The Past Returned |
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Stage 1 |
Location: | The Circle (Maze) (10, 16) |
A battered Droid beeps at you. |
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The Droid gestures behind it, 'The Accord AI requests that you speak directly to it. There is something she needs to discuss with you. Please enter the Second line and access the Auxiliary Terminal. Thank you for your co-operation.' |
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Stage 2 |
Location: | The Circle (Second Line) (2, 2) |
The small chamber is dominated by a large computer terminal. The Accord AI smiles up at you from the View Screen |
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You walk up to the Auxiliary Terminal and type, 'H e l l o.' The AI giggles, 'It's nice to see someone with manners. Most people just walk up to me and start demanding. But for once I have a question to ask someone else. You mentioned that we could find a way to sustain my Forces. At the moment, consciousness are stored within their Battlesuits and shut down after a few days due to system overload. The suits are not designed for long term use, only for a few days until the dead Soldier can be retrieved and restored. So how can we fix this?'
'The Quantum Fissure the Rebellion opened has doused the entire area in dimensional effects that have not been categorized before. There are what I can only describe as curtains of possibility that crisscross the area and dictate which part of time runs within the perimeters of the quantum curtain. How such a phenomenon can sustain itself I have no explanation for. But it means that entire sections of this Tarrolan are actually working within differing time loops. These curtains are disrupting my scans, so I am having difficulty is seeing which parts of Tarrolan has survived. If any at all. I could do with some good news, as at the moment all I have are problems.'
'So how can we restore my Forces when I cannot see if our resources are in existence let alone functional?'
You see the familiar signs of fear etched on the AI's digital features. You smile and say gently, 'You forget Accord that the world does not stop within the boarders Tarrorlan City. Did you know that the Genshaar Tribe calls this area The Circle of Torment? Silver warriors fighting an eternal battle of inhuman brutality. So the answer is simply, who can help us if we cannot help ourselves?'
Accord frowns at you for the first time, 'I'm sorry, but I can't accept that someone will help us if we simply ask. What's in it for them? Who would we ask?' She then glares at you, 'How likely is it that you not only know where a functional Cloning Facility is, but it just happens to be nearby and will help us for no other reason than you asked? I'm sorry, but that is stretching possibility too far, and frankly I surrounded by impossibilities I can't even begin to fathom let alone cope with.'
You lean forward, you are surprised to see Accord float back from the view screen. You say quietly, 'Accord, you have been at war too long. You need to sometimes trust in the kindness of strangers. It is here even on this savage world. For example, would you help someone else who is in danger of being overrun by Golgesh?'
The female graphic blinks at you, 'Ummm, yes. Yes I would actually. They imprisoned a legion of Rebellion, oh I sorry - my Soldiers simply because they were inconvenient. The Golgesh are a brutal race. I would help stop them from terrorizing another.' Her conviction seemed to surprise her.
You lean back and say simply, 'Then yes, I know where a nearby functional Cloning Facility is, and one that is in danger of being overrun by the Rah Kain Outpost. The Facility will also help because I simply ask for it. You will also need to protect it, for both your sakes. But having access to legions of Soldiers with countless centuries of Combat experience will help more than you can know.'
Accord shakes her head. 'I have no records surviving from before the war. You will need to provide Portal co-ordinates to this Facility you speak of. I shall give you the last working Field Unit, it links to a satellite. You will need to travel to this Facility and when you get the Portal co-ordinates I shall beam my forces to you. I promise I shall protect the Facility against the Golgesh. I shall also send someone with you. Meet them in the Maze. But who is this Facility?'
You say simply, 'Cerrath, she will help.'
You receive 1 x Accord Field Unit |
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Stage 3 |
Location: | The Circle (Maze) (10, 16) |
You step into the Maze and quickly find a droid hovering in place. You have a sudden flash back to Zella and are relieve not to see the hallmarks of Inkari design. |
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The Droid hums for a second, the scans you quickly. After a few seconds it speaks in a flat bored mono-tone voice. 'You DNA matches the file of my contact. My name is Syrus FPv9 I'm pleased to meet you I suppose. At least I got out of the storage locker I was in. Our new leader has a request for you. There seems to be an issue with the date. Its amazing how such a simple thing is actually extremely important. We require to find a system that is self contained. Luckily the Droids in this area are a basic model with a tiny brain. It's actually the stupidity of the droid which will serve us. It is so small that it fits on a single chip and so has it's own isolated operating system. That coupled with the rechargeable battery means that the dumb box of bolts might actually know the date and so we can set a datum. Even if its wrong, it's a start..'
Syrus prints out a Blueprint, 'The self contained nature of the Sentry Droids means that it will not interface with our newly improved Accord systems. So you will have to smash open the unfortunate things to gain the data we require. Come back here and I'll transmit what you find.
You receive 1 x Rebel Sentry Logs Blueprint |
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Stage 4 |
Location: | The Circle (Maze) (10, 16) |
Syrus FPv9 sits behind its shimmering protection field, 'Have you managed to compile the Rebel Sentry Logs?' |
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A draw slips out the belly of the floating droid, you drop the logs in and the draw retracts. After a moment and a few bleeps Syrus spins on it's axis. 'Thank you, that was most helpful. I have transmitted the data back to our Glorious Leader. I'm sure the information was vital enough to risk your life for, but at least we were successful. Unfortunately whilst you were away I receive another communication from Her Majesty. There is something rather worrying happening, we require confirmation. It will not take long I'm sure. Meet me in the Perimeter, it's just through the Corridors.
With that Syrus fades slowly from sight. |
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Stage 5 |
Location: | The Circle (Perimeter) (14, 17) |
Syrus FPv9 hovers in place. |
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The protection Field shimmers around him, 'It's good to get a solar charge, the sunshine makes my receptors tingle. But anyway, the problem is we have Rebel Riflemen running across the Perimeter. But something odd is happening. We require to discover what that is. Your orders are to terminate 100 Rebel Riflemen and discover a clue to the unspecified �oddness�, which I have to admit is so vague that it's difficult to extrapolate any useful direction to go in. But Her Royal Digitalness is completely confident on your success, so no pressure there then. Luck to you. I be here waiting, patiently... all alone. But be assured that if I breathed, it would be bated.' |
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Stage 6 |
Location: | The Circle (Perimeter) (14, 17) |
The Spherical Droid spins slowly on an invisible axis, 'Did you get rid of 100 Rebel Riflemen and find anything concerning the odd characteristics associated with them?' |
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The tray slides out of the droids belly, you again drop the glowing crystal cube into it. After a few moments Syrus gives a few bleeps. 'Well, that is unexpected. There seems to be a massive quantum effect within the Riflemen. I don't have full diagnostic capabilities, but there seems to be a time loop happening here. It's so close to the Bunker, I think there is serious cause for concern. But that's not our immediate problem. Another task has just been sent to me.'
'Meet me in the Fortress lvl 1 and I'll tell you all about it.'
Again the droid slowly fades from sight. |
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Stage 7 |
Location: | The Circle (Fortress lvl 1) (14, 14) |
The Spherical Droid spins slowly on an invisible axis, the protection field crackles with energy. |
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The Droid stops its spin, 'I've been forced to hypercharge my shields. There is a rogue Rebel Unit who is not answering communications from the C and C about the Golgesh threat and abandoning of Accord hostilities. We need to discover which unit these Soldiers belong to. Return when you have retrieved a Heavy Gear Combat Tag. Be quick, my batteries don't last for ever.' |
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Stage 8 |
Location: | The Circle (Fortress lvl 1) (14, 14) |
Syrus sways slowly, 'Did you get the Heavy Gear Combat Tag yet?' |
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You drop the Tag into Syrus's belly tray, he transmits the details and then suddenly chuckles. 'The Squad Number belongs to an old squad. One that had been terminated already, which means that something is either wrong with our new dateline, or something is wrong with the world. Let's go with an error in the new dateline for the time being. An error in reality is harder to deal with, as well as setting a paradox error in my logic circuits. Which is not pleasant I can tell you!'
'We now need to persuade the Support Leader to stand down. As the conflict his Squad is fighting is over. Our records tell us that this structure has three floors. Go to the third floor and kill the Support Leader. With him gone the Squad might listen to reason. I shall wait for you here, come back when you have completed the assassination. |
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Stage 9 |
Location: | The Circle (Fortress lvl 1) (14, 14) |
Syrus waits for your return, 'You killed the Rebel Support (Champion)?' |
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The Droids goes silent for a moment, then after a series of bleeps he begins to spin slowly. 'With your help we managed to take put the squad Leader and find verify the Platoon Id. We can take it from here. There are still some issue with our dateline, but we'll sort that out. You should go back out into the Perimeter and enter the Vale. That is where my records stop I'm afraid. I hope you find whatever you have been assigned to look for. I don't have clearance for the Mission Details, so I get the impression it's important. Anyway, I also noted you got nothing for all your work. So I ripped the specs for the Heavy Gear Plasma Cannon from a destroyed Gear. I hope you like it and don't get killed.'
You receive 1 x HG Plasma Cannon Blueprint
And with that the Droid silently fades from sight. |
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Stage 10 |
Location: | Maren Ridge (Vale) (3, 8) |
You walk out the Perimeter of the Circle and it's like entering a different world. Tall grasses waist high stretch before you until they come to a low Ridge. Cerrath is somewhere behind it you guess. As you walk you are surprised to find a young Genshaar Scout stood staring all around him as if in a dream. |
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The young Mutant blinks at you, 'Ummm, not really. Are you the G27 Unit I have heard tales about, slayer of the Mega Ganth?' You nod slowly and say that you met the Genshaar briefly in your travels. The Mutant breaths deeply with relief, 'That's good. The Elders of the Tribe said that not knowing the Mega Ganth was coming nearly wiped us out. It was only with the help of Stormpost and you that we managed to survive. So the Elders have picked a few of us and sent us out to monitor what is happening on our land, and warn us if there is a danger to the Genshaar. I was sent out to the very edge of our Domain, but now I'm here I really don't know what to do. It's just grass and sky.'
He then looks at you directly, 'Last we heard, you walked into the Circle of Torment. Hardly anyone walks out. What are you doing?' You are taken aback by the question, very few ask about you. They normally just attack. You tell him that the Silver men the Genshaar speak of are Battlesuits with the consciousness of dead soldiers stored within them. You are traveling to a place to get them new bodies.
The young Ranger stares at you with open amazement, 'May I tag along with you for a while? I'm a bit out of my depth here so far from my home.' You point to the Ridge and say, 'You may come with me, I'm going over that ridge to find the Cerrath Cloning Facility. Is there anything you need as we go?' The Mutant looks down at the ancient rifle in his hands. 'I was given this rifle, it is old but powerful. I'm just not used to using it. What I really need is a decent dagger. There are some Sabertigers prowling around, could you get me a new Dagger. Tales tell that their teeth are very sharp. I was going to try myself, but I could not hit anything with this thing. If you could get me a Tiger Dagger that would help.' He prints out a Blueprint from a worn Datapad and cautiously hands it to you.
You receive 1 x Tiger Dagger Blueprint |
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Stage 11 |
Location: | Maren Ridge (Vale) (3, 8) |
The Genshaar Ranger waits for your return, 'Did you make the Tiger Dagger? |
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The Mutant takes it from you with open relief. 'Thanks for this. I know guns are great, but I'm better with a blade. I've learned to play to my strengths out here. I shall scout ahead meet you on the Slope over the Crest.' |
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Stage 12 |
Location: | Maren Ridge (Slope) (13, 4) |
You eventually find the Genshaar Ranger, he is staring at the sky for some reason. |
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He frowns at the clear air above you, 'You should watch yourself, there are vicious birds...' But he has no time to finish his sentience as a large bird plummets out from nowhere and attacks. The young Mutant barely fights it off. 'We must get out of here. But I'm pinned down here. Can you kill a bunch to send a message to the other Sky Cutters to leave us alone?' You smile and nod. 'Alright, be quick. I don't like being attacked by something that gets a hit in first.'
You need to kill 110 Sky Cutters. |
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Stage 13 |
Location: | Maren Ridge (Slope) (13, 4) |
The young Genshaar Ranger stares up at the sky, fresh blood runs down his arms, 'Have you cleared the skies of these squealing horrors.' |
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The Ranger looks cautiously around, 'Looks like they got the message. Let's get off these slopes, we make too easy a target. I see a tall building in the distance past the Hills below. I guess that�s Cerrath. I'll meet you on the wide Plains just after the Hills.
You should meet the Genshaar Ranger on the Dahon Plains (Wall)' |
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Stage 14 |
Location: | Dahon Plains (Wall) (9, 13) |
You walk the Dahon Plains again, you are not surprised when a dangerous looking man steps out of the long grasses in front of you. You note his extremely long fingers. |
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The Genshaar Ranger obviously notes your sudden caution, he does not say a word.
You hardly recognize the Cerrath Unit. You only saw an unfinished version back in Facility, but the hyperextended fingers are a dead give away. You then see the Units fingers are dripping with blue-black blood.
Silence stretches out between you, the the Gaunt wipes his fingers. 'I see you are obviously not Golgesh, and you do not attack so you are not one of their Slave Races. So who are you, and what are you doing here? I warn you, do not lie.'
You remember that the Cerrath Units completely wiped out the SR Insurgents in under 5 minutes. You say cautiously, 'I am looking for Amara of the Dahon. Also I have details of a new customer for Cerrath, but it is not a straight forward order.' The Gaunt stares at you with eyes that glitter with quick intelligence. The Unit then scans you with a Datapad. His eyes frown. 'I'm sorry, there must be a glitch. Your DNA is flagged as Director Philips. But that is not possible as he died centuries ago.' The the Datapad gives a shrill bleep, even the Gaunt flinches. He then nods at a message. 'I have just received notification from Cerrath. You have full access to the Facility. You designation has also been amended to G27 Unit.' He looks up at you, 'Is this correct?' You nod.
The Gaunt then scans the Genshaar, 'You are with the G27 Unit, so you have access to all customer locations within Cerrath. But the Facility is not open for business as Cerrath is being invaded by the Golgesh at this time. Please come back later when it's more healthy to be here.' The young Ranger coughs nervously, 'Thank you. I must return to my people and tell them what I have found. I just hope they believe me.' He looks up at you � smiles then turns away and walks back into the Hills.'
The Gaunt then looks away almost embarrassed. 'Errrr Unit. My designation is GS9, I have a favor to ask. My squad was ambushed and I alone survived, I have tried to complete my mission, but I'm exhausted. Cerrath wants to get a hold of how the Golgesh harvest their DNA material. I'm not too sure why this is relevant. But those are my orders.' He hands you a blueprint. 'Cerrath noted that you would help in any matter I ask. So would you please help me complete my mission?' You nod and the eyes of the Gaunt go wide in astonishment. 'I shall wait here for your return when you have the Golgesh tool. Be careful, we face a cunning enemy.'
You receive 1 x Kain Sequencer Blueprint |
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Stage 15 |
Location: | Dahon Plains (Wall) (9, 13) |
GS9 sits sipping lightly from a water flask, 'Good to see you back, did you get that Kain Sequencer?' |
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The Gaunt takes it from you and then opens his backpack. He takes out what looks like a dark plate. He sits the Sequencer onto it and you hear a familiar whine and after a flash of light and the Sequencer disappears. 'I have sent the item back to the the Maintenance Chief. He will update Cerrath with the details of the item. You have proved both competent and efficient. So Cerrath has assigned you to my Squad. I was hoping I could go back home and rest. But now I have you, I have new orders. Meet me in the Dell, our journey together has just started.'
You receive 2,601,802 Xp + 50 Skill Points |
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