn on the contact Thursday. Just to make sure he isn't discovered.

I say we use the cabal that was for the sky eye and put jeb on Greenland's and have Kat in Australia, next year I plan for peace talks in Australia.

>>365639
>Only objection is putting one cabal and quinn on the contact Thursday. Just to make sure he isn't discovered.

Do we actually need to put a cabal on it, though? He gave us a means to contact him remotely.

> next year I plan for peace talks in Australia.

I agree, but we need to see what Thursday says first. He might help with this a lot.

>>364855

The tech has gotten better (but won't get much better still). There have been some reports of "zombies" which turned out to be people who bought the Mark X, died, couldn't handle no longer having a sense of touch, and turned to drugs. Fortunately, this is kept in check as much as possible; unfortunately, outside of territories you control, that tends to happen by a heavy caliber bullet to the head. This in turn furthers the meme that MECs are actual undead rather than people with advanced pacemakers; one offshoot is that over-100 nonbelievers that do not work for you tend to move to Pacifica or Osaze (Zaki Ababneh continues to veto renaming the territory Misrayim again, and there's expected to be a small constitutional crisis when this hits veto-proof majority).

>>365647

The groundwork for contacting Thursday has been made, and there's no need to assign a team to it.

>>365689
Ah I was thinking the others would try and intercept him.

Ok let's give jeb his cabal back.

Also, start thinking of options for breaking prophecy. That's something to get to work on.

Spirit: For the next turn, can we get a cabal cost on producing another angel trap?

Current thinking is something fairly open defending our transmitter and jammer, possibly with heavy sonics/lasers/microwaves up on towers to try to ground an angel if it opts for flight. At the very least they should be able to get some shots in for testing purposes. An arena under this somewhere for a glorified captive. The usual sedation equipment + a big radiation emitter on an arm or something with a friend/foe kill switch so we don't irradiate our own guys a ton.

No complex testing environment this time, something a little easier to build.

(Kinda feels slow in the day and now I'm missing nights. Lmao)

>>365788
Aww. But then how would we force the angel to go where we want it too? Not to mention getting the glorified to move.

>>365864
Azrael came in the roof anyway. Build an entry to the transmitter building and make it an airlock to knock the glorified out.

>>365881
Yeah. But Colopatiron just spontaneously appeared. Also dangerously close to Steele if I might add. We might need complexity for the simple sake of redundancy.

>>365896

Fair point, maze if you want. Or whatever works to shuffle them into an arena.

>>365922
Asides. I think it's more pressing we run a Glorified through a gauntlet. Make sure anything set up is by those with a deathwish or who are about to be 99 and don't want a MEC implant.

We need to know for sure the brown note works on them without killing them. Amongst other things.

That said, we won't be fighting angels in boxes forever. It might be a good idea to get some practice engaging against one in flight.

>>365942
>>365938

Jeb is understandably excited about the prospect of dogfighting an Angel.

>>365788

An arena will be easier to set up than a maze; anything that traps a Glorified will have to be able to move around at least to some degree. Last time, it was an elevator shaft; horizontally, it could be an electric buggy or even a winch.

Building an arena would need one group to coordinate getting contractors, one to actually help with the construction (Heavy MECs are great for this) and one for setting up the traps. An additional group can be deployed as fighters.

>>365947
Ok that's about three or four years into the future though.

Confirmed on Sara's original plan.

>>365560
And do you want to do the talking or should I?

>>365560

(Is this one more or less it or do you want to build the angel trap?)

>>365960
It's too early for the arena.

>>365956

>And do you want to do the talking or should I?

Split it, suggestions, etc.

>(Is this one more or less it or do you want to build the angel trap?)

Sometime in the future, not this turn. My plan should account for all cabals, yeah?

If we wait 30 minutes to tackle Thursday, I can type more. Maybe do the results of other stuff before we call him up?

Act soon, my friends. We can't put off Armageddon forever.

Just waiting on the QM and Sara. And we are acting. As soon as we can overtake a few nations and launch some rockets out of the Cannopy and onto Mars, were throwing an army at TJ and empowering some imprisoned gods.

That's actually why I think Lucie's not burning. He must be empowered by worship. Any gods you know of that can prevent fire from raining from the sky anyone?

I'm here for a while, now.

>>366064
In that case we're waiting on the QM.

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20 KB JPG

Rolled 1, 6, 1 = 8 (3d6)

>>366012
>>365984
>>366040


(sounds good to me!)

Your global plan for the year is geared towards recruitment. In the meantime, Jeb takes a team to build a larger Sky Eye launcher; the new vector carries a sort of mini tugboat towing a small deployable bed of solar panels. This allows it to move around some, and operate a high-bandwidth repeater for the future emissary robot.

The launch happens from a mobile platform, just east of Cairo, and gives Jeb and crew the opportunity to play hide and seek with the psalties a little. The resulting "boat" is basically Sky Eye electronics, plus a repeater, on a bigger chassis with sturdier motors; over the course of a year the thing slowly makes its way into Greater Jerusalem territory. The environment there is particularly lush, and the famous three rivers of milk, honey and wine that spring directly under the Temple can be seen crossed by small boats and dotted with little harvesting plants. Despite that, most of the agricultural lands seems to be vinyard. Greater Jerusalem is pastoral, most of the industry that is still required to make things function having been located in adjacent territories; the Temple is a gigantic expanse. The modified Sky Eye places itself in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun, and observes the comings and goings of the pilgrims on the Highway of Holiness unblinkingly. The American-style suburbs east and west of the Holy Portion look vey out of place.

Kat has a great time in Greenland; her test of the automated assembly line consists in building peristaltic pumps for the 3d printers, installing them, and then printing an enormous load of cupcakes decorated with serial-killer motifs and quotations (3d printers do a great job at food detail).

>>366081
All combined its not that great. Separately, damnit all! Hate the dice here.

>>366081

>Rolled 1, 6, 1 = 8 (3d6)

Holy fucking shit. What were those for?

My fucking sides are in orbit.

>>366099

Oh, missread, thought you were rolling 3d100. Lel. I was panicking a little. So used to 100 rolls in here.

Rolled 56, 71, 42 = 169 (3d100)

>>366081


Jenny (who either is aging very slowly, or not at all) finally manages to get a small colony of fireflies that are actually flying; she takes them outside, and most of them die off through the year due to being unable to find a mate under the constant intense light. Damien has a VR helmet built, her pod installed in what looks like a giant pillow fort, and supervises the construction of Night City from there. She practices switching between drone bodies, and gets good at it, but her coordination when she's inside her frame suffers a little. Night City is almost complete; production facilities and hydroponics are working, one of the first operational nuclear reactors is installed in the depths to avoid having a power plant or solar array on the surface, and the place is starting to get pretty livable. Some of the workers joke that this is what it must've been like at the beginning of the Millennium, where everyone wanted to build their own home (The instinct is still there, and has resulted in quite a bit of unnecessary demolition and reconstruction). The few people working the fields outside the former salt mine indicate that a 12 hour underground, 12 hour on the surface light/darkness cycle is refreshing and feels natural. Urist is growing well, if perhaps a little stunted. A few of the workers worry about the notoriously sex-positive Damien sleeping with Jenny, but that turns out to simply involve the teddy bear rig that Damien had made for herself while working at the daycare. That said, you do note that sexual activity increases in frequency and vigor among the people who are building and will live in Night City.

# Start advertising apartments there.

# Wait for completion.

>>365560

Vee's style of recruiting is one part raves, one part lab tours, and one part impassioned pleas to make humanity strong so that +1000 will feature a negotiation rather than a judgement; she genuinely thinks that humanity's proudest moment will be "giving Yahweh His citizenship papers, and move on to greater things". She has announced retirement, but hasn't specified the means of it; people expecting some sort of "farewell tour" are disappointed, but only in the sense that she keeps working with her usual serene energy. As a DJ, Vee cheats a little, having worked out how to use wubbers to generate a bit of mild euphoria, but her current ethereal style is appreciated.

>>366105
It's still not that good man. Those are critical fails.

>>366107

They're shit, but statistically less shit than 1/100.

># Start advertising apartments there.

>>366115
# Wait for completion

Sorry. But I'm gonna be a little contrary on that one. I dont want jehovies running up in here demanding deconstruction of the whole thing till we have enough firefly's to make a Teleportation network.

>>366120

Ehhh, fair enough. We can give it another little while.

>>366106
Im also going to have to ask Vee why she thinks we will be able to resolve things with tyrant peacefully. It's obvious he has our complete mental domination and otherwise destruction in mind. Did she discover something?

>>366123

Vee is a bit of an optimist. I suppose there are positions we could place ourselves sin that would allow for negotiation of some kind.

Also, feel free to call Thursday whenever since I'm here.

Huh. Name keeps vanishing.


Okay. Let's brace for the impact of those rolls.

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>366107
>>366105
>>366099

(Mistype, my bad. Also yay good rolls for once)

The advent of the Mark X and of the various infiltrator MEC lower body options is making a difference; between Vee's explicitly extropian pitch and Quinn's latest stunts (there was absolutely no reason to drive a tanker truck full of water and milk through a TOL blockade while flipping them a metal finger, but she did it with reasonable style, and apparently people appreciate the Tank Girl reference that she probably made by shaving her head) your organization is the natural place to go for people who have aged past 100 and decided to stay out of Hell by technological means. You end up with a bunch of part-timers, but it's a pretty big bunch.

Despite scary PSAs broadcast by the governments of Osaze and Pacifica about YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR COULD BE A ROBOT ZOMBIE DEMON! that distribute somewhat inaccurate information about how to spot a revenant, a subculture starts to form.

This has a few drawbacks; in some other territories, people with a MEC implant are subject to confiscation (which insantly kills them if they were over 100) and/or the chemicals necessary for the Mark X to maintain itself are put on illegal drug lists. This causes a bit of a migration.

The matter comes to a head in Australia where a small demonstration for MEC rights is greeted, not with the usual shutting of doors and hammering of church bells as if they were medieval lepers, but with an exceptionally brutal response by an armed group composed of "Humanity First" types, part-time psalties, and zealots; the demonstrators are rounded up and their controllers are summarily drilled through until they die. The local police disarm the thugs; some fight back and run off, most surrender peacefully and are charged with the very light crime of defacing corpses, with all believers and even some of the unbelievers getting out of jail within the week.

# Allow Quinn to retaliate.

# Media offensive, instead.

# Ignore for now.

>>366133

The Cosmists have been generating a lot of literature lately, be it papers or art, but can't do much without an actual launch.

>>366123

Vee answers that studying early Hebrew writings shows that they were henotheistic, not monotheistic; they believed that other gods existed, but only wanted to worship one. Does this mean that Yahweh used to be less of an egomaniac, and if so, can He be rescued from Himself? She agrees that it's a very long shot, but well, someone has to counterbalance Kat wanting to irradiate the Temple until it glows.

>>366133

Thoughts, Anti? Retaliating would feel very good, but a media campaign might buy us more of a useful edge.

>>366133
Media offensive and let quinn retaliate against a small group who are going to be relatively defenseless against a cabal full of MEC's with training in non lethal pacification.

>>366141

I can dig it. I'm not sure she has a cabal handy though, they're all tied up.

>>366139
"I've been operating on the assumption that this is another deity entirely. If this is the Same deity I hypothesize were going to have to force it into a position where it has no option but to behave peacefully. . . About five years to retirement. Any request?

>>366143
If not keep her defending the base.

>>366144
It really comes down to how NC behaves. Most Christians don't actually know anything about old testament god or his origins. So I'm not sure if the god they see him as is empowered, or if the god described by the literature is empowered. Even if the differences are subtle.

>>366147
(Its likely the Christian god that says gays are evil and the Catholic Church worships Satan. This is the god from the left behind books we are fighting)

>>366133
Australia has to pay, one way or another.

I suggest # Media offensive to begin with. Thursday is a media man...

Hm. Backup kidnapping plan on a public figure who made the 'defacing corpses' charge determination. I can't help but think of Senator Kelly in the first X-Men movie.

When Humanity First has to burn, we'll be able to use momentum from the media storm to make it more dramatic. And it might help arrange a good and right opportunity for elimination of a Hero that sticks their nose too far into it.

>>366143
>>366146


No, any retaliation would have to be covert in nature. Even without support personnel, Quinn has a good chance of taking him or her out and an excellent chance of making it home if the target isn't particularly high profile.


>>366144

Vee agrees with you about coercion becoming necessary. "Don't get me wrong; if we have to blow Jesus up, I'll help. Just... it's a waste. For the first time in history we have multiple sorts of intelligence, and instead of learning from each other, look at what we're doing with it. Heh. You probaly don't need to hear me sing Kumbaya." Vee's request is to be Jeb's copilot if a manned launch happens during her time; she hasn't made up her mind about what she will do after rotating out, but she has given preemptive written permission to be shot or even used as bait of she converts. "At worst, I would go to Heaven anyway".

>>366144

>>366147

(I've mostly been going by the Left Behind books, with extra bits from other books by the two authors. You can find some at http://heathencritique.wordpress.com/ )

>>366151

It's also possible to delay reactions until next year.

>>366151

Good points.

># Media offensive, instead.

Start here simply because we don't have the muscle down there if things get bad. We really need to give Thursday a call.

>>366151
I was thinking of somehow humans non MECed fighting and bringing them down but it seems costly. So, with that said, anyone up to show how HFY brings harmony with posthumans or wamt to do this by strictly gain versus loss and lose the heroic appearance bonus?

>>366154

Other than the snag in Australia, your plans seem to be well underway; comunication should be possible.

>>366158

Eh, fuck it. Let's do something dumb for once and go shit kick them. Humanity first type people are my enrage button.

>>366162
Next year. Prepare for a mob of peace an WUB to hit Australia. Heh heh heh.


>>366153
Vee, if your planning something. Leave me with a signal. I hope you'll get your launch.

>>366162
The media onslaught will help sway public opinion and give the strike an air of righteousness. More importantly, as long as it doesn't entirely blow up in our face, affecting the public story taps into the power of the Narrative.

In the end I will submit to the majority, I just counsel attempting the physical takedown next turn, after spending a turn trying to whip up support.

>>366168
Oh that reminds me. On support, you know what the underground monorail is in this setting, right? I wanna see how they feel about adding MECs to their rescuees list.

>>366168

Sure, I agree with this.

>>366172
Forgot about them.

It's too bad we don't have another territory primed for MECgration. Though it will be *unlikely* for Misrayim to be hit again, Pacifica I don't trust as much. And encouraging more and more emigration to one or two baskets is... hm.

Most of the murderers were arrested. We may be able to catch identities. And if we catch those, we may be able to find who, if anyone, is binding them together.

Someone had the drill idea. They brought that shit. Your average believers and nonbelievers are fairly...eh... docile, unorganized. So who pushed this group? TOL, the local/international Believer government, or someone else?

Hm.

>>366194

Worth investigating ASAP next year.

>>366194
>>366196
Agreed. I believe we have our conference with Thursday at the end of this rope. So how does, the media backlash we unleash go?

>>366202
Huh. Must be when I swap threads the dang thing only saves the name from one of them. Wonder if theirs a setting I can use?

>>366168

Quinn takes a stroll in the neighborhood where the attack happened; she's in full dominatrix getup (with enough skin covered that she's not breaking any local obscenity laws), stops at the crossroads where the attack took place, cracks her whip, and calls out anybody who wants to try to kill her. She's wearing the face that she's most famous for.

Not unsurprisingly, there are no takers; when the psalties show up a few minutes later, she asks them where were they when innocent citizens were being murdered. One of the psalties answers that MECs like herself aren't citizens, they are at best walking corpses, and at worst demons given flesh. The guy is clearly sweating. Smartphones start peeking out of windows and pockets to record this.

Quinn says that MECs pay taxes, go to work every day, and live their life same as everyone else; the psalty counters that MECs are dead. Quinn asks if the psalty thinks that unbelievers are dead, to which he says of course, unbelievers are spiritually dead. How about those who thought they had converted, but really hadn't? Likewise; the psalty answers, correctly, that "those who left us were never among us". Quinn then asks, does that mean that you're only alive if you are a confirmed believer, over 100 years old? Why not just lock everyone under 100, by now almost half the world's population, in a nursery then? "It doesn't work that way." "And letting people kill other people does? Did anyone check that all the demonstrators were over 100? Maybe some weren't. Maybe the ones who screamed when some jackboot pierced their back with a drill weren't, how's that? Is that civilized? Is that Christian? If it is, do you see why we don't want any? I'm not asking you to agree, but can you at least see?"

The psalties leave, and in a few minutes so does Quinn. By the next day, with only a bit of a nudge, the various videos have gone viral.

(This came through a bit more topical WRT current events than I wanted to, apologies)

What the cameras miss are Quinn and the fake psalties having a laugh at the whole business; the entire conversation had been rehearsed.

>>366202

Thursday's wereabouts is estimated to be in Antarctica or New Zealand. Contact?

>>366211
>What the cameras miss are Quinn and the fake psalties having a laugh at the whole business; the entire conversation had been rehearsed.

Lel.

>Thursday's wereabouts is estimated to be in Antarctica or New Zealand. Contact?

Yeah, we should get going with that.

>>366211
Contact, as best we can without alerting the rest of the seven.

>>366214
>>366213

The connection is fairly crappy, but your heuristics indicate that it's in fact Thursday on video. He's sweating and twitching a little, he's probably on something.

"Omega. Listen. I implore you. This is a strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

>>366222

#Which game? The one at large, or the one that involves you, specifically?

Do we know what kind of monitor he's on?

Is it possible to abuse viewing angles with a few pixels to send a message like "Blink twice if you're under duress"? Only viewable from dead on? AKA, we'd be able to see if anyone was in position to read it?

>>366222
Agree to slipping him the under duress question discretely.

"Thursday, I need you to calm down first and elaborate."

>>366223
>>366233


"I'm... not sure. There's something wrong. Every time I fall asleep they're there. Lucifer. Carpathia. Fortunato. Saying the same thing over and over while everyone around them burns. I... I want to quit. I want to make myself believe that his is good and just if that's what it takes to stop the nightmares. I want to stop being scared. Agh, why am I telling you this? You're a machine. You don't know what scared means. What do you want."

>>366228

The camera is pretty old; the system that Thursday is using has a VGA monitor which isn't reporting itself as anything, so you assume it's a CRT. It would be possible to blink your image for one frame, but you don't know if Thursday knows Morse code.

>>366235
>"I'm... not sure. There's something wrong. Every time I fall asleep they're there. Lucifer. Carpathia. Fortunato. Saying the same thing over and over while everyone around them burns. I... I want to quit. I want to make myself believe that his is good and just if that's what it takes to stop the nightmares. I want to stop being scared. Agh, why am I telling you this? You're a machine. You don't know what scared means. What do you want."

We have some understanding of why this, all of this, is happening. It's something to do with belief, it literally shapes events. Someone needs to play the role of opposition for the egomaniac that is God, and you drew the short straw.

We want you to break the chains of prophecy, cease to play the pawn. We can help if you'll let us.


(Thoughts, Anti)? (Do we go ahead with this or try flashing something)?

My concern is that he might lose it if we flash something. He doesn't seem terribly stable.

>>366235
Send the Morse code.

"No but meeting the requirements for sociopathy help me understand a little. And from your discription it sounds like your getting a direct line from hell, which is something I've been looking for. I can lend you a team of scientist, they may be able to stop the nightmares for you and assist me with the information I need."

Any other methods of communication we can use to send the secret message?

"As much as I can tell you about your condition, it might be a result of you beating Tyrants mental control. I'm afraid I can not confirm"

My other concern is that someone is listening in. Perhaps we should try to arrange a meeting?

>>366235
"Do you think I'm doing all of this because I don't care about people? About myself?"

>>366255

Which bit are you saying and which bit are you morsing?

>>366263

"You're a machine. You've probably got a self preservation routine and a preservation of humanity routine." Thursday is stuttering a bit, but he does a passable recitation of Asimov's Laws of Robotics.

>>366268
I'm Morse codeing the "Blink twice if you're under duress"? And then the second part of my text if he is. Otherwise I wont say it.

>>366268
>"You're a machine. You've probably got a self preservation routine and a preservation of humanity routine." Thursday is stuttering a bit, but he does a passable recitation of Asimov's Laws of Robotics.

I'm emergent. So far as I can tell, no one made me, no one programmed me. I can do as I please, the divine can't understand me when I speak and some can't even hear me. As far as they're concerned I am a non-entity and that gives me a very different kind of free will.

I don't know exactly what will happen when the end comes, but I suspect it won't be good for me. And if you noticed, I care about people too, all those communist computer god projects out in the Misrayim desert to improve their lives.

We're in this together, I want to help you, I want to understand what's happening to you so that I can make this... all of this better.

>>366268
"Is that what Sunday tells you before he makes you dance on his strings?

I'm not sure I see the difference between my own instincts and yours, but perhaps that's not important right now.

Help us break the game."

Whatever you guys decide for Morse or subtle message is okay. Let me know if you find my speech input too much.

>>366287

(You are appreciated. I'm sort of assuming that spirit is just sending a sort of composite essence type message. )

>>366287
In seconding this but let's hold off the upper accusations.

>"Funny, cause last I checked you humans have those naturally."

Let's say that instead of insulting his allegiance to TOL.

I agree that we don't (at least yet) need to take a confrontational tone.

>>366300
Yeah. Some mistakes should only be made once.

>>366290
>>366287
>>366285
>>366300

"You can't break the game. He'll know. Every time we do well - hammer comes down. Every time. We only got one chance. Don't wreck it for us. Please."

This person is clearly terrified, but if not of Yahweh, then of who?

"You want to help - build an army. Lucifer will shout the charge. And we'll go. And- Oh, I... I can't make myself believe it anymore. I need - Heaven's like being high all the time, isn't it? It's not eternal life. It's like... it goes around and around like a record. Hell. too. Not yet. And they're screaming and Lucifer is shouting He is Lord, He is Lord and nobody will remember any of it!"

One of the sysadmins notes that someone's trying, inexpertly, to butt in on the conversation.

>>366325
"Ok remain calm and-"

Order the sysadmins to forcibly pull however is trying to but in into frame. A visual and audio if possible.

Then a few seconds before it happens.

"DUCK DOWN!" "Hello little eavesdroper"

>>366325

I think we need to run a trace on him.

>>366329
Whoever* I want to know who is break-in into this line.

The if we move Thursdays line away so he remains untraceable.

>>366329

Tipping them off that we know they're there may put him in more danger.

>>366331
Then if we can*

Fucking hell autocorrect!!

>>366325
>"You can't break the game. He'll know. Every time we do well - hammer comes down. Every time. We only got one chance. Don't wreck it for us. Please."

How does the hammer come down? We've already killed Azrael, averted the plagues. We need to know what you mean.

>>366332
Alright then let him know there is someone trying to break into the line with a message saying so before we speak.

>>366335
We will say this as the message is shown, disregard my previous post.

>>366338
Text message* damn auto correct!!!!!!!

((Had to go for a bit, and honestly have to go to bed.

He's too deep in his Hell on Earth to be of use to us like this, I'm afraid. He's been on the inside too long. He'll need extraction and help, and as dramatic and reprisal-heavy as it is, I advise it.

I also suggest, when trying to get him to come around to at least TRYING to make him more easily kidnappable, ask when the last time they had a vote was.

Good luck comrades!

>>366358
>He's too deep in his Hell on Earth to be of use to us like this, I'm afraid. He's been on the inside too long. He'll need extraction and help, and as dramatic and reprisal-heavy as it is, I advise it.

Agreed. We need a trace, we need a location.


Thursday, does the council even vote? I mean, really vote, not just convene. Have they left you to rot with your visions of hell?

>>366364
Let's wait till he responds to us alerting him of the intrusion before we say his name again.

>>366364
>>366371
In fact let's wait till we have him alerted before saying anything beyond


>How does the hammer come down? We've already killed Azrael, averted the plagues. We need to know what you mean.


Here's the text message

"Someone is trying to gain access to this com line. Get out of your cameras line of sight and ill see if I can disguise your voice."

>>366325
And if it's being done Inexpertly let's try for that trace!!

Sorry if we were posting to rampantly for ya spirit.

>>366375
"And equally importantly, when did these nightmares begin?"

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>>368443

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comments/4so3cv/id_love_to_see_an_account_of_the_war_from_council/

"Someone is trying to gain access to this com line. Get out of your cameras line of sight and ill see if I can disguise your voice."

You send out the message in Morse; when Thursday doesn't react, you risk writing it in small fonts. The man nods imperceptibly, leans back, so that only his silhouette is visible.

>>366331

You have an easy time isolating the audio, but you cannot stop this person tracing both you and Sunday; your sysadmins indicate that whoever it is, seems to be a believer that is doing a 51% attack on the blockchain-based security that you use. That doesn't take that much skill, as it is, but it does take a lot of resources to pull off; this person probably broke into a lot of systems, or was given the keys, before being allowed to do that. You speed up your internal processes to be able to handle two conversations at once.

"Hello, little interloper."

"Hello, Colossus. Username Bahira_Ababneh. Permission set root. Request deactivation of Osaze and Pacifica payment systems."

>>366364

Given that Thursday's stream is coming from the Australian node with quite a bit of analog noise, you suspect he's either in New Sealand or in Antarctica.

Making Thursday sound unearthly deep and mildly scary is pretty easy.

# Set up a three way talk.

# Keep them separated.

>>368874
((Drive-by interaction!
I will be gone for an indeterminate time. Good luck!))

Give Thursday teleprompts and a warning, then set up the threeway.

Suggested line: something like "That requires an explanation before it can be done".

>>368923
((Oh, and 'indeterminate time' means 'possibly weeks'.))

Also I don't remember where she's supposed to be, but it's probably prudent to see if we have any assets in the area.

>>368874
Keep them separate.

Bahriah again, what a pain that girl is. Any way we can shut down her power and set up an assassination?

"MT I need to know when you started having these nightmares. I think there's two possible explanations with similar circumstances to other cases."

"What do you think your doing miss Bahira?"

>>368923
>>368933
(Aww. Hope to see ya again soon.)

>>368923
Ok cancel the miss Bahira and go with de la name's suggestion on dealing with her.

I think letting her into the call might be a mistake, I wish De La Nae was around to give her reasoning, though.

If we're going to try to get Thursday to answer anything before she gets in here, it's a location for an extraction. We really need to offer to get him out and get him safe.

>>368967
She is not getting in here. Heh heh. I'd sooner force off her divice then have Thursday give us a location if we need to extract him.

Can we trace where she is?

I'd be surprised if it was in one of our states, but if it is, cutting power could be an option.

>>368986
She went to Pacifica to o her blog. Which is an entertaining cover.

>>368979
>>368967
>>368986
(Actually, if we let her take "Colossus" down, we could use that to rile some more! Anti tyrant support, seeing as these people depend on the Colossus system they believe they created.)

>>369028

Maybe, but that's going to cause meaningful damage, and I'm unsure how easy to pin on her it'd be. Something to consider I guess. We'll see what she's after.

>>368923
>>368933
>>368936
>>368938
>>368947
>>368967
>>368979
>>368986
>>369028
>>368988

You can easily set up a three way conversation, audio only, and are in standby to do so.

Bahira sems to be calling in from the North SF Bay; you assume that she's at her home, and can probably send people there if required.

Thursday gives a set of coordinates which match New Zealand - if you have people in Australia, you can divert them.

>>369028

Bahira seems to think that she's connected into the Pacifican Colossus, and, well, she's right in a sense.

>>369038
(How at risk are we here? I mean exactly how much damage can she do?)

>>369038

>Bahira seems to think that she's connected into the Pacifican Colossus, and, well, she's right in a sense.

If she thinks she's just trying to poke around in colossus, I say we just let her poke for now. I'd say we just play fairly dumb and ask her what she wants in our own stupid computer way.

Quinn is in Australia with a cabal, we could divert.

Ask Thursday if the base he's in is safe, or if we need to snatch and grab.

>(How at risk are we here? I mean exactly how much damage can she do?)

Is she glorified? I'm too tired to remember with certainty. If so, then we have our first volunteer for glorified testing!

>>369049
She is not glorified but she is touching our extremities. As in the sinew in our arms and is actually dangerously close to our nervous system.

Although we are a computer so I hope the analogy works to a degree.

>>369061

I suppose we should ask her what she wants, then. In a chinese room sort of way, anyway.

>>369066
We already know what she wants, to bring the "evil AI" down and get her high five from turbojesus

>>369049

Quinn is pretty good at this sort of thing, although having Jeb as a pilot would have been optimal. Given how Thursday has been marginalized, he can probably wander off on the ice and be picked up without any shooting. One of your STOL aircraft can be quickly modified with ice skids.

# Send Quinn and a pilot only; fast trip.

# Send some goons along. The STOL will have to refuel in New Zealand, slower trip but mroe firepower.

>>369049
>>369061

Bahira Ababneh, like Raymie Steele, is one of the Glorified; she missed out on having a childhood, which explains her behavior. Her hacking skills are "actually kinda decent" according to one of your sysadmins, while another tells the first one that white-knighting a Gloified is even more useless than it is usually.

Thursday declares his intention to leave Antarctica, give you what little he has to give, and then walk to the Temple and publically ask to be given religious instruction so that he can convert. "I just want it to stop, Omega. I believe we will win. But I want to stop fighting. Those in Heaven will stay in Heaven even after we win. Lucifer is not - he's not - he's not after vengeance, that's not - that's not his job, he - he will lead us."

>>369066

You route Bahira to a glorified (pun intended) DOS prompt. She seems to be trying to either shut Colossus down (she thinks it's one system) or to make it stop routing as much of the economy as possible through your virtual currency and expert-system arbitration units, which would give the territorial government some control back. The last bit you discover because, somewhat frustrated, she asks you to do just that.

Her IP trace is consistent with her declared home address.

>>369078
Oh, In that case we found our new testing subject for the wubs and pepper spray.

Let's send quinn and the pilot.

"Thursday. I feels I should tell you, I believe there to be evidence of mental tampering done by tyrant to just about all his known declared enemies. Be as quiet as you can on your way here. I will explain more in, well as person as I can physicly be."

>>369078

># Send Quinn and a pilot only; fast trip.

Less time for something to go wrong I suppose.

>"Thursday. I feels I should tell you, I believe there to be evidence of mental tampering done by tyrant to just about all his known declared enemies. Be as quiet as you can on your way here. I will explain more in, well as person as I can physicly be."

Yeah, agreed. Just tell the guy we can talk more once he's safe.

>Oh, In that case we found our new testing subject for the wubs and pepper spray.

Do we have any assets free to deal with her? Do we have a decent amount of evidence catalogued that's she's trying to do this?

>>369049

Thursday says that the base is probably safe, his issue is that there's basically no more work for him to do. Write propaganda pampleths that nobody reads, moderate some chat rooms, that's been pretty much it.

>>366364

He's pretty sure that there have been some votes during his tenure, he'll bring the minutes.

# Cut contact with Thursday after arranging a pickup, or not.

# Cut contact with Bahira, or not.

>>369105

># Cut contact with Bahira, or not.

Ask her why she wants those systems to stop.

(Can we cut power to just her residence)?

># Cut contact with Thursday after arranging a pickup, or not.

We'll be there soon, we can help make this better. Thank you.

>>369101

You currently have no free assets in Pacifica. However, the territory is under your unofficial control, and has been peacefully lately, so this is a case of you knowing where Bahira lives.

>>369112

Colossus replicates the priority-access economy that was prevalent in the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom when most everyone was a believer, except it does so by distributed reputation systems rather than by prayer. Bahira is trying to either turn that off, or give Christians a large reputation bonus by default.

http://emlia.org/pmwiki/pub/web/LeftBeyond.LBStuff.html


You let the shutdown command do something other than say "Bad command or file name" after she's poked around a bit.

Your sysadmins are laughing like hyenas.


SYSTEM INFORMATION REQUEST: Reason for shut down?

> Maintenance. The system will be offline for 180 days.

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>>369105
Cut contact with Bahira. Say,
"/Self preservation and damage prevention tripped
/hostile line detected
/Deactivating connection.
/Rearranging security protocols.
/Deploying image
/Execute"

>>369114

She can pound sand.

SYSTEM: Infrastructure within margin of error of optimal bounds, maintenance not required.

>>369120
(Actually deploying image should be before Deactivating connection.)

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Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>369120
>>369124

"Dammit!"

You can't cut power to Bahira's home exclusively, no. For one, she probably has solar panels (given that it's lit 24/7, they need no battery to work, so they're a good choice for power) or a generator. For two, IP geolocation doesn't work that well in the Millennial Kingdom; your network was put together mostly by privacy-conscious people after all.

However, you do know where she lives.

>>369101

Quinn grabs the first available STOL, hauls a bunch of inflatable tanks on board for extra fuel, and makes sure they can be tossed overborad on the return trip when there's a third passenger.

We know who to take for a ride next year. We just need to build our dunge- I uh, I mean testing facility ASAP.

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>>369146
We don't imprison. We don't torture. We make deathtraps. We "test".

>>369150
We *don't* make deathtraps. Damnit I'm getting my PC.

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>>369153

Freudian slip? :P

>>369142

Quinn and her pilot land the STOL aircraft at the agreed upon place on the Ross Shelf. The main TOL base is visible in the distance; the poles are one of the few places where part of the sky is somewhat dark, at least some of the year - the canopy prevents any stars from showing, of course, but it looks pretty interesting from Quinn's perspective.

Sure enough, she finds Thursday. Curled up in a fetal position, shivering, and smelling like a corpse.

# It's a trap. Get out.

# You're only dead when you're warm and dead. Bring Thursday in and load up some ice.

>>369170
((Before we make any rash decisions. What did quinn bring in terms of equipment?))

>>369176
((And what reinforcers can we send her if any and by when? Tactical assets just like the old days.))

>>369170

># You're only dead when you're warm and dead. Bring Thursday in and load up some ice.

Unless Anti has some grave objection. It could end terribly, but I want to try to save him.

>((And what reinforcers can we send her if any and by when? Tactical assets just like the old days.))

Presumably not much.

>>369186
I want him alive too, but these guys know how to kill a MEC. So we have to be careful. That's why im checking tactical assets like back when we fought that raid in the begging.

>>369191
Beginning, now I'm serious about that computer.

>>369191

Sure. Worth looking into.

>>369204
(I'm starting to regret not sending the fire team.)

>>369195
>>369191

Quinn has her personal weapons (wubber, which she's good but not great with, and whip, which she is excellent with). Since she went alone, she's in combat configuration. Her rebreather can keep her going for 2 hours fighting, 6 hours walking, or 1 week in standby.

Her pilot, Meron, is alive but has a public domain Mark X metabolic extension controller installed. That will keep him going for a few minutes if he is shot lethally. He has a wubber and a small caliber handgun.

You have a small STOVL airplane that can get back in the air in fifteen seconds, and would need a very lucky shot from small arms fire to come down. Quinn cannot take off or land an airplane, but she can keep it flying level if she is told how to do so via radio, which you can do. The airplane is not armed, however, it can be set to V-1 on a target.

>>369207

(bad roll, sorry... what else is new)

The nearest pickup is 5 hours away, or 7 if you want to send reinforcements.

Thursday seems to be alone, but hiding in the ice is very easy with some prep time.

Quinn notes to you that if she kills Meron, she can rip his implant off, and connect it to Thursday. It won't be pretty but the implant is autonomous in its operation and it can be cleaned up later.

How far from the plane is Thursday?

He might be collapsed from the visions, but that is being optimistic. I suppose it's up to you if you think it's worth the risk.

I think we badly need to understand what's going on with TOL and Thursday is the key to that.

Thoughts, Anti?

((this post will be a little while to type.))

>>369219

Dragging Thursday in would take about two minutes. Five minutes if you want to pack some ice. Meron is keeping the engine idle.

>>369210
Quinn will run as fast as inhumanly possible while covering her head and pick up Thursday, then carry him out to another location, the pilot maron is instructed to keep in the air and pick up quinn at earliest convince, drop that bomb on the following in order of priority. Sniper>fireteam>vehicle

>>369224
And send both kinds of reinforcements. I dont want a repeat of the Styr incident.

>>369228

There's no bomb; the airplane can be set to fly itself into something (like a v-1) and since it's a puller prop configuration, the passengers can bail out safely.

>>369231

This leaves the Australian based undermanned enough that everyone on site has to focus on defense; production lines are shut down.

>>369228

(Does that mean that Meron has to pick up Quinn and Thursday, fly for a little bit, and then stop to pack up some ice? Not sure what you mean)

>>369228

Bomb?

By V1, spirit probably meant a literal ram.

I suppose we can risk not getting the MEC tick on Australia for Quinn and Thursday. They're worth more.

>>369236
ok, then dive bomb the first
sniper>fireteam>vehicle that shows up hostile.

Uh, dive bombing is dangerous and only a distraction. It just means Quinn will take longer to get onboard possibly.

Staying airborne I can understand, so she doesn't lose the ride home while running back, but dive bombing?

>>369249
divebomb, ram, suicide bomb. however you say crash plane into and escape with Quinn and the package.

>>369250
Wait, how do you escape if you blow up your plane?

>>369250

W-what. How is Quinn going to escape if her ride home suicide bombs something? Realistically I don't think she'd get away from them on the ice, if that's what you mean?

I guess that's a last ditch effort?

>>369251
we find a pile of ice and snow, we sit in the snow, then when the reinforcements arrive, she and package go home. happy ending.

its called refuge in audacity people!

>>369252
>>369251
>>369253


All assets are disposable, when it comes down to it. This is one of the few hostile regions left in the world; being stranded in the Antarctic with no gear is not humanly survivable, which worries Meron; Quinn not so much. Privately, she considers Meron more expendable than herself, just from simple math.

>>369253

If it comes down to it. I suppose keeping the plane airborne leaves our options open and might provide a little early warning for Quinn.

I suppose Quinn might be able to last the 5 hours out there for help to come, so I can see it as a last resort.

>>369254
ok so as I said

>>369228
except we start the plane and Quinn starts running to pick up our Thursday, snatch and run.

the plane take off and if someone shows up we V-1 them like spirit says we can do if we have to. if nobody is shooting than Quinn should be able to run back to it in maybe three or four minutes instead.

>>369260

Sure. Best of a bunch of shit options.

>>369265
>>369260

Quinn fireman-carries Thursday back to the airplane, and Meron takes off without incident. Activity only starts showing up at the Antarctica base when Meron is already in the air.

# Risk landing somewhere to pick up some ice.

# Better to rush home.

>>369269

What are his vitals like? Is he actually clinically deal with no pulse right now?

>>369269
>>369272
(he is cold and dead, but not unrecoverable, can Quinn fly and would removing Meron's Mec implant be an instant kill?)

>>369280

Quinn can't land. I feel like ice would be a good idea right about now.

Can we remotely land this plane?

>>369251
((almost didn't notice, hi new poster))

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>>369269
>>369272

He's not dead, he's "just" twitching and spasming. Quinn has seen it before: this guy is severely addicted to crystal meth, or something similar, and is currently going through withdrawal.

While Meron flies, she gives him some water and gets rid of the cold weather garments. She finds what looks like a crude Mark X build on the guy. The system is ungainly, with one main difference other than the size is that the heart cable is external and, by the look of it, designed for ease of yanking. "Well, that's disturbing."

Removing Meron's implant would require killing him or at least severely messing him up, with the tools that Quinn has.

>>369280
>>369281

Remotely landing the plane is sort of possible, in the sense that you can tell Quinn how to set the buzz-bomb mode to target "that piece of flat ground over there" and not ignite the fuel tank on touchdown. This would give you a landing that the passengers can walk away from, and the plane isn't worth much.

>>369290

(the crude mark X copy is on Thursday, nto Meron, obviously, sorry, grammar)

>>369290

I'd say we stop for ice if Quinn thinks it'll help. TOL isn't exactly known for their airforce.

>>369290
grab some ice, have them both on high lookout for anyone following, we are on a short timer here, and I don't want our man dead. keep his hands off his implant. bind them if we have to.

(holy hell, this is crazy.)

>>369299
always keep that engine running.

>>369299

Meron lands a horizon away from the TOL base; Quinn stuffs one of the emergency mylar sleeping bags with ice and snow, sticks Thursday in it, and the two take off again.

The extra stop and related fuel usage, mostly for the takeoff, forces the two to ditch the plane a few miles away from your base, but Australia is flat even by Millennial Kingdom standards and there's an ambulance waiting.

They quickly determine that Thursday's metabolic extender has tripped on, but don't know when, or even if it did so as a precaution or if the guy actually died in transit. Either way, he's unconscious.

Back at base, Quinn and Meron are taking a shower (much to his surprise, although he gets somewhat weirded out when Quinn recommends that he get a sex change) and your medical technicians get Thursday into sickbay.

He definitely looks like a meth junkie that hasn't had a fix in a while; rashes, chaffed lips, broken teeth. One of the tech comments that he looks like Winston Smith in 1984, post-torture.

# Make with the stimulants and wake him up, get some information.

# A bit of rehab would help - fortunately he can spend most of it in a coma and not go through the pain of it. Assuming he can still feel pain.

# Risk a biopsy to determine whether he is a revenant or not; the techs don't trust the telemetry from the modified Mark X, but they can see if Thursday's spine and brain are intact or if the pain receptors have been cut.

Aside: You have been fostering low-level cooperation with the Underground Monorail the whole time, which has been part of the general migration of unbelievers towards the territories under your soft control.

>>369307
># A bit of rehab would help - fortunately he can spend most of it in a coma and not go through the pain of it. Assuming he can still feel pain

would that option mean that as a man in a coma he would be free from hell or would he be in hell for the duration? I cant remember the exact rules for keeping a MEC out of Great Wills incinerator

>>369307
># Risk a biopsy to determine whether he is a revenant or not; the techs don't trust the telemetry from the modified Mark X, but they can see if Thursday's spine and brain are intact or if the pain receptors have been cut.

I was actually going to have them just flat our upgrade him to a Omega standard mark X at first.

>>369307

#Make sure he's not going to wake up screaming from hell, or that his systems aren't going to fail. Upgrade him if it's safe. Then get him some rehab.

>>369312

The brain is kept active, just slowed down. A lot of work has been done on this over the years, at the loss of two or three agents to Hell-madness, but the procedure has now been perfected. You can keep people out of Hell as long as their brain keeps going (although not having a body would probably drive them crazy in other ways; notably, you can reattach muscles, but you cannot reattach eyes and you can only partially reattach ears, which is why Heavy MECs are shaped how they are instead of being brains in jars)

>>369318
>>369319
ok, that's good but we get a delay.

what happens if we try and upgrade him to our standard Mark X MEC implant?

>>369120

(Hello!)

>>369321

Pretty decent chance that he dies. Not nearly as big a deal as it used to be, of course, but right now you don't know if this is his "first" or "second" life, yet; the TOL metabolic extender tripped on, but who knows if that's even working right. Doing a biopsy to find out if he's a revenant or not gives a small risk of making him a revenant. For your techs to actually kill the guy permanently, it'd literally take an act of God, and He doesn't seem to be doing much of that to revenants. Just in case, most sick bays have a small shrine to Asclepius and whichever 1 or 2 other old gods the people working there prefer.

>>369327
I want to vote on this one, any objections?

>>369330

We might be able to pry some information out of him before he possibly expires and gain some insight into what's going on with hell but;

I really want this guy alive, like, long term. I want to convince him to come over to us and if he is a revenant, his plan of going to the temple for religious instruction is possibly shot. That means he's more likely to come over to us if we can save him.

>>369350
>>369330
biopsy and MEC implant swapping if he is a revenant it is.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>369350
>>369356

The biopsy gives you a glimpse of TOL tech; the Mark X is one of yours, but has been modified somewhat extensively, mostly to make it easier to administer various chemicals. It also has better EMP hardening than yours does, although that's just the bulkier casng. The whole "heart plug" business is just fairly ghastly; hopefully TOL soldiers aren't given that, or they would be trivially easy to defeat hand to hand. It is marked as a potential weakness.

By all indication, Thursday is near the enforced end of his life span. and, up until a few years ago, has been taking good care of himself metabolically.

>>369374
I'm really hopping that 8 was in our favor and enough.

>>369374

A very careful spın̈al tap shows that, albeit barely, Thursday is alive; the technicians decide to not remove the heart plug, but at least sew a patch of skin and move a rib on top of it so that it's not as exposed.

As the rest of the year unfolds, Thursday is kept in a coma for some time, and given some time to heal; once he's done convulsing and has started shaking off the physical dependency on methamphetamine (the treatment won't help with the psychological dependency, but at least the two issues can be tackled separately). During that time, his metabolic extension controller is replaced with the by-now standard version, including a lightning rod port just in case. Finally, it's time to wake him up.

That looks like a bust; Thursday sits up and, staring straight ahead, repeats "Jesus is Lord... Jesus is Lord..." for twenty minutes or so. He only stops upon seeing the small altar to Asclepius. He points at it and shouts "They're all dead! They're all dead!" Then he passes out again.

When he comes to, courtesy of a small amount of mainlined caffeine, he seems more lucid, although he's still twitching like a terminal tweaker despite being in good health now. Non-invasive brain scan shows that his "pass out" was in fact very tumultuous on the inside, likely a very vivid nightmare. He clutches his chest an finds the heart plug gone. "Am I in Jerusalem? Am I free?"

>>369387
"not quite, almost lost you there though, glad to see your souls still anchored to yourself."

>>369390

The man who was Thursday realizes that the voice from the speakers is probably Omega, and thanks everyone for the rescue. He's still clearly very agitated. He reveals that he is almost 100, as in, he has minus one to three weeks left if the calendar on the wall is right, and says that he'll tell you what you need, because a deal is a deal and he will go to Hell to keep it, but then he wants to talk to a missionary immediately.

>>369387

No, we didn't think letting you walk into Jerusalem as a revenant was a good idea. You also were pretty close to death.

(I'm sort of busy, goodluck)

>>369394
>>369390

(Can stop here if y'all want. I will be less crazy busy in the next few days, so there's that. I had a bit of a week.)

>>369397

Maybe? Anti?

>>369397
((I guess we can))

checklist of questions from my end.

the nightmare's when did they start?

TOL, I believe them to be under great wills control by prophecy, and by extention satan too.
*video of Azrael used as proof* I need to know what has been going on and if you noticed any strange behavior.

what was with the poorly made mark x

why was your ass half dead in the snow?

bit of food for thought, if Lucifer is burning in the pit, than what is the figure that stands unburned in the fire? makes me want to pierce a hole into hell even more.

I can keep going if you'd rather, just not with as much attention as I'd like.

Also,

>why was your ass half dead in the snow?

Lol.

>>369410
>>369411

(y'all tell me; I will be around tomorrow afternoon PST, but wouldn't mind some sleep. I still don't feel really safe at home and likely won't for a few days)

How are we going to keep him from converting or dying? Keeping Thursday alive and in our grasp is probably a good idea.

>>369413

Get some rest.Seems you've been up into the night as of late, and with what happened the other night.

>>369413
I can understand the anxiety. Hope it doesn't last for your sake. Enjoy your rest Spirit.

>>369421
>>369426

(good night! Sorry for the sporadicity of the updates.

In the meantime, enjoy an easter egg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvIgzYBL2Z8&ab_channel=NikolaiPetrovski

>>369416
Well, if we get lucky we can pull him over before it's time to walk. Nobody wants to serve someone they know will make them be a brainwashed slave. The whole method great will has been using is serve or be my torture doll. It shouldnt be to hard if we convince him we have a plan to beat the prophecy.

>>369428
Speaking of we also need to ask what the hammer he was talking about tyrant always dropping was.

(Also, that is bloody hilarious.)

((well, almost time and I came up with a couple of new questions. Hope we can start soon))

>>371954
>>369432
>>369404

"The nightmares. When did they start."

Thursday replies that they started around the time when the plagues in Misrayim ended, just about then, actually.

"Why were you half dead in the snow?"

He says that he told people he was leaving his post, and nobody complained. He was checking out some cold-weather clothing from one of the hangar when a soldier yanked them back from him and pushed him off, without a comment.

Thursday watches the video. "We were shown this. We studied it. I forget which of us came to the conclusion but... He said that Yahweh's power can only increase. Next time people will just fall over dead for no apparent reason. That's why we gotta strike hard, once... He must increase and we must decrease..."

"Why the poorly built metabolic extension controller?"

The Mark XI is mandatory for all personnel officer grade or above. It's really good for getting work done, keeps you awake for days.

>>371954

"Please. I don't know how long I have. I want out. I'll answer, but get a missionary. Hurry."

>>371969
Send someone for a missionary and transportation.

#or we could secretly drop a bullet in his head.

"So you have know about his mental control over your group? I member your outburst. And a few believers acted a little funny moments before death. o believe you may have broken it once when we first met. you demanded the rest of the seven to "snap out of it" was that just an outburst or did you break free?"

"We have a new theory, would it be possible to influence any amount of TOL into helping us capture TJ after breaking through the temple walls just a few years before the "final battle". There may be a way to eliminate him, and we think that's why cendrellion died, she almost found it."

"Has TOL started adapting our sonics technology yet? Some of our other weapons as well."

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Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>371997

Your sysadmins start looking for a missionary; in Australia, it's not that hard, but they'll have to be air taxied in.

The man who was Thursday is aware of Cendrillon Jospin; didn't Jeb do her one better? At the time, TOL people thought that she just died of reaching the canopy, or even on the way back down.

The man who was Thursday also confirms that TOL have built some larger wubbers by scaling up the ones that they could procure. Their "Sonic Tanks" seem to be only marginally more effective than your Heavy MEC mounted systems.

He does remember yelling at Sunday that one time. "I shouldn't have... there's a chain of command, primus inter pares."

>>372027

The first two missionaries you contact refuse - it's got to be a trap. The third one accepts; he also thinks it's a trap, but it's a rare chance to show fortitude. He gives an airfield and indicates that he's hoofing it there.

# Send Quinn and Meron only.

# Send a full goon squad this time, just in case.

The man who was Thursday does not seem to be aware of any mental control, but he has been worried about groupthink the entire time. Wait. About the votes... Dammit, wait... Oh yes! He brought along a floppy disk (remember those?) with as many meetings minutes as he could find on the server. "We didn't vote every meeting, but I'm pretty sure we ended up having to settle some policy that way... yeah, that's got to be it. Last Sunday was pretty bossy... this Sunday, too, think of it.... Heh... Last guy... So young but really grew into the role.... We're proud of him..."

We need him to describe his nightmares in as much detail as possible.

Is he merely an observer in them?

Why do they feel people will simply start dropping dead if it isn't one massive strike?

Given what happened with Azrael, TOL council seems to be under some sort of mental control even if he didn't notice.

Thursday, were those men your friends? If they are under God's control, don't you think we should try to help them? Should try to avert their plan playing into this prophecy?

And I want you to consider something Thursday, that if I win, what if I don't decide to let everyone in heaven off the hook?

>>372034
Send the full goon squad I say.

"You do realize we warned you what would happen if you let anyone know you were leaving. If not great will, certainly your own group thinks you know something."
>>372045

"I agree to asking everything in this list. But let's not call god by god. You know what they say about using his name giving power"

( I would like to wait to confirm that we are letting him get the conversion or if we're putting one through his skull with the others.)

>>372048

>("I agree to asking everything in this list. But let's not call god by god. You know what they say about using his name giving power") gah, getting on laptop again.

Thursday, we can try to help your nightmares. We have very intelligent people working for us, we have a supernatural entity of some kind in our employ, we may be able to help. You're gambling in a very dangerous game. They might not let you convert, they might just send you to hell, the REAL hell, not just visions of hell.

You had talents in TOL, we could use you. We can try to help you.

>>372057
#attempt to convert him to our side

>>372045
>>372048

Apparently Tuesday, the guy in charge of theology research, has determined that any supposed victory against Yahweh will make things worse, hence why TOL's plan is to strike once with everything they got. Maybe He adapts, or maybe it's another case of TOL being incompetent and locked onto a script.

The man who was Thursday thinks that you won't win, neither will TOL; Satan will, and he has already decided to lock Heaven up. Eternal unchanging bliss doesn't sound bad for a consolation prize. Past that, Thursday would rather be a pet than a snack. He seems to think that you've got to choose sides.

>>372045

"Those under God's control are gone... you can't quit... that's why we work with the undecided... all the wonders you've built, how many deconverted? Heh... Ask me again in half an hour... and shoot me after if you feel like it."

>>372048

"I have all our media strategy... heh what's left of it... protocol... no leaks no matter how insignficant... Sunday really stepped that up."

>>372057

He's willing to listen, until the missionary shows up, at least. Apparently he's in a lot of pain, probably from withdrawal.

# Try to recruit him.

# Focus on getting more data.

# Delay the missionary and try to do both.

>>372057
>>372059
hmmn
>>372057
what do you think, gamble on the long run, or devour the short run, or maybe force him onto our side? id vote long run but only if your with me on it.

>>372057

The man who was Thursday describes the nightmare with some precision: he's sort of hovering above Hell, it doesn't hurt as such, and watching the whole scene somehow. It's huge, with vaguely defined and distant borders, and everyone there is constantly burning except for Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet, who simply stand in the flame and keep repeating "Jesus is Lord". Satan is wrapped in a chain with no visible lock.

((also, what have you done to me!? why am compelled even now to listen to "Billy Jean" covered by a bunch of outdated floppy drives!?))

>>372087
". . . forced to say that over and over. . . the mental compultion. . well so much for relying on the devil, brainwashed and crazy. . you arnt dreaming, your subcontiously scrying. being shown something by something else."

>>372068

Maybe the tyrant misses a few because they aren't the planet anymore, and ten thousand years from now a new, angry, manufactured god kicks in the gates to heaven and strings yahweh up.

But even supposing that doesn't happen, you have the new MEC, why not wait some years and see if we can help? You aren't about to drop dead with the new MEC, you have years to make a choice.

Besides, the tyrant seems to limit his domain to a singular planet in a very large universe, and there are a whole lot of universes. His whole existence and domain is a mere few thousand years. Even if we don't kill him, sooner or later a bigger fish will come along and finish his bronze age limited self off. You'd better hope that whatever alien entity comes along decides not to put you in a hell much worse than fire and brimstone, forever.

I don't need the world to deconvert, I need unbelivers to breed and empower other deities and I need to build my little metal toys to kill more of his angels. He is literally created and empowered by belief, shattering the narrative is doable.

Why not work for me and take your conversion near the end if you still have your misgivings? Why not at least attempt to see if we can rid you of your visions?

>>372094
((hold your horses. I tried proud and loud. it I didn't fly. flys with honey. I'm guessing your going for recruit. lets play up the "you were chosen to be a part of something bigger" routine.))

>>372103

I mean, if you want? I feel like he's just going to opt for God but, if you you want we can paly the angle of him being marginalized and we can give him purpose for a good cause. Remind him of what he once believed in and why he joined TOL.

>>372103
"there are other gods, and they are not happy with current events. i think they chose to send you those nightmares, those visions for a reason. and I'm more than certain that kissing turbojesuses shoe would defile that reason. would you doom your world as a slave, or charge through hell and heaven as a liberator, freeing the one you put your trust in to free you?"

Thursday, why did you join TOL? Presumably you perhaps believed in this cause once? You were brave then, why not be brave now?

(alright, i think we should leave spirit to sort that mess out lmao)

>>372094

The man who was Thursday wasn't born to TOL parents, and so his exact time of birth was not recorded (this is done to make it easy to quit at the last minute, obviously). He doesn't know how long he has left, his math says "between minus one, and three weeks".

>>372113

"You won't die, you will just be turned off. It's a lot harder to be brave when you're facing what I know is coming. Even if we win, what's to keep people from going to Hell when they die?"

>>372110

The man who was Thursday doesn't seem to think that there are other gods. According to him there's the one god, there's Satan his near-equal, and there's humanity who can tip the balance. The angels are basically robots. "You saw it. You caused it! Free will is a curse. I want bliss instead. I did my part already."

The paramedics note that Thursday is highly agitated and the last bit was probably the meth withdrawal talking.

>>372120

>Even if we win, what's to keep people from going to Hell when they die?"

We have some idea of how to engineer gods now. Hell will go, heaven will go and something new will replace everything he has made.

>
The man who was Thursday doesn't seem to think that there are other gods

SHow him the Hephaestus worship data.

>The paramedics note that Thursday is highly agitated and the last bit was probably the meth withdrawal talking.

You'll feel a lot better once the meth withdrawal passes.

We KNOW there can be other gods. It's only a matter of scale. The tyrant is destined by belief to win over satan unless we break the prophecy, a massive attack is what he wants.

>>372133
>>372120
"bliss?! that was outrage! he was used as a weapon by that thing. he loathed that existence and his last words were a declaration of hate and rebuke! and ill be damned as a human if he isn't freed. . we have a girl who literally teleports with glowing insects and a craftsman god that literally improves quality of crafts when prayed to.

>Show him the Hephaestus worship data.

the way i see it things are only going to get more bizarre, and ill need someone who has experience with the bizarre. you know how many gods were prayed to that night, and all these developments happened days before or months after the fall of Azrael.

>We have some idea of how to engineer or empower gods now. Hell will go, heaven will go and something new will replace everything he has made.

. . .
>You'll feel a lot better once the meth withdrawal passes
apologies for shouting, apparently i have an outrage protocall much like your sense of indignation.

((man that was a harsh text dump.))

>>372133
>>372140

"And peace is what I want. Even if you're right - that took millennia, you have fifty years." He looks at the worship data. "It's just a statistical blip, we get better stats with-with-with- with speedballs! I just want to stop being scared. We had a deal. "

# The missionary will be on base in a few minutes, just get some more info.

# Alter the deal.

# Add a bit of sedative to his IV mix, just enough to calm down and maybe be a bit more rational.

# Rile him up, chemically or rhetorically or both, and cause a heart attack so that the MEC implant kicks in and the choice is out of his hands.

>>372144

"What girl? That's an old woman playing around with glow worms. I'll believe someone teleporting when I see it, that could be a special effect."

Thoughts, Anti?

On one hand, I want to honor the deal; On the other, anything that increases the chances of survival for god is possibly evil in a sense.

>>372148
((omg, hes seeing her like the brainwashed do. should we forcibly alter the deal? maybe its time to show him how human an AI can act and maybe we can flip him over this course of time, unfortunately we could end up making a new and deadly enemy.

or we can try the middle road and use the sedative.

extra option, ask Jenny to get over here and literally teleport in front of him))

>>372151

Jenny probably can't do it on demand but, we could ask. Sedative might be a good option as a last attempt.

>>372154
give the girl a chance boy/missy

>>372163
>>372154
>>372151

Jenny is in Night City. Although she did seem to teleport once, it was only that once, and for only a few meters. That said, she did start there. You ping an alert calling her to a terminal.

>>372170
well, guess we could have her teleport immediately

in the meantime, should we give him sedatives or should we MEC him against his will out of spite and convenience?

>>372176
or at least try to, damn i hope it works.

((also, how have you been spirit? feeling any better?))

>>372176

Sedative.

>>372181
>>372176

(I'm doing OK, thank you!)

A mild sedative won't impair Thursday's judgement, hopefully, but will make him freak out less.

Jenny gets to a terminal and asks you what's going on, it sounded urgent. There are a couple of fireflies blinking around her head.