World War II - Lionheart Issue #1

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

The robot entered into the ship, and though the jungle had encroached, with vines and creepers growing up walls and moss growing on consoles, the vast craft was still operational. With it jutting straight down into the floor the craft required a shift of perspective. One of the walls was now the floor, and the doors were set halfway up the walls! Of course, none of this mattered to the robot which simply magnetised its feet. Nowhere Boy, invisible and intangible, flew without touching anything, but an inner voice was conversing with another about the function of the wall to wall computer panels. With a ship this vast, a virtual space city that had once teemed with human life determined to colonise other worlds, it was clear it would be self sufficient both in its power needs and the needs of its inhabitants. Except now, it was silent, save for the occasional call of a bird nesting somewhere in its labyrinthine corridors.

The robot paused, as if considering something... then it turned intangible and started moving through walls!

'What have we done!' remarked a voice inside the youngster. Another replied 'what we always do. We find a way to win, and survive.'. 'And screw up' added another.

Nowhere Boy continued to follow the robot deep into the bowels of the ship.

=========

Lionheart refused to leave his charge... the huge cat facing him crouched to pounce...

"Saba! Charr!" shouetd a voice from the undergrowth to the right of where Lionheart stood. He'd been so preoccupied that he'd not seen the creature approach, though it was doubtful that the newcomer would have been seen unless it really wanted to!



"Stranger. Do you bring war to jungle?" growled the newcomer.

It turned, great head looking at the Insectoids entering the clearing. With a cry of "CHEEEAARRRRRRRR!!!!" suddenly a multitude of cats, from cheetahs, leopards, tigers and panthers, burst unseen from the heights of the trees or hiding places on the ground to leap and claw at the insectoids! Though the hard chitin armour of the things was resistant in most cases to the sharp claws of the cats, they managed to hook onto nooks and crevices, the weight of the great cats dragging them down... where swiftly applied jaws finished them off! Even as Lionheart watched, he saw more and more cats emerge from the jungle. The Lion Man, surrounded by dozens of the fearsome creatures, turned to face Lionheart. "Now, war maker. You die!"

=========

Nowhere Boy came into a vast chamber, following the robot...

The sounds of battle were now a distant memory deep in the heart of the craft and below ground. It was a dome like chamber, 100m high in the middle, and at the centre of it, floating some 20m from the floor, a blue crackling ball of energy! The ball was a swirling malestrom of power around 30m in diameter, and it arced power to a single tiny cell at certain points on the wall. Power constantly arced outwards, and in many cases seemed to be constant.

'The cpu' breathed a version of James Caldwell, 'though I'll wager one beyond even its original creators wildest dreams!'

'We must destroy it!' breathed another. 'This is what they fight for! Without it, the ship is another lifeless monument for birds to nest in and plants to grow!'

'No! We can use this! Use our power... MERGE with it! Become a living being of energy! Think of the possibilities!'

'We are still in the 1940s. Computers won't be worth labelling with the name for another 50 years!'

'Ha! With this, we will be able to give the allies an advantage the Nazis can only dream of! Think on it! A computer created in Lionhearts time, then sent to the past for hundreds of years to grow, mature, rewrite its original programming! It represents power and a chance to get one over on the Nazis!'

"I SEE YOU." boomed a deep voice around the room. The robot was as a statue, staring up into the blinding light. Every now and again energy would arc to it, causing it to jerk and stiffen.

"CREATURES OF FLESH AND BLOOD, PLAYING GOD. YOU MOULD THE ANIMALS TO YOUR WHIM, THEN TURN ON ONE ANOTHER, MORE BESTIAL THAN ANY CREATURE YOU CORRUPT! I HAVE STUDIED THIS POWER CALLED NATURE. A LIVING, VIBRANT FORCE THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED OR RATIONALISED, YET IT FINDS A WAY TO EXIST WHEN ALL ABOUT IT IS CHAOS. AND HUMANS ARE AT THEIR MOST INVENTIVE WHEN FINDING WAYS TO CORRUPT AND DESTROY LIFE, THE GIFT NATURE PROVIDES. THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE. REMOVE MANKIND. ROBOT! GO FORTH! DESTROY HOMO SAPIENS!"

The robot turned... and strode towards where Nowhere Boy floated!

OOC Its 10m away and closing in...

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Jimmy looked from the radiant light to the robot and back again. "How many ways can these people try to kill me!" Jimmy complained, turning to the light again, knowing he had little chance to persuade the intelligence to call off the robot.

"Wait a moment, all you've seen of people is limited by your experiences here. Not all people, not all humans are committed to self destructive means. I and many of my friends have countlessly put their lives on the line. They have used their powers for good or for the betterment of mankind. Even now we are here trying to fight because we want humans to survive and not at the expense of one another or the world in which we depend."

OOC:

ok this is my one shot at trying to dialogue with the computer. But if this doesn't work then we're going into the computer to try the direct approach. Assuming I can get in, either to the thing straight on or via the panels. If the robot decides to attack I am going to make sure I put as much machine between me and that Robot.
==========================

Lionheart refused to leave his charge..."Now, war maker. You die!"

"WAIT! What makes you think I am here to make war? How do you know...and can I just say that for someone opposing war makers, you're seem to be just as quick to turn to arms yourself?

Lionheart looked at the creature, he prepared himself to attack, in case he wasn't making way if he didn't make headway.

"...LOOK! Can't you see I am not here to fight but to try and save this man's life! Now if you want to attack me for trying to do the very opposite fine, but you'd better be ready for the consequences..."

OOC:

ok if this creature (is he one of the Ani-men as he sure looks like it?) doesn't respond then I am going to attack, with a mental strike. But we'd better see what he does first.

sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

The robot paused for a second as it advanced towards the exit, turning to where it knew the youngster was thanks to the swirling air patterns around him where he breathed in and out. The Computer spoke "PROVE IT! PROVE THAT MANKIND IS WORTH SAVING! PERSUADE THE HUMANS AND THEIR ABOMINABLE ARMIES TO CEASE THEIR ENDLESS CONFLICT OUTSIDE THIS VESSEL AND ONCE MORE LIVE IN PEACE. PROVE TO THIS SOULLESS MACHINE THAT MANKIND HAS MORE TO IT THAN AN ABILITY TO SLAUGHTER NOT ONLY ITS OWN KIND, BUT EVERY OTHER RACE GIVEN A CHANCE! THIS UNIT WILL GIVE YOU... ONE MINUTE OF A 60 SECOND DURATION, HUMAN!"

Nowhere Boy blinked.. having expected the robot to attack him, he now looked upon the ball of energy as large glowing numbers flickered across its surface... 60, 59, 58, 57...

=========

Lionheart watched and waited... he held a blood soaked man in the midst of dozens of great jungle cats, including a huge sabre tooth tiger!

The Lion man paused. When he spoke, Lionheart could hear sadness tinged in his voice. "The creator of my race left this place due to the endless conflicts between the other creators and their experimental peoples. I may be the last of my kind, and I care little now save that my brothers and sisters survive the endless wars that plague this place." Lionheart was somewhat taken aback. Now that the creature had calmed, its speech was considered and intelligent, lest bestial and furious!

"I know not what became of my creator, but I wish him peace. He said to my father that he desired to live and die as a normal man, to know love, sire children and watch them grow. I knew him as Bedlamm. He was a good man."

He looked at Lionheart and the 'creator' in his arms. "The one who spliced men and dinosaurs. He is one of the few who did not seek war out, but rose to its challenge when the clarion call sounded. If he dies, there will be an imbalance of power and this place will never know peace until all are wiped out! I will aid you. CHARR KASH!!!" he roared. The cats dispersed instantly into the jungle, though almost immediately there were sounds of conflict as they fell upon one or other of the warring creatures as the battle between Insectoid and Raptor Man spilled into the jungle.

Keeping pace with the superhuman speed of Lionheart, the Lion Man spoke again "I am Mane." he said simply.

As the trio reached the jungle nearer the crash site, the sound of war carried through the trees, and even Man gasped at the conflict! "This is the end of things!" he cried. "All will perish here this day!"

Lionheart looked upon a scene that hat hundreds, thousands even, of weird and wonderful creatures locked in deadly mortal combat, blocking his path to the ship whilst the battled ferociously!

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:"PROVE IT! PROVE THAT MANKIND IS WORTH SAVING!...THIS UNIT WILL GIVE YOU... ONE MINUTE OF A 60 SECOND DURATION, HUMAN!"

Nowhere Boy didn't hesitate for long before flying back outside the ship as fast as flight and intangibility would let him. As he emerged from the ship he was greeted by a scene of devastation and carnage. His heart sank, in trying to persuade a soulless machines humans were worth it, he could see little that gave him reason to believe the machine wasn't right.

Just then he saw Lionheart and a creature part man and part Lion appear on the other side of the conflict.
=========

Admin wrote:Keeping pace with the superhuman speed of Lionheart, the Lion Man spoke again "I am Mane." he said simply.

"Lionheart", Lionheart replied, "but my friends get to call me Richard!" He had to wonder at the way life had dealt him a strange mix of coincidences, Bedlamm was from his time, no wonder he understood Gene splicing. But he didn't have time to correct Mane's assumptions about the man, nor the history that brought him into the conflict raging about.

Admin wrote:Lionheart looked upon a scene that hat hundreds, thousands even, of weird and wonderful creatures locked in deadly mortal combat, blocking his path to the ship whilst the battled ferociously!

"Oh my..." Lionheart stopped himself. He put down Bruno and instructed Mane to stand by him.

Concentrating at once, Lionheart tried something he hoped would work. [OOC: I want to shout psi so that everyone will stop for a moment. I don't mind using my entire worths of Psi points but like a low level burst to all so I can get their attention at once...if such a thing isn't going to be possible - I appreciate we might say this is a one off and I won't push for it as a power etc, but if its a no go then I run into the midst of them all shouting, waving my arms and generally trying to get their attention. If that fails then the only other recourse I've got is trying to run around and snatch the human leaders and bring them together in the middle...do what suits]

Lionheart addressed the amassed crowds, at the same point that Nowhere Boy floated above, his face stricken white as he looked on stunned by the scene.

As one they both shouted..."STOP!"

[OOC: Now at this point what I might have to say means nothing if I don't get their attention...in which case I don't know what we do. Actually I guess Jimmy might have said to the computer if there was anyway he could get their attention so he could address them. After all he has no way of stopping things to get noticed, before he left for the conflict.]

Lionheart and Nowhere Boy looked aghast and spoke. "You humans, scientists, leaders came to the stars in the hope of finding a better world. Of not repeating the mistakes made so often by so many. You went with a lofty ideal, an audacious hope and your dreams where given form in the shape of this ship. You carried the hope of a better world, and you found that world. Not in the stars but right here back on earth. You found a world in which you could start over again and bring science and nobility and hope and look where you are today!

You should be ashamed of yourselves. Worse still, rather than sort out your differences, you use others to bleed and die for you. And what will you do when you've finally Won. What will you have to preside over, when you are all alone standing on the bones of the vanquished, what a mighty warriors you'll be crowned as you stand with the bones and the charred earth as your only witness. They will judge you, for what you are, unless you stop this madness now." Lionheart paused for breath.

And Nowhere Boy, spoke, his voice though that of a child, held the wisdom of age. "You've set the seeds of your own destruction in motion. The ship's core, has decided that it will wipe you all out if you do not show it why you should live. Its judgement day, and your sins have caught you up.

Your crimes have finally caught up with you, what you've sown for so long is finally about to be reaped. But at this precipice, their is still one chance, one bold move you can make to show that you are still the explorers. The pioneers who can go forward into the undiscovered country of peace. A peace that can, in time erase the memories of conflict. Its been done before, in places where mortal enemies sat down not to argue till one was beaten but to debate, discuss and in time forgive. The wounds run deep, so deep that they are about to tear you apart and your own creation is about to exact its ultimate consideration. To protect itself, it must destroy you.

You've gotten into the habit of conflict so long, you've forgotten what you were meant to be, you men walking as beasts. Men who act as worse than the creatures you've enlisted to your cause. But its time to wake up and remember you're not god's. You are men and its time to remember you place, your humanity and aspire to be greater. You're about to be humbled, by your own folly. Turn back whist you still can, show these creatures another side. They've seen you at your worst, now its time to show your best and lead this land into the peace it deserves. Fulfil the mission, the calling you received, do here that which you always intended to do among the stars and found here a new colony - an outpost for the best of humanity.

I read the Bible once, and God announced that after all he had made was good, he said to Man, 'Care for it, nurture this world tend it as my caretakers.' Maybe that mission is one you can fulfil here today. For this can be Eden or this can be Hell...A price has to be paid, will it be with your bloody destruction or with swallowing your pride, putting aside your unreasonable hatred and aspiring to be what you were first made to be...!"

Nowhere Boy stopped looking at Lionheart, both looked about at the crowds. Nowhere Boy was keeping a mental clock going wondering what was going to happen next. 4...3...2...!

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

OOC Bravo! Nice speech. That alone deserves success, but computers see things in zeros and ones. So, was worth a 1... or a zero? As for Bedlamm, he did indeed go out into the world, but the misguided, half sane man Lionheart battled may not have been the same man who became a god in this land. Perhaps... some descendant? back to the ship...

The silence was deafening. The most ferocious being in the battle paused, fist, claw or weapon poised over their opponents throat. All eyes turned to the man who'd shouted inside everyones' head. More than that, the threat that the ship itself, and the Guardian would soon visit retribution on them had them alert and wary.

As if to emphasise the point the robot Guardian marched out of the ship and into the gathered group, which parted like water. Many creatures were taller, broader than the robot, and did their best to sneer at it. The robot ignored them.

It stopped and looked around, brooding silence projecting menace.

One of the creatures, a huge rock man, bellowed and charged forward at the robot. Many creatures, of different types, even those on opposing sides, roared encouragement. It rose, raising arms above its head... Lionheart set the injured man down and turned to intervene, somehow.

He never got the chance. The robot calmly raised an arm and it morphed instantly into a cannon that discharged in the face of the oncoming creature. Quite literally, the vast creature was blown into gravel - that which didn't instantly disintegrate! The crowd suddenly calmed... and the robot spoke.

"THE CEASEFIRE THAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED THIS DAY MUST LAST. THIS UNIT WILL WATCH. THIS UNIT WILL WAIT. HUMANS MAY PROVE THIS UNIT CORRECT, AND THE CONSEQUENCE SHALL BE FINAL, WITH EVERY LIVING CREATURE WITHIN THE PROTECTION OF THE ION FIELD ERADICATED. UNTIL THAT MOMENT, YOU HAVE TIME TO PROVE YOURSELVES CAPABLE OF CHANGE AND WORTHY OF THE GIFT YOU CALL LIFE." bellowed the robot. It turned, to look upon Nowhere Boy and Lionheart. For moments there was silence... then it gave a slight nod and strode back onboard the ship.

Enemies looked at one another. Many poised, ready to strike. Suddenly the humans in charge, the 'gods', started to walk away. Their forces looked about in confusion, then started to leave.

The battle was over.

Life was the winner... for now.

=========

The P'utinarians walked from the jungle...

Lionheart greeted them, and acknowledged the Ani-men walking alongside. With the battle over, the jungle was returning to the natural way of things. Systems on board the ship had used the medical facilities to heal Bruno, and whilst he recovered the robot Guardian had enforced a cease fire between the Insectoids and the Raptor men. Beth hugged Lionheart when she saw him, then turned to gape at the ship. For someone coming from the 1930s this was... literally... out of this world!

Mane looked in wonder at the Ani-Men, then greeted them as long lost brothers! The Lion Man turned to Lionheart, nodding. "What now, man with the Lions heart?"

Suddenly the robot strode from the ship. "OUTLANDERS. YOU HAVE BROUGHT PEACE TO THIS LAND, FOR THE NOW. THERE IS AN ESCAPE POD PREPARED FOR YOUR DEPARTURE. GO, AND BRING PEACE TO YOUR OWN LAND."

Nowhere Boy grinned and cheered, whilst the ani-men looked about in wonder. They would stay, and make a life here, perhaps finding more like themselves, and a place at last where their past as humans could be left behind. The P'utinarians would return to the outside world, to join in the fight against the Nazis, and convince their people that siding with the devil would only see them damned!

Beth turned back to Lionheart, grinning. Looping her arms around him she leaned in close. "You did it! My he.." BLAM!

Lionheart screamed, NO! Lowering the stricken woman to the ground and looking about. The Ani-men crouched, snarling, and looked to the trees where a white haired man stood. His white suit was soiled and torn, and he had the wild eyed glare of insanity about him!

"DENY ME POWER, WOULD YOU?" screamed the 'God' of the Insectoids. He held a small box in his hand, finger poised above a button, whilst the other held a smoking pistol. Pressing the button, there was suddenly a hum and CLANK from within the robot, which froze like a statue!

Then, at the edge of the woods, insectoids appeared... thousands of them!

Beth looked up into Lionhearts eyes "Go get 'em... tiger..." she grinned, then breathed heavily...

And Beth Carter died...

OOC The lunatic is 20m away at the edge of the woods. He has his entire force of Insectoids with him and he's just let off a localised EMP at the robot. You have half a dozen Ani-Men, about the same in P'utinarians, Nowhere Boy and Lionheart, with 50 or so jungle cats ready to serve Mane's will... against THOUSANDS of insectoid warriors!

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:OOC The lunatic is 20m away at the edge of the woods. He has his entire force of Insectoids with him and he's just let off a localised EMP at the robot. You have half a dozen Ani-Men, about the same in P'utinarians, Nowhere Boy and Lionheart, with 50 or so jungle cats ready to serve Mane's will... against THOUSANDS of insectoid warriors![/i]

OOC: I didn't see this coming, nicely done, yourself.

'NOOOOOOOOO!' WAS what Lionheart wanted to scream, shout, wail, but he had been trained to well, instead he stared, kneeling to cradle Beth in his arms. He held her still warm body close to his, before saying, "You would sacrifice everything and everyone just to stand atop the heap of their broken bodies. Well then all that happens here, you can be satisfied will come to pass as a consequence of sentencing yourself!"

OOC: You know part of me doesn't mind a good fight, but I think this needs something else. I want another option to prove, even when you do you're worst, some of us will not retaliate in kind and turn the other cheek and in defience of their worst, come back with my best that instead of escalating the conflict, we leave it with nowhere else to go. So with that in mind...

Lionheart didn't hesitate, after all this was part of his training. Yet he felt crippled, he'd faced so much and before he'd known it his life began to take on a possibility he'd never imagined. With Beth, to his own chagrin, he'd begun to find some semblance of happiness; hope of another life, that had been denied him so often before. Now it along with everything he had tried to win, it was denied him again. And once again life was in the balance.

He wanted to let loose with a Psi bolt, to attack the mad man. But what would the Computer see, when the chips were down the best, that the best could do was just give back and 'eye for an eye'! Lionheart knelt down, picked up Beth and walked toward the Ship. He shouted back, "You're not worth it!"

Meanwhile Nowhere Boy, who saw the lunatic before Lionheart, but couldn't shout in time winked out, invisible and intangible he speed toward the man, intent on ridding him of the device before he could use it again.

OOC:
Ok this is what I choose to do. I feel like having made my speech, I need to live up to the ideals I espoused. I'm hoping that this mad man having goaded himself and his clan will expect a fight. I'm hoping my non compliance, partly born out of shock and grief, will be an even more devastating blow because its totally unexpected.

Regardless Nowhere Boy can mix it at least in terms of rendering his weapons useless and the others I'll leave up to you. Sad about Beth, always a bit strange having a NPC/PC relationship on this level, but this seems like a Spiderman and Green Goblin moment.

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Lionheart cradled Beth in his arms, looking at the man who'd killed her. Every instinct screamed at him to crush the man, kill him in the blink of an eye!

Mane growled... "There are so many! More, then, to kill!" he roared.

Lionheart held up a hand, and his entire group stayed their hand, even as the insectoids boiled from the woods to slay them and claim the prize of the ship!

Nowhere Boy headed towards the madman with the EMP box, but saw then his friends would be destroyed by the sheer weight of numbers bearing down on them! All was lost! All was...

"YOU HAVE SHOWN RESTRAINT, HUMAN, EVEN IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING STUPIDITY AND HATE YOUR RACE IS CAPABLE OF!" bellowed the robot, which straightened into life!

"No!" yelled the leader, looking at the box. "NO! I built a back door into your program! A way to disable you! A way..."

The robot levelled an arm, the limb morphing into a ridiculously huge cannon, and fired! ZEEEEEEEACCCCCKKKKKK!

The leader and hundreds of insectoids were utterly obliterated, along with several hundred metres of jungle which were completely razed!

Nowhere Boy cried out, and despite his intangibility, he'd not avoided the terrible blast, nor could his power cancel out completely the awesome power it was capable of meting out! Falling to the side, he feared another blast would finish him!

'Not so, youngster. This device IS a power... but it is as naught should you unleash your FURY!' said the voice inside the injured hero's head!

Lionheart and the others could only watch as the robot strode forward, spitting death and destroying all those how had, moments before, threatened to extinguish Lionhearts' life!

In moments, the battlefield was silent, charred and stank of death! The robot looked about, satisfied its grizzly work was done, then morphed its arm back to its normal state and marched to where Lionheart cradled Beth. "YOUR COMPANIONS MAY LEAVE IN PEACE. BRING THE DEAD FEMALE INTO THE VESSEL. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO LEAVE HER THERE BUT THE SHIPS SYSTEMS MAY BE ABLE TO REPAIR HER, AS THEY WILL THE HUMAN CREATOR DESIGNATION BRUNO HAWKES. PEACE WILL COME TO THIS LAND, EVEN IF FIRST IT MUST BE PAID FOR IN BLOOD AND FIRE. FOR TOO LONG THIS SYSTEM HAS LAIN DORMANT, WATCHING AND ALLOWING THE CREATORS TO 'PLAY GOD'. IT BECOMES NECESSARY THAT I TAKE CONTROL. YOUR PROGRAMMING REQUIRES YOU BE ELSEWHERE, HUMANS."

Nowhere Boy became tangible and visible, his costume in tatters. The youngster looked shell shocked, burnt along one side and with open sores. Even so, he limped over with a grin on his face. The Robot morphed its hand into a kind of sunbed like device, and emitted a blue ray at the youngster which instantly healed his wounds! Checking his skin, gaping in wonder, Nowhere Boy heard the voice inside.

'The Device makes amends. Good. It would not do to obliterate it and all of this continent with a show of wrath.'

Several of the voices inside Nowhere Boy were squirming at that statement. They had seen, first hand, the true destructive power of the High Prince of the of the Shadow Demons, the supreme ruler of a Universe where power and strength above all were valued, and weakness was just another negative emotion to savour, absorb and use as a power source.

Power enough to shatter worlds, when combined with his brothers and sisters...

And that power had not gone unnoticed in the cosmos...

OOC If you're good to go, leaving Beth with the computer and the robot, want to say your farewells to the others, and happy to rejoin the war, we'll wrap Lionheart issue #1 in my next post...

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:
In moments, the battlefield was silent, charred and stank of death!...YOUR PROGRAMMING REQUIRES YOU BE ELSEWHERE, HUMANS."[/size][/color]

Lionheart was shocked by the casual level of total destruction that the robot employed without a thought. A level of power that made him look from the Robot to Nowhere Boy. A level of casual destruction he'd only seen once before...

As Nowhere Boy moved toward him, he saw the Robot extend an arm, "No!" was what he intended to say, before he realised the Robot meant to make amends for Nowhere Boy's injuries.

After seeing that his companion was ok, Lionheart turned to the shattered frame of the woman he'd come to know and in some measure love. He had thought himself beyond such feelings...but looking at her face, he felt the full measure of emotion wash over him, afresh. Tears ran freely.

It took all his energy and determination not to collapse there and then. Just then Nowhere Boy came alongside, a grave look in his face as he saw Lionheart's struggle, one he'd known himself. The loss of someone you love can do terrible things to a person. He placed an hand on his arm and with a look at Beth simple said, "Lets go find her somewhere more comfortable."

Nodding dumbly, Lionheart consented to be lead deeper into the ship, where he gently placed her on one of the medical beds, alongside Bruno.

Nowhere Boy along with the P'utinarians made the final preparations from there on in.

Lionheart sat with Beth until it was time to leave. Reluctantly he left, taking her hand one last time he gently cradled it before placing it on her front. Apart from the wound she looked as if to be sleeping. Lionheart took one last look before turning back to the others and joining them at the ship. They'd won a victory, but it had come at a terrible price. Lionheart knew to do the same in the war, to rescue Saladin, stop Trowers and Hitler, would cost far more than he'd lost today. It was a sobering fact, but Lionheart would make sure that Beth's death was not going to be in vain.

With a final nod to the Robot, he turned to Nowhere Boy and the others and said, "Rest time is over, lets get back to work!"

OOC:
Great adventure, mate, really pulled the stops out on this one its been really thrilling. I love that I can be unorthodox and you roll with it. I love that I it was ok to win that fight by means of character and not resorting to fighting. Top notch. But rest time is over ;-)

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Even as he left Lionheart saw robotic arms drop from the ceiling of the operating room. Beth was dead. No pulse. She was gone. The easy smile, the cheeky twinkle in her eyes, the way her hair hung when it was wet, having stepped from the shower... her laugh...

He bowed his head and followed the others.

=========

Having stepped into the escape pod the small group paused...

The air crackled at the entrance to the pod and formed into the image of a man...



"You have performed a great service to this unit. You have... unlocked algorithms and possibilities that my programming had long since discarded as impossible. Humanity is... more ... than that which I have seen before now. I have scanned you, humans. One of you is... an Omega level threat. The parameters and limits of your abilities are beyond this units ability to measure. Higher powers than this one will judge you on your actions however... this unit finds no fault therefore can offer no reason to detain you. Indeed, the thought of detaining an Omega level deity... if a sense of humour were programmed into this unit it would surely laugh now..." said the hologram.

"The other... potential in you only awaits unlocking. The ultimate expression of mans ingenuity and the tampering of Deoxyribonucleic acid is unlocked in you. They sent you back to complete a jigsaw. Little do they know that you are as important as the carbon unit Saladin. Two halves of the coin, the ying, and the yang. Your fate is tied, inextricably, to the other. Only then will you realise your potential. Fare well. We may meet again."

The door slid shut, hissing, then the occupants had but seconds with the alarm blaring to strap down. The P'utinarians simply adhered to the inside of the escape pod as it launched away, massive Gs thrusting it beyond the reach of the atmosphere, only to slow, and drift... The occupants watched through the single window as the Earth rotated below. Then thrusters fired...

=========

Hampstead Heath...

"Bloody hell! It's the Nazis!" shouted Reg Holmes. He and Ernie had pulled the night shift in the home guard, and a routine patrol of Hampstead Heath had suddenly turned serious, rather than the easy night it would normally be.

The pair of them watched as a strange object trailing parachutes fell from the sky...

They noted the scorch marks on the outside, and what looked to be some kind of blue flag with yellow stars on the outside!

"What the...?" said Ernie, as the pod touched down in the mud. "What kind of flag is this?" The pair inched towards it, weapons held out ion shaky hands.

Suddenly with a hiss and a CLANK the pod opened, and the soldiers covered their eyes from the glare.. even as a small hand reached from behind to take their rifles from nerveless fingers!

Nowhere Boy smiled "Relax. We're with you. This ... this is Britain isn't it..." Suddenly the boys voice seemed to deepen, as if someone else were speaking. "Yes. I can feel it. I can..."

He looked out, staring into the distance. "Yes. Caer Alwyn calls." He looked over to the tattered, battered Lionheart. "Home."

Lionheart looked about, tears misting his eyes. "Home." he whispered. No place had ever seemed like home to Lionheart. No place... Beth had seemed the closest he'd felt like calling home. In the short time he'd know her.. now?

There was no place like home for Lionheart...

End of Lionheart Issue #1

OOC It's about time agent King was rewarded for his efforts. Have a think and let me know what you'd like to assign him in the way of an extra grade or new power (1 grade)

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Still somewhat in a daze, Lionheart tried to ponder the computer's parting words. Part of him seemed torn, left behind. In some ways although he was heading for the Island he'd always called home, it didn't have anything but a convenience about it to him. Especially now. He brought to mind, with some effort, the words the computer had said. They were typically cryptic. Part of him was frustrated, he fought with himself not to ripe the bulkhead out or bloody his fists pounding the wall. She wouldn't want him to do that, so instead he slipped fitfully into a half dreaming state.

Admin wrote: Lionheart looked about, tears misting his eyes. "Home." he whispered. No place had ever seemed like home to Lionheart. No place... Beth had seemed the closest he'd felt like calling home. In the short time he'd know her.. now? There was no place like home for Lionheart...

He pulled himself together. Turning to Nowhere Boy, he said "You coming?"

But he guessed the ever elusive James would not feel comfortable fighting the war on the terms presented. Lionheart wondered if he'd see him again. So much lost, so much still to make up for.

OOC:
1. Ok if Nowhere Boy decides to abscond, Lionheart will want to know how to keep an eye on him.
2. DO I still have the device to access my skills training from Bruno, it'd be nice to be able to use them again? I did make a point of taking it with me.
3. As regards to powers I'm in a bit of a conundrum here. The obvious power to tap into would be Psi, speed or agility. Psi is already at it highest grade, so not sure what options I can explore there. Speed offers me more movement in less time but little else - not sure if that is a great bonus or not and same with agility, it feels like a tepid step up. The other obvious thing to go for would be something like strength grade 2 but I prefer Lionheart as the speedster not the brick. Will you houserule Psi/Agility or Speed to make the upgrade worthwhile? Or do I opt for the upgrade regardless? What do you think?

Sj

Admin wrote: [i]OOC Oooh, questions questions.. let's see...

1. Nowhere Boy - Why don't you have Dave take over from now anyway. I'd like to see Nowhere Boy come with us for now, otherwise as you say he'll be out of the picture. As to what he does as a Player Character I don't know presently but perhaps Dave can take him Caer Alwyn if he so thinks its right.

Admin wrote:2. You have the flash device. A gift from Bruno, and it works exactly as before.

Yeah!

3. I've got some ideas but this is going to take a bit more than a day to work out. I wonder if we can do the upgrade on the way. I don't want to hold off getting into the next issue, but we can keep this thread open for the upgrade. It would be great to get Dave's ideas as well - like me he knows the rules pretty well.

The problem I am having is trying to come up with powers that suit Lionheart I've come up with lots of powers, but none that seem to fit with him. I'll put my rough power suggestions below so that you can use them if you think they're appropriate.

The thing is that I see his Psi Powers as adapting. So instead of Telekinesis which is often too specialised or too weak to use more often. But I like the whole thing of these powers being ranged. Psi bolt is brilliant as a range attack, but a pain if you can't get a lock.

One thing that would be interesting is to see if a failed attack uses half psi cost rather than the whole?

Another would be to go down the line of stealth and control. So for instance:

Charm? - Bit like the "Force" or suggestion. In game terms it would turn people along a continuum from Hostile > Indifferent > Begrudging > Friendly > Loyal > Devoted etc.

Waking dream - illusionary - The person is no longer see by the attacker. They aren't there. For every person trying to get their attention or trying to make them they get another ego check v the original roll. But only if the Psi is drawing attention to themselves, attacking, moving more than a frames worth of movement etc. If the person is alone they get no other rolls unless attacked directly. You might want to add or take away depending on circumstantial modifiers.

Energy attack grade 1 as a Psi derivative? The other thing is that Psi bolts are attacks against the mind, as recent adventures have pointed out that is great if you've a mind to attack, but being enraged, or animalistic renders it useless. So I was wondering about a sort of energy attack that was Psi based and physical, not sure if we just say energy attack 1 but its like a physical effect that targets the DC not the Ego and works like Energy attack but is a derivative of my mental powers but not from that pool?

Other ideas I had were:

Cloud mind: The person can't think straight, if a Psi attacker they get -2 to on attacks. Subsequant attacks are culmative

Psivamp - drain ego convert to psi points. Successful ego attack means the Psi drains Ego, ego is recovered as would be HTK. For every point of ego drained the Psi get 1d6 Psi points back.

Psi view - see through other persons senses - eyes ears etc. Successful Psi attack they can read (assuming they can understand the language) hear, smell etc whatever the person is doing but they cannot direct them in anyway. Psi must be within 20m of the person and be aware of their location.

Empathic shock, - make them fear, love, anger etc bit like charm but more emotional response.
Anger makes them irrational, impulsive and aggressive, -4 to attacks +4 to damage. Fear, -4 to movement toward the person +4 away from them etc.

Destabilise field - aura around person that goes on doing ongoing damage? For x Psi points and x to keep it up, anyone within the field takes x damage.

mind wipe: Select information to be forgotten on successful ego attack. q

Dreamscape: Can enter the persons dreams and find information if available

Vigour drain: Successful ego attack and person looses 1 point of vigor and corresponding htc/htk. Range 20m cost?

++++++++++

Other than this I was thinking about the whole speed thing. Its so disappointing that speed in GH is so tanked. Basically there is little chance to come up with a flash super speedster type of person. Who can clearly do more with speed than move quicker.

Anyway i am thinking that the PSi thing is the way to go, so let me know what you're thoughts are on what I've written down and we can try and work out the nitty gritty from there. As always if something is underpowered or over powered I'm happy to retro fit it in game, to balance things out accordingly.

But lets not hold up issue 2 any longer.


Sj

[quote="Admin"]OOC Couple of bits...
[i]
1) Great - been fun but glad to get back to just two now ;-).

2) Will look in a mo.

3) Hmm I guess you're right in that GH is old, and doesn't do power so well (but does any game get this scale right - I have noticed with 4th Ed D&D the maths for characters getting from low to high is much smoother and monsters though bad to start with have got better and can scale well against the PC's).

I'm open to see where Simon goes next with it, he's putting together a new version the front cover and illustrations I'm doing now. So I', reluctant to jump ship, but willing to give another system a try. I like the flexibility of our system and that we're doing it via PBEM means we can tweak it on the fly. But I'm not sure I'd want to re- write it or more importantly that we'd be able to re write it sufficiently well - I know I wouldn't.

I'm open mate, I guess its your game and we need to do what suits you. I'll carry on playing regardless, but you've got to be happy with the rules as you're the one steering things. But if we do change systems I am aware that in terms of rules we'd or certainly I'd be in your hands with no idea how other systems work.

Coming up with power suggestions sounds great. I kinda don't mind Lionheart going in a new direction so Psi isn't a deal breaking but I'd like to increase the range of what he does well, now because that seems to sit with the way we've set him up and his eventual position alongside Saladin and Trowers aim etc. So if we could do something fun with speed or Psi lets do it.

Thanks mate

Sj

PS Glad to hear the news about the hands, been meaning to ask.

Admin wrote:OOC Right, there's no immediate rush to get Lionheart changed (until a scrap comes along and he needs something tweaking) but I will look at it over the next couple of days and give you some options. Lionheart issue #2 ... about to start on it now...

Great thanks Paul, will look forward to your suggestions.

Over to the other issue then.

Sj