Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round One: Vio Maleficat)
12-30-2010, 09:49 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
TinTen and Huebert had materialized in a basement that was apparently used primarily for storage, but also housed a large, inscrutable machine. While other competitors in this "Grand Battle" were exploring or plotting or lamenting the barbarism of the whole thing, TinTen was having a bit of a scientific crisis among the boxes and broken or outdated equipment.
"Teleportation impossible without psionics. Even master psions unable to teleport others than themselves."
The Meipi fished a rarely-used device out of his pocket and let it beep a bit for a few moments. A cursory glance confirmed what he already knew to be true: even a parlor-trick level bit of telekinesis would have left a bit of an imprint, but the psi-energy in this place was completely static. Whatever had brought them here had nothing to do with the mental powers he was vaguely familiar with.
"No jump drives in evidence. Even best faster-than-light travel takes weeks between systems."
The cephalopod clambered off the plasma pack and over to the large still-functioning machine in the back of the room. He attached several meters to likely-looking ports and protrusions and waited for a few moments, examining their readouts. He grumbled a bit and tapped his manipulator-tentacles on the machine's metal surface as he gathered data.
"Device resembles no known tech. Resembles no known style or tradition of tech. Has no clear purpose. Generating large amounts of current, unknown destination or intended use."
Nimble tendrils quickly gathered the devices back up, TinTen having become convinced that nothing further could be gleaned from the generator or whatever it was. He frowned behind his rebreather and continued muttering in frustration. Huebert ambled calmly up behind him, saying nothing in particular. Tinten glared at the last meter he'd removed, annoyed and angry that not only had he been stolen off his ship, but that he couldn't figure out how.
"Nothing makes sense. Ridiculous. Fool speaks of chaos as though some active universal force. Chaos not like gravity, just a word."
The voltimeter in what could generously be called TinTen's hand sprouted a mouth and rolled its dials with annoyance. "You're telling me!"
It clattered to the floor and the Meipi jumped back, bumping hard into the bulk of Huebert. The latter's hand clamped down on his friend's shoulder-analogue, steadying him. The voltimeter squeaked out "Hey, what was that for?" before Unity reasserted itself and the little gadget returned to its usual nonliving state. TinTen caustiosly approached it and nudged it with a tentacle; when that had no effect, he nervously picked it up; when it was still quiet, he shook it vigorously before pocketing it again.
"Don't like this. Huebert, open that door, find out what else is out there."
"Daaah, you gat it bwass!"
"Not clever, Huebert."
A smile spread across the giant's amiable face as he patted the scientist's back. "Sorry, Ten, just trying to lighten the mood. You gotta stop being so serious all the time, you're gonna worry yourself to death."
"Perhaps. Some worry warranted when plucked out of ship and dropped in mystery world however. Especially if no means presents itself." He sighed, which was an interesting sound with Meipi vocal and respiratory mechanisms. "Suspect may be hallucinating. Talking voltimeter supports hypothesis."
"Well, if it's magic or a hallucination, fretting won't get you nowhere. Might as well see what our new frenemies think or at least where they are."
With that, Huebert strolled back towards the only door out of the basement while TinTen rubbed the sides of his mantle and pointedly ignored a nearby capacitor sympathizing "Some people, amirite?". The barbarian peeked outside before pulling the door wide open. "Just a staircase, Ten. Nothin' and nobody else."
TinTen moved, rather more slowly, to join him, then pulled himself back up onto the plasma canister. "Nothing to be gained here then. Onward and upward." The odd pair ascended the staircase, one half of it still muttering about impossibilities and fumbling through the pages of a book.
TinTen and Huebert had materialized in a basement that was apparently used primarily for storage, but also housed a large, inscrutable machine. While other competitors in this "Grand Battle" were exploring or plotting or lamenting the barbarism of the whole thing, TinTen was having a bit of a scientific crisis among the boxes and broken or outdated equipment.
"Teleportation impossible without psionics. Even master psions unable to teleport others than themselves."
The Meipi fished a rarely-used device out of his pocket and let it beep a bit for a few moments. A cursory glance confirmed what he already knew to be true: even a parlor-trick level bit of telekinesis would have left a bit of an imprint, but the psi-energy in this place was completely static. Whatever had brought them here had nothing to do with the mental powers he was vaguely familiar with.
"No jump drives in evidence. Even best faster-than-light travel takes weeks between systems."
The cephalopod clambered off the plasma pack and over to the large still-functioning machine in the back of the room. He attached several meters to likely-looking ports and protrusions and waited for a few moments, examining their readouts. He grumbled a bit and tapped his manipulator-tentacles on the machine's metal surface as he gathered data.
"Device resembles no known tech. Resembles no known style or tradition of tech. Has no clear purpose. Generating large amounts of current, unknown destination or intended use."
Nimble tendrils quickly gathered the devices back up, TinTen having become convinced that nothing further could be gleaned from the generator or whatever it was. He frowned behind his rebreather and continued muttering in frustration. Huebert ambled calmly up behind him, saying nothing in particular. Tinten glared at the last meter he'd removed, annoyed and angry that not only had he been stolen off his ship, but that he couldn't figure out how.
"Nothing makes sense. Ridiculous. Fool speaks of chaos as though some active universal force. Chaos not like gravity, just a word."
The voltimeter in what could generously be called TinTen's hand sprouted a mouth and rolled its dials with annoyance. "You're telling me!"
It clattered to the floor and the Meipi jumped back, bumping hard into the bulk of Huebert. The latter's hand clamped down on his friend's shoulder-analogue, steadying him. The voltimeter squeaked out "Hey, what was that for?" before Unity reasserted itself and the little gadget returned to its usual nonliving state. TinTen caustiosly approached it and nudged it with a tentacle; when that had no effect, he nervously picked it up; when it was still quiet, he shook it vigorously before pocketing it again.
"Don't like this. Huebert, open that door, find out what else is out there."
"Daaah, you gat it bwass!"
"Not clever, Huebert."
A smile spread across the giant's amiable face as he patted the scientist's back. "Sorry, Ten, just trying to lighten the mood. You gotta stop being so serious all the time, you're gonna worry yourself to death."
"Perhaps. Some worry warranted when plucked out of ship and dropped in mystery world however. Especially if no means presents itself." He sighed, which was an interesting sound with Meipi vocal and respiratory mechanisms. "Suspect may be hallucinating. Talking voltimeter supports hypothesis."
"Well, if it's magic or a hallucination, fretting won't get you nowhere. Might as well see what our new frenemies think or at least where they are."
With that, Huebert strolled back towards the only door out of the basement while TinTen rubbed the sides of his mantle and pointedly ignored a nearby capacitor sympathizing "Some people, amirite?". The barbarian peeked outside before pulling the door wide open. "Just a staircase, Ten. Nothin' and nobody else."
TinTen moved, rather more slowly, to join him, then pulled himself back up onto the plasma canister. "Nothing to be gained here then. Onward and upward." The odd pair ascended the staircase, one half of it still muttering about impossibilities and fumbling through the pages of a book.