The New Vanguard! Frostbite Issue #7 - Cold and Afraid!

Admin wrote:Steph turned as Frostbite paused. His sentient program gave him two clear paths. Follow the slow sure way to the bridge or head off to this nearby restricted section with the highest of top secret clearance.What could possibly be in there that prompted Frostbots' alarm call?

Inwardly Frostbite groaned, not wanting to give anything away to Steph. She, and in fact this whole mission was probably more than anyone sane could cope with. The thought they could leave something crucial behind was something that bothered Frostbite, especially as it might come to rear its ugly head if they took the ship that contained it. Whatever this top security 'it' was.

Although Steph was probably fully jacked up on energy, nonetheless they didn't need to be sidetracked by what was now being contained, already their hope of pulling together a scavenger force was in tatters as so many of the ships were already destroyed. But if they could get and keep this ship, with its secrets might they have some leverage to work with? Frostbite wasn't about to have a game of 20 questions to work it out. First priority remained taking the ship, then they could take a look at what was stowed aboard after.

OOC: sorry for the delay, been busy.

Sj

Progress slowed and the pair made their way as best as they could without setting alarms off.

Eventually of course they were discovered thanks to the missing status of staff from their posts after Steph used every opportunity to top up her life energy. Following Frostbots' suggestion they diverted from their course to divert security forces to different sections of the ship. When they got to the access tubes and tunnels that could lead to the bridge, the place was in lockdown with sensors and blast doors in place.

Not a problem for frostbite as his 'ghost in the machine' Frostbot had already embedded itself in the computers of the ship and that saw every hatch swish open at their approach.

"So far so easy." whispered Steph as the pair looked through a mesh grill down onto the bridge. The huge ship had taken something of a battering but smashed through the opposing forces. Now it held station to stop the rebel forces from amassing and was joined by other ships that slowly created a foothold.

The bridge was manned by dozens of crew. All humanoid, no clones as these were all officers with ranks.

Frostbite was about to make his move when the bridge door swished open. Two hulking War Cyborgs clomped in, flanking a smaller human looking figure dressed in a white smock. He walked on unsteady feet but batted away the hands of technicians who offered support. The bridge crew looked surprised at first and the Captain indignant, but the mans eyes widened at the presence of the newcomer.

"Who's that?" whispered Steph.

Frostbite couldn't immediately answer. The man walking through the door on unsteady feet was without his costume but there could be no doubt.

it was Richard King, the superhero known as Lionheart!

Admin wrote:"Who's that?" whispered Steph.

Frostbite couldn't immediately answer. The man walking through the door on unsteady feet was without his costume but there could be no doubt.

it was Richard King, the superhero known as Lionheart!

Frostbite was momentarily stunned, either what he was seeing was some kind of clever rouse or something much worse was afoot. One thing was sure, Richard, Lionheart would not be siding with this monstrous empire.

"Steph that is either some sort of doppelganger or our problems just got worse. I want you to drain him as soon as you get close. If it is Lionheart, then this will be over quickly as we cannot stand against him. His power levels are off the chart and even together we're simply no match for him. Still, this doesn't make sense..."

Frostbite had to wonder what was going on, but standing around wasn't going to reveal it. With a few short comments to Steph, Frostbite readied himself for action.

OOC: Wow talk about a twist in the tale. Ok so I'll slip into the room, either phasing or going liquid form and slipping through the grate, then I'll cause some sort of diversion so as to draw the Cyborgs towards me, and then allow Steph to slip in and try and target Richard King if she can. However, my suspicion is that this is Timmy's work and that 'Richard' is some sort of clone body that he is occupying? I could be wrong but there is no doubt that our enemies are up to something - perhaps an old nemesis trying once again to model themselves on Lionheart to gain a semblance of his power?

Anyway, Frostbite when in position will release Frostbot and then go on the offensive against the Cyborgs, trying to take them down with a multiple attack if I can.

Sj

Frostbite oozed into the room and formed into a humanoid form, causing surprise and outrage in the room!

The officers scrambled for the weapons locker even as Cyborgs clomped forwards to shove them away and bring weapons to bear!

The man in the medical smock laughed out loud "Ha! You have made a grievous error 'Hero'! We have cloned your friend and are currently turning out an army of superhumans!"

'He is mistaken.' said Frostbot. 'From what we know of Lionheart, he is a perfect physical specimen - for a human - but the majority of his powers come from his training and mental abilities. Until Timmy Jones finds a way to activate the latent abilities he can rely only on the physical capabilities that Lionheart himself would be able to use were his mental powers not available.'

Steph rushed out and thrust a hand out "There's no chance this will work but here goes anyway!"

OOC Vampirism 9 + Roll(2d10)+0: 6,2,+0 Total: 17 vs TN11 + Dex 7 (18) MISS

"Told you!" shouted Steph but she added "is it me or is he nowhere near as fast as he used to be?"

That occurred to Frostbite too. Lionheart at his usual levels could mop the floor with him and his fledgling team without breaking sweat, but the man in the smock in front of him was a pale imitation! Still, he could be toying with him...

The cyborgs snapped his attention back to the present.

OOC How are you attacking them? One at a time, both, increase the attack to encapsulate Lionheart/Timmy and some of the bridge crew?

Admin wrote:OOC How are you attacking them? One at a time, both, increase the attack to encapsulate Lionheart/Timmy and some of the bridge crew?

OOC: Sorry for the delay, lots of stuff going at the moment and to be honest not had the mental space to think so as to write.

Frostbite wasn't going to take any chances and put his powers out as widely as he could to encompass the Lionheart imposter. Although he might not have Lionheart's full range of abilities, with the Cyborgs backing him up and Steph's hesitant aim, Frostbite needed to make sure that he got his best in first.

OOC: Ok so let's try and take Timmy/Lionheart down first and then worry about the others after. I'm concerned that this is going to be a more difficult fight if we don't get him, followed by the Cyborgs.

Sj

OOC Apologies here - BIG exam this week to pass and need to focus on that. Once out of the way I can relax somewhat. Well, compared to as I am now!

Frostbite levelled an arm and wondered how much power to use.

Without Lionhearts training and mental prowess chances were the body Timmy was wearing was simply a mortal man, albeit at the peak of physical human prowess!

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 1,1,+0 Total:2 Erm. Oh. Energy Blast BURNS OUT!

Frostbite grinds his teeth in frustration as his powers fail him when he needs them most!

'Lionheart' runs forward to deliver a flying karate kick!

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 10,1,+0 Total:11 + Dex 9 (20) vs TN11 +Dex 9 (20). EV5 vs RV11. No damage.

Frostbite watches as 'Lionheart' bounces from his chest but lands acrobatically on his feet! "Curses!" snarls the combatant! "Why don't I have THE POWER?!?!"

The Cyborgs charge forward and Frosty sees one grapple with Reflex whilst the others surround Frostbite.

'Lionheart' grins and laughs "Ha! Surrender or BOTH of you die! If this body will not give up the powers that I have seen it display, perhaps your two forms will!"

'It is possible that the longer this battle takes place, the more chance that this being will arrange for the scanning of your and Reflexs' DNA! He may seek to draw the battle out.' said Frostbot inside Frostbites' head.

The Cyborgs seemed prepared to wait for the order to attack!

OOC you have no Energy blast at the moment so may have to fall back on something else - fill the area with ice, use superhuman strength, or skedaddle before Timmy can arrange for your DNA to be used to create a new army of superhumans!

Admin wrote:OOC you have no Energy blast at the moment so may have to fall back on something else - fill the area with ice, use superhuman strength, or skedaddle before Timmy can arrange for your DNA to be used to create a new army of superhumans!

Frostbite was aware that somehow his unique structure was being scanned and used for some form of replication, the use of his powers only gave more for his enemy to work with and more opportunity to grow stronger. But his powers were all he had, if only he could disable the devices that would seek to scan him then he might be able to fight back without giving his enemy the advantage he so desperately needed himself.

OOC: wow so now I've got Timmy acting like some kind of super power parasite, I guess the only thing he can't replicate is Frostbot! Anyway, if there is a way by which Frostbot can take down the scanning devices then I suggest we go that route before I open up on these guys. Failing that I was thinking about using my almost totally forgotten list of skills - like Martial arts, something mundane enough not to pique Timmy's interest but sufficient to fight back the cyborgs until we can get another angle in this fight. Failing that then I'll have no choice but to unleash my ice power to try and see if we can't get a handle on things. If by some chance whilst Frostbot is trying to disable the recording devices instead he could falsify the information or plant some sort of counter bug in the system that would also be good. I am aware that Reflex and the others were captured and there is no telling what powers Timmy has duplicated from them also.

As regards delays and stuff, no worries got to do what you got to do. Take your time I'll still be here, albeit somewhat slower at the moment than normal ;-)

Sj

OOC Timmy is essentially a disembodied spirit who can leap from body to body - so long as said bodies are manufactured or created in some way. He used to make his toy soldiers come to life and when he was killed found out that death only slowed him down whilst he looked for another unliving form to control, albeit with his mind and soul inhabiting it.

With that in mind the clones come from this empire - it can churn out thousands, millions of humanoid soldiers (as encountered in the very first encounter Lionheart had after the reboot - the base he discovered which then disappeared... No, it just shrank back down to subatomic size!)

It has the technology to scan and create clones of new subjects... hence their desire to get their hands on superhumans! However, cloning a body is one thing... a mind quite another! If they figure that out... imagine a clone army of Lionhearts!

'We are indeed being scanned. How rude.' said Frostbot.

'I shall send them a scan back... but not one they will make much use of!'

Without his energy blast available Frostbite accessed his Ice Production, ramping it up to its upper limit!

OOC Adrenaline Surge on Ice Production...

Roll(2d10)+0: 4,3,+0 Total:7 + AS15 (22) vs TN11 + IP9 (20). Success +2. AS15+2 vs IP9 = +8. Ice Production is boosted to match Adrenaline Surge of 15.

You have 15APs of Ice Production which can make an extremely durable wall, for instance, or be used to attack the Cyborgs, Timmy or both (but attacking multiple opponents makes things very tough indeed!). Over to you. And Frostbot is 'on the case' with regards the scan.

Oh, and an update on the computer as it was one of my moans from last time. New hard drive, new windows install. No worries so far! Fingers crossed... (previously it would randomly do stuff like dance the cursor across the screen or click back without me doing anything and losing posts...)

Admin wrote:OOC Adrenaline Surge on Ice Production...

Roll(2d10)+0: 4,3,+0 Total:7 + AS15 (22) vs TN11 + IP9 (20). Success +2. AS15+2 vs IP9 = +8. Ice Production is boosted to match Adrenaline Surge of 15.

You have 15APs of Ice Production which can make an extremely durable wall, for instance, or be used to attack the Cyborgs, Timmy or both (but attacking multiple opponents makes things very tough indeed!). Over to you. And Frostbot is 'on the case' with regards the scan.

Oh, and an update on the computer as it was one of my moans from last time. New hard drive, new windows install. No worries so far! Fingers crossed... (previously it would randomly do stuff like dance the cursor across the screen or click back without me doing anything and losing posts...)

OOC:Ok is it possible to wall up the cyborgs so I can take care of Timmy alone? Or even have him and then be boxed in so we can get access to the controls and make good on our slim advantage to leverage things a little more in our direction. I shall have to worry about cloned Lionhearts later, or would like to if at all possible.

Good to be back, been a while, need to go back and reread what has been going on. Hope you are ok mate.

Sj

OOC Attack the cyborgs is your best bet then.

Roll(2d10)+0: 5,10,+0 Total:15 + IP15 (30) vs tn11 + multi attack +2 + OV8 (21). Hit, +4 Effect. 19EV vs 9RV= 10 damage

Both Cyborgs go down!

With a searing blast of intence cold from each hand, cold enough to rival that of space itself, Frostbite froze the two Cyborgs on the bridge and much of the surrounding area!

Shocked, 'Lionheart'/Timmy took a few steps back. "You think you've won? This is just the start! A ... mark 1 if you will! I have more power now than I EVER had, and I intend to use it!" he screamed, shaking a fist. "If I can't make this body give me the power I need... then NO ONE shall have it!!!"

And with that, the body of Lionheart simply... exploded!

Reflex screamed, covering her mouth as a dark purple liquid, presumably what passed for blood in the artificial body, dripped from the walls and ceiling.

Frostbot calmly announced 'The bridge crew...?' to draw Frostbites attention back to those gathered in the room.

Reflex recovered too. "Want me to drain them boss? I don't know where the pyschopath went after he made that... mess... but if he's gone we can capture this ship and turn the clone crew over to our side. Only problem is that the bad guy knows we're here now... and..."

Suddenly alarms started blaring on the ship!

One of the bridge crew shouted something in their alien tongue. Frostbot translated 'It appears we are being targeted by the other Empire ships... using nuclear grade missiles!'

Admin wrote:One of the bridge crew shouted something in their alien tongue. Frostbot translated 'It appears we are being targeted by the other Empire ships... using nuclear grade missiles!'

Turning to the bridge crew, Frostbite quickly spoke so that his meaning even if his words were understood.

"Its join us or die, they don't care, but we do!"

With that Frostbite spoke to his artificial companion, 'What are our options?' Even as he waved Reflex back from draining the others, he wanted them to know that they had a choice and hoped they'd make the right one.

OOC:Boy not even time to catch one's breath, ok with Frostbot feeding me options, I am wondering if we can mount a sufficient defence without being totally reduced to ash? Or if our better option would be to cut and run? Our original intention was to win this skirmish and collect these ragtag bunch and strike further, but so far it's turned more into a war of attrition, with so few ships to salvage from what you said in the previous posts, it makes me wonder if this strategy is a bust. I think we had intended to go raid supplies, but can't see us doing that now. So beyond saving our selves, I am wondering what our longer-term strategy might be?

Thanks for your patience re replies, life is been really busy and even when I've been around not had the time to really think and I always need to think even if I post only a few lines ;-).

Sj

The crew looked aghast, but the Captain straightened his uniform. "If my people deem we are to be destroyed! Then so be it! We will gloriously expire full in the knowledge that..." WHACK!

The first officer smacked the Captain over his head with the butt of his gun, which he then looks at, glances at Frostbite and tosses his weapon to the floor. "Helm! Plot a course away from here! The nearest system! Emergency jump! Now!"

The first officer turned back to Frostbite. "I am not a traitor. You are my enemy but I recognise when we are beaten, and concede that there is a choice of either surrender and comply or die. I think not of myself, but of my crew. That's bother Empire and clones..." he said with a warning glance at the crew around. "First officer Drekt. When we are safely away I will submit myself for arrest and court martial. The punishment is death, which I accept. What I do not accept is the death of this fine crew who have followed orders to the best of their abilities and do not deserve death as a reward. I expect all bridge crew members who do not wish to comply to step forward now and make themselves known."

He looked around. There were a lot of bridge crew, but no one moved. "Very well." added the First Officer.

"Jump ready sir." said the helmswoman. "Sir. Incoming missiles..."

The first officer turned to Frostbite. "I surrender control of the vessel to you, sir."

Reflex seemed about ready to burst "We need to go!" she shrieked, being in no doubt that a multitude of nukes would not be something they would walk away from!

Admin wrote:The first officer turned to Frostbite. "I surrender control of the vessel to you, sir."

Reflex seemed about ready to burst "We need to go!" she shrieked, being in no doubt that a multitude of nukes would not be something they would walk away from!

Frostbite, cool as his name implied wanted to wait. If they jumped too early the danger was they'd only be followed and eliminated or captured with the whole universe making a 'beeline' for them. A quick mental request to Frostbot to give an accurate calculation as to when to give the order as Frostbite lifted his hand. He spoke tersely as he waited for the moment to give the order to jump before giving the order and adding afterwards,

"I respect your choices, and you will find I play by decent rules as well. I will not treat you unfairly though I might have received the same at your hand if your masters were still in control. Thank you."

OOC:ok hopefully the ship having jumped at the last possible safe moment to avoid being noticed or followed easily, we're free to drop these band of misfits off and then access what our options are at this juncture.

Sj

The ship spooled its warp engines and vanished with not a moment to spare!

The crew breathed a sigh of relief as Reflex sagged into a chair, giving Frostbite a rueful look!

Frostbite noticed a crewmember leaning in to whisper to another whilst slipping a glance in Frostbites direction. Seemed not all of the crew could be relied upon to be eternally grateful, and might find some way to tell their former masters what Frostbite was doing with one of their large ships...

He sighed. Even granting slaves their freedom wasn't, it seemed, quite enough to win some people over.

The First Officer came over and spoke in a hushed tone. "I am Telemax XVII, former first Officer on this vessel. Though I have helped you capture this ship in order to save the lives of the crew on board, I consider myself a traitor and surrender myself for immediate incarceration or death by spacing. Basically shove me out of an airlock, as the Captain delighted in doing to those who displeased him. As distasteful as that was, I did not, on numerous occasions, question it. This is because I am only one of a succession of First officers after the others were spaced and wished not be yet another casualty."

He looked glum but stood at attention and awaited his fate.

The helmsman called out "Ummm sir. Sirs. We will be arriving in the adjacent sector within the next 30 minutes. in 28 minutes we shall be able to scan the space around the arrival point to see what awaits us."

The question of where to go and what to do from there still remained, but for now Frostbite was in charge of a large powerful warship and possibly a way to convince/coerce the free traders, merchants and pirates who battled against the Empire that not only could the fight be taken to the slave overlords, but that fight could be - possibly - won!

Admin wrote:The helmsman called out "Ummm sir. Sirs. We will be arriving in the adjacent sector within the next 30 minutes. in 28 minutes we shall be able to scan the space around the arrival point to see what awaits us."

The question of where to go and what to do from there still remained, but for now Frostbite was in charge of a large powerful warship and possibly a way to convince/coerce the free traders, merchants and pirates who battled against the Empire that not only could the fight be taken to the slave overlords, but that fight could be - possibly - won!

Turning to the glum but courageous looking Telemax XVII, Frostbite said, "Right we don't space our prisoners here. Fear might be one way to get what you want, but it's not the only or best way to encourage an army to fight for you."

And then nodding to Reflex, he motioned for him to be taken to what can be used as a brig with any others that remained loyal. Making sure in the process they knew what awaited them if they tried to get the jump on her, in terms of ability to sap their strength.

"Right then, we need a plan. And we need to convince a whole bunch of people who would rather trade, or loot, to join up for the good of the universe. Right, so all in days work then!" Frostbite grinned to himself as he realised that this was going to be one of the longest days of his already eventful life.

[b]OOC:Right we need to start long-range scans, consult star charts and get from the data banks some idea of the layout of this region, where the likelihood of resistance can be marshalled and where we can strategically start to fight back. Oh, and rescue our friends before their gene-spliced and served up as super clones. I wish there was a skill like A Starship commander, being a superhero with buildings falling on top of you used to be so much more simple

Sj

The crew more or less sprung into life at the request of needing a plan and options. It seemed the Captains of these vessels weren't chosen for their intelligence, imagination or tactical ability, but rather their skill in cowing the crew and enforcing discipline. Bullies.

One of the female officers spoke up. "Sir? There is Comm traffic about us, and it will be spread about that we are to be disabled on contact. Something else... a request from a Majestor class vessel for support? I... that ship is a fleet in and of itself. There are codes I do not recognise, but they are of the highest priority for a 'Clone' project involving something called 'Metahumans'?"

Another officer added "Sir. This vessel is a formidable ship, but less than half the size of a Majestor. Those class of vessels usually have several of our class of vessel as support anyway. If they are asking for more, it can only mean... I think... they mean to network the Majestors' weapons with other ships to apply an orbital bombardment to wipe a planets surface clean."

That sounded nasty, but wasn't a fight Frostbite could win.

Still, the enemy of my enemy and all that...

"Sir! Scan shows the system we are about to emerge into has a dozen Empire vessels, two of which will be the same class as this and others will be support vessels. We can... we... uh..."

The helmsman gulped. "We should.. I mean... we can... jump again or fight sir, but the choices are limited in such a short space of time before they close on us."

Reflex came back "I tucked a bunch of them away in the brig." she said with a smile. "We own a ship! I am soooooooo looking forward to having a shower. So.... uhhhh... why are this lot looking so nervous?"

Admin wrote:The helmsman gulped. "We should.. I mean... we can... jump again or fight sir, but the choices are limited in such a short space of time before they close on us."

Reflex came back "I tucked a bunch of them away in the brig." she said with a smile. "We own a ship! I am soooooooo looking forward to having a shower. So.... uhhhh... why are this lot looking so nervous?"

Frostbite's ears picked up at the thought of MetaHumans, after all his priority was rescuing the team to whom he'd become something of a mentor to. It wasn't looking at all pretty by that standard. But the thought that a planet was about to be wiped out also sounded worth taking a look at.

"You might need to hold off on the shower." Frostbite said, gesturing for Reflex to get comfortable, before turning to the helm and asking, "Let's jump to that planet they are so interested in destroying. I've got a feeling that might just be where we need to be. But let's see if we can't get in somewhere where there might be some sort of cover, something that will perhaps fool them into not realising we're present. Flying silently as it were, can we do that?"

With that Frostbite sat down, impatient to be where the action was rather than just commanding people at some distance from what was actually a very personal conflict with sentient beings ground down by the empires merciless aggression.

Sj

The new 'first officer' (by virtue of the last one being in the brig now) paused for a second, seemed to be considering things then shouted orders for the Navigation officers to call up schematics of the system.

"Can we trust this lot?" whispered Reflex.

Before Frostbite could reply, the First officer, still chatting with the Navigators, turned to speak up. "Um, sir. Commander. Captain? Please come and have a look at this."

Frostbite with Reflex just behind walked over to that area of the bridge where a navigation officer called up schematics of the system. She turned to speak to the First Officer, who nodded to at Frostbite, so she addressed him instead.

"Sir, the system is classed as unremarkable, save for one of the planets with a small Empire contingent. It's mined for the elements our vessels use as fuel, one of the few places in this quadrant where it can be obtained. The planet is known for being covered with a thick jungle on one of the largest continents which is home to dozens of dangerous species, including a sentient Humanoid Cat Like species. Cross referencing the intercepted messages and codes, it would appear that the planet has been labelled Xero One, which is scheduled for eradication of a native hostile species. The rest of the system is unremarkable save for something the star charts have just picked up, being an asteroid field that is drifting into the gravity pull of the stars and planets. We can use that as cover, even though there are three Empire buoys out there. Their sensors will pick us up, but with so many rogue bodies floating in that corner of the system it will give an opportunity to sabotage them."

The first officer piped up "We can hide in amongst the asteroids. There is some risk but we can blast the smaller rocks that threaten us. Unfortunately we will not be able to stay there too long, as the drift of rocks is speeding up. That will buy enough time to... err... presumably do what you need to do in that system. Whatever that is."

He stepped away from the Navigation station and leaned in closer. "Sir, you understand that a Majestor class vessel with all it's supporting vessels will obliterate us in short order? We cannot hope to prevail against that class of vessel sir. They are, when acting in concert with their support ships, literally planet crushers."

Reflex nodded and turned away, waiting for Frostbites' attention. "Do you think we can do some good here? We are so far our of league here with that ship I think... and yet... something that big. Maybe that's where our people are?"

Suddenly Frostbite turned, and looked at a comms panel. The officer there was trying to decode some gobble-di-gook on screen that was the Empires' coded transmissions. He had the urge to place a hand on the panel, and the compulsion was so strong that before he knew it he was doing so.

"How... how are you doing that?" asked the Comms officer in amazement as Frostbite seemed to be decoding the messages on screen.

'Perhaps best you keep my existence a secret' said Frostbot. 'I have found a decryption key amongst millions that has decoded this particular set of messages. Unfortunately the codes scramble AND send a receipt back automatically, so they know it has been seen. By someone. There is one you should take note of.'

As Frostbite pressed his hand to the screen the screen flicked through hundreds of decrypted less important messages until one of 'highest priority' appeared to come from Timmy Jones mentioning Lionheart on the planet that was scheduled for vaporisation. It seemed that Jones wanted Lionheart alive but had been overruled. Now it seemed the race was on for Frostbite, the Empire and Timmy Jones to get to that planet!

As Frostbite removed his hand from the screen the messages turned back into unintelligible gibberish once more.

Admin wrote:As Frostbite removed his hand from the screen the messages turned back into unintelligible gibberish once more.

Frostbite looked from the navigator panel to the screens as his mind raced. The fact that his friend was so close, and yet once again in the thick of it, made sense. They always seemed to be where the danger is greatest, like some sort of black hole that pulled trouble toward it. This was no exception, but thinking through a strategy to get them to the planet and indeed making it possible to rescue what was clearly marked for imminent destruction was again going to prove difficult.

"Listen up people your leader wants what is on that planet destroyed, what is on that planet is my friend and someone like me who is dedicated to bringing freedom from tyranny, the sort of unrelenting grinding control you have only known. Where your lives are but numbers and your existence can be snuffed out in a heartbeat for daring to have a reasonable thought of your own. We are going to rescue that friend and see if we can't pull off something that will make this galaxy's ears itch for several generations. You may well be the crew they sing about, but first, we need to get on that planet to my friends and we need to do it without being blown to bits by that ship."

It was at this point that the enormity of what they once again faced began to give Frostbite a sense of perspective. Unfamiliar with so much that was commonplace in this world, ships, physics, classes of starships, speed and firepower, these were not conventional weapons and did not have conventional strategies with which to fight. What he needed was someone who did know this stuff, but how to get it and then turn it into a workable plan. In truth, being a foot soldier he knew more about conventional warfare than this, this was an order way above his rank yet everyone was looking to him to make a decision.

[i]"Move us to the asteroid field, I want to try something. I also want to know what we can do to follow the course of the asteroids to the help us get closer to the planet undiscovered."{/i]

Then privately Frostbite asked Frostbot, "Can we make our signal difficult to trace, is there a way beyond the asteroids that we can create sufficient interference or something else that might mask our presence from that starship?

It was a long shot, like floating on a piece of debris with sharks swimming around hoping you didn't bump into them by drifting among a bunch of mines. Very hazardous with the possibility your ride could get blown up or bit on from any direction. But right now, Frostbite thought they had little choice. Announcing their arrival would only delay the destruction of the ship and leave his friend stranded.

Sj

'Difficult' said Frostbot in response to Frostbites' request. 'This ship is part of a larger fleet. Everything about it tells other Empire ships where it is, what it is doing, who is doing it and so on. Only my... modifications... to certain codes stop them from taking remote control of the vessel. They know it is here.'

Frostbot explained 'The ships have transponders that protect them from friendly fire. These are hard coded and cannot be overridden without manually replacing the hardware. However THAT ship...' he said, referring to the huge craft in the orbit of the planet 'is equipped with missiles that can be loaded with transponder ignoring hardware. They can blast their own ships out of the sky. The other weapons on this vessel I have 'tricked' the computers into thinking anyone we fire at is a target. All part of the service.'

Frostbot sounded smug, then continued. 'They know we are here. By moving into the asteroid field the signals will be scrambled. We can do something else. That Majestor class vessel relies on hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other vessels. Supply vessels. One man fighters, escorts, other ships of this ones size, and so on. If we... 'flood' the system with white noise on EVERY channel the Empire uses. That will disable their ability to communicate with each other, including orders and that... is the key.'

'The clones they use as slaves, crew, expendable soldiers in the fleets? They are almost like mindless automatons. They follow orders. Without orders...?'

That was one thing...

Getting this ship past THAT ship was another. In a one on one fight the battle would be short, one sided and decisive. With barely any marks on the bigger vessel to show that a battle had taken place...

The ship might not be able to get past... but something else might...?

"We're in the Asteroid field sir." said the Chief Navigator. "With that in mind we are safe from long range strikes. No missiles can get far through an asteroid field. The high yield weapons will destroy almost any asteroid in their path, but that will take time and use hundreds of missiles. However, smaller vessels can navigate the field better than we can, and we will need most of our weapons to dissuade asteroids from striking us. It will keep us safe... to a point. When the Majestor launches its fleets of fighters we will be on borrowed time."

Admin wrote:The ship might not be able to get past... but something else might...?

"So what you are saying is that we can effectively blind them, but how we engineer that feat is going to be the crucial part. And time is a factor if we aren't to sacrifice a whole ship full of people awaiting an attack from that fleet out there. Right so how do we go about this?"

Frostbite didn't like the odds of what he was being told, but no one said taking down a ship and its accompanying fleet was going to be that easy either.

Admin wrote:"We're in the Asteroid field sir." said the Chief Navigator. "With that in mind, we are safe from long-range strikes. No missiles can get far through an asteroid field. The high yield weapons will destroy almost any asteroid in their path, but that will take time and use hundreds of missiles. However, smaller vessels can navigate the field better than we can, and we will need most of our weapons to dissuade asteroids from striking us. It will keep us safe... to a point. When the Majestor launches its fleets of fighters we will be on borrowed time."?

"Yes, don't I know it. Stand fast lock all shields and defences that we have. We're working on something unconventional and perhaps it might yet turn this from disaster to deliverance yet!"

OOC: Ok so I realise we can effectively knock out scanners and communication, but one presumes that in order to do it and for it not to be overridden it needs to be done aboard the big ship. And getting to the big ship past those that even now are launched toward us, is going to be the tough part. So do we have a ship that can get me there faster than those incoming, or is there another way to enact Frostbot's plan? Like the idea got no idea of the resources or means necessary to achieve it.

Sj

Frostbot spoke up inside Frostbites' head again. 'With the communications devices on the vessel we travel on 'turned up to 11' as a human might say, we will effectively fill the system with white noise. This in turn disables the ship to ship communications. We can use that... confusion... to slip you past inside a small vessel perhaps. However, an escape pod or shuttle might be destroyed out of hand simply because the Empire has no respect for life. So, not a shuttle.. something else... may I?' asked the sentient program, and frostbite realised it wanted to take temporary control of his body.

OOC assuming Frostbite allows that...

The crew watched in amazement as frostbites' hand danced over two control panels and consoles, then threw up a full screen image of what appeared to be a torpedo, the likes of which the Allies had used in WWII to sink Nazi U Boats.

With his body back in his control, Frostbite looked at the specs.

The Chief Navigator spoke up "Am I to understand this correctly? We are to ... strip out... a planetary probe so it leaves enough space for a humanoid? Who would be mad enough to try and survive in the hard vacuum of space and planetary reentry? If I understand correctly, the transmission systems will also be locked out, making it effectively invisible... and a lick of paint... you realise that anyone crazy enough to attempt that would be stuck on the planet? Those missiles are usually fired from an orbiting platform with an accompanying lift off module that gets it back into orbit, and from there the probe can make it back to the mother ship or orbiting platform. Pardon me for saying this sir, but you're either a genius or a madman! It would be practically impossible to detect unless one could pick out a black cylinder about (translation) 6m long against the backdrop of space."

He shook his head "Even with a spacesuit, chances are no one would survive long inside that. Limited air, freezing cold, decompression... there are plenty of ways of dying, and this offers several of them at once..."

The crew muttered to themselves.

Reflex took Frostbite aside. "How do you know about this stuff? I couldn't believe the way you hacked into their system. As for ... this? You'd have to be crazy or suicidal to try it!"

Admin wrote:The crew muttered to themselves.

Reflex took Frostbite aside. "How do you know about this stuff? I couldn't believe the way you hacked into their system. As for ... this? You'd have to be crazy or suicidal to try it!"

Frostbite nodded reassuringly as he listened and then replied, "Its hard to explain, given my level of technological understanding. However, lets say I have an additional helper or assistant with me, who is a lot smarter than I am. It's his idea. Besides which my unique power set means I alone could undertake this and survive and it's not going to be easy. But the end result might be we hook up with some of our buddies and that has to be worth it. Right now we are in desperately short supply of help."

Frostbite paused as he knew Reflex wasn't going to like staying behind, but there was no other choice. But he needn't of said anymore, it was quite clear from what he was saying that this unique means of unorthodox travel was going to be a solo mission. "I need you to handle things up here. If the worse comes to the worse, then get out get far away and try to do some good where you can. Otherwise, try to keep a lid on things up here and keep everyone together. Also, don't let your guard down, I am not sure if some of our friends might not try and play a long game. Getting our confidence so they can hoodwink us later."

With that in mind, Frostbite gave the orders to prepare the missile. An explanation of some sort seemed necessary so he offered a simple one to satisfy the crew and then got ready to prepare himself with whatever resources he could find onboard and be able to take that might help them locate the team on the surface.

OOC: OK assuming that whilst prep for the missile is underway the white noise jamming activity is enacted and we get into position to launch me to the surface...lets do this.

Sj

'I have investigated the diagnostics of the torpedo. All seems to be in order. You will have to survive in hard vacuum for a period of time which may exceed your limits, but we don't know what those limits are. This could be an opportune... or unfortunate... time to find out.' stated Frostbot.

Reflex, on the bridge, had tried her best to dissuade Frostbite from leaving her in charge, even going so far as to casting doubts on her ability to cope. Like so many things, Frostbite wasn't certain she could, but now was not the time to worry about that.

The Chief engineer rubbed the back of his head, shaking it and shrugging. "This seems like madness. You've effectively marked this ship for termination by taking control of it, and all those on board. With that in mind, we as crew are limited to two choices. Serve you and hope you succeed, or die at your hand or our former masters. I have faith in you, but this? It seems like suicide. If you don't die from the vacuum, you might burn up on reentry. Even then, a stray hit from space debris or a shot and..."

Frostbite waved away his protestation and climbed in. "Seal the hatch." He ordered. "And follow Reflexs' orders. She WILL get you out of this if it goes wrong. If it goes right? I'll have friends who can help us, and who can do things that will amaze you, even after all you've seen of me!"

=========

This was a bad idea.

A deep breath and Frostbots' assurance that his lung capacity was still in the high 80% or so was one thing. The heat from re-entry was quite another! He'd pretty much ignored the Gs of acceleration that would cause a normal human to turn into jelly, then relied on Frostbot to link to external sensors including a camera that allowed him rudimentary guidance.

A close call with a support craft had triggered a number of shots and the attention of a fighter, but the probe was travelling too fast for it to catch before the hull of the probe started to glow.

Now Frostbite wondered if the heat would melt his superhuman hide and leave a wet puddle should anyone split the casing of the probe on the planet.

The casing started to shudder, the camera on the outside melted, and roaring filled his ears!

Time to bail now or hope the casing of the probe holds into the atmosphere? If he bailed now he'd be subjected to the rigours of re-entry and could he survive that? He could use his powers to try and cool his body, maybe slow his descent... The probe started to glow bright orange now, and Frostbite needed to make the choice - stick or bail?

Admin wrote:The casing started to shudder, the camera on the outside melted, and a roaring filled his ears!

Time to bail now or hope the casing of the probe holds into the atmosphere? If he bailed now he'd be subjected to the rigours of re-entry and could he survive that? He could use his powers to try and cool his body, maybe slow his descent... The probe started to glow bright orange now, and Frostbite needed to make the choice - stick or bail?

Frostbite had set his course, and for now, the extra protection of the shell about him was something that might just help given the elements he was facing. When the time was right, and that would be on pure instinct, he'd have to break out. But right now, he was riding this express train down.

OOC:I'll let Frostbot tell me when he calculates the best point to bail, otherwise I'll continue and try as best as I can to continue to cool the environment till such a time as I need to break out. Hoping of course that I can!!! Assume what HP I have is spent to making the effect of this as potent as possible without creating further problems along the line.

Sj