[Koval]

If Haines meets her, and survives, he's probably going to recommend her appointment to Interrogator...

One would imagine they've already become somewhat acquainted from the trip in, although I can't imagine that he received a demonstration of her talents.

Yeah, it's not like Warp transit is the safest time for Steren to demonstrate psychic ability in front of Haines.

In any case, Riley is aware of Steren's potential value - she just wants to be VERY sure about her first.
A normal Inquisitor can cause enough trouble if they go off the rails. Now imagine if the same Inquisitor can become immune to gunfire and almost infinitely disguise their appearance.

Unless you're being as secretive with Steren as you are with Alyx Paige, I imagine there'll be plenty of opportunities for Riley to later become sure about Steren. Admittedly it might not be in this RP, but still.

Right, so she'll probably curbstomp Narl plus fifteen Arbitrators if she puts some welly into it. Good to know.

I wouldn't exactly put it beyond her, but I can imagine that Arbitrators are better trained than your typical everyday Enforcers. So it would depend on whether the circumstances worked to her advantage.

Let's say Andreas has already gone joyriding in the Crassus, so they don't have that anymore.

I almost want to take that to its logical extreme with Steren V Ancient if they should ever come face-to-face...

I've been wondering how that might turn out. Obviously the Ancient has the more powerful offence and defence, but Steren definitely has the agility advantage.

[/quote] You do realise I'm going to spend my train journey into work thinking up ways that this'll pan out, right?

[Dolnikan]

I have posted a first part, I will write more when I have the time to do it.

[MarcoSkoll]

Yeah, it's not like Warp transit is the safest time for Steren to demonstrate psychic ability in front of Haines.

Or indeed likely to raise much reason for her to turbocharge herself.

Unless you're being as secretive with Steren as you are with Alyx Paige...

I'm not. You actually know Steren's real name and various details of her past. (At present, the earliest other characters know of Alyx's past is their first meeting with her on the Holy Blood. They don't even know why she was on the ship in the first place.)

There's some details of Steren that have formed in my head that I probably won't pass around, but that's more because they're thus far irrelevant and a bit weird. Things like specifics of how she does/doesn't alter her body shape if she's adopting disguises.

I imagine there'll be plenty of opportunities for Riley to later become sure about Steren. Admittedly it might not be in this RP, but still.

It's something of a parallel to how Marco feels about Jax Lynn. Jax is also inordinately tough - not because she's immune to bullets, but because nothing you do to her seems to stick. Injury, death, mind scrubbing - you name it, she seems to be able to heal it all. (Whether she can be permanently dead is thus far unknown.)
He obviously comes to trust her (as per Ad Vitam Aeternam, in the even further future), but in the present day, he's got similar thoughts on the matter - he's uncertain whether to trust her, but better to keep her under his watchful eye than let her run loose.

You do realise I'm going to spend my train journey into work thinking up ways that this'll pan out, right?

Yes, I do. I can imagine that there's a high likelihood of it going very wrong for her, but she's definitely got the best chances of the protagonists if it comes down to going toe to toe with a dreadnought.

Haines likely has a more powerful offence in the form of that thunder hammer, but he's not nearly as fast or agile. Perhaps she should borrow it from him.

[Koval]

I have posted a first part, I will write more when I have the time to do it.

In that case I look forward to seeing what happens next, although it's moments when you say "I will write more" that make me wonder whether I should do an update of my own, or wait for Part 2

You'll be on the northern outskirts of the city. Architecturally, think of a London council estate or cheap housing from Burnley. Used to be a rough part of town, but now nobody's any the wiser since it's been blown the hell up.

Yeah, it's not like Warp transit is the safest time for Steren to demonstrate psychic ability in front of Haines.

Or indeed likely to raise much reason for her to turbocharge herself.

This is true...

Unless you're being as secretive with Steren as you are with Alyx Paige...

I'm not. You actually know Steren's real name and various details of her past. (At present, the earliest other characters know of Alyx's past is their first meeting with her on the Holy Blood. They don't even know why she was on the ship in the first place.)

Stirling doesn't even know you have a ship, never mind what it's called or the circumstances behind Alyx's first appearance. As a matter of fact, all Stirling knows is that Alyx is probably someone he doesn't want to cross, particularly since she'll probably dismember him and leave the rest for Novus.

There's some details of Steren that have formed in my head that I probably won't pass around, but that's more because they're thus far irrelevant and a bit weird. Things like specifics of how she does/doesn't alter her body shape if she's adopting disguises.

Well, there are similarly some details I've omitted with regard to Haines and Andreas, which similarly don't affect the story (though you correctly, and probably inadvertantly, guessed one of those things about Haines during the Riley-naked-under-the-full-moon post; I just didn't say anything at the time because it wasn't relevant).

You do realise I'm going to spend my train journey into work thinking up ways that this'll pan out, right?

Yes, I do. I can imagine that there's a high likelihood of it going very wrong for her, but she's definitely got the best chances of the protagonists if it comes down to going toe to toe with a dreadnought.

Considering I managed to imagine her hulking out and literally ripping the Ancient in half*, your comment's making me lower my expectations of Steren. A pity, because that would've been rather fun to write. Though since I've now shared it, it probably won't happen any time soon.

Haines likely has a more powerful offence in the form of that thunder hammer, but he's not nearly as fast or agile. Perhaps she should borrow it from him.

I like your way of thinking, but if we're getting to the stage where Haines is also involved then he's likely to be scrapping as well. As such, he'll probably be too busy using his thunder hammer to lend it to Steren.


*Keep in mind, there isn't a lid on the Ancient's sarcophagus -- he's got a refractor field there instead, but in any case all there is is a rim where there probably should be a lid. So basically, imagine an excitable six-year-old, or large puppy, demolishing a cardboard box.[/quote]

[MarcoSkoll]

Stirling doesn't even know you have a ship, never mind what it's called or the circumstances behind Alyx's first appearance.

None of the characters know that they have a ship. They of course know of the Holy Blood, but not that they own it. The Inquisition have thus far kept them ignorant of the fact that all legal owners or claimants to the Holy Blood died in the Lacrymole infestation, so their recovery of it was both unknowing and unwitting.

As a matter of fact, all Stirling knows is that Alyx is probably someone he doesn't want to cross, particularly since she'll probably dismember him and leave the rest for Novus.

Depends on how you cross her. While she's an assassin, she's generally more pleasant than that would imply. However, her past history does mean there are certain things that are a bad idea to do around her. And no, I'm not going to tell you what they are.

Considering I managed to imagine her hulking out and literally ripping the Ancient in half, your comment's making me lower my expectations of Steren.

I don't know. She's already ripped the door off a Secutor - and while that took her some time, she may well have been sparing the power. (If she knew it would get her through the door, why take the extra risk?)

She could put fists through dreadnought armour, I'm sure of that. Whether she could rip one clean in half - for the sake of keeping her power level vaguely sensible*, I'm going to have to say it's unlikely, but you never really know when the warp is involved.
(But if she would is an another matter entirely. In a serious fight, she tends not to be showy for the sake of it. The Ancient would have had to have very much annoyed her for her to want to be that thorough.)

*While she's mortal enough if she's not boosting herself, it's not going to be easy to do something lethal or incapacitating enough to her before she can attain her focus and become a regenerating tank. As such, I think her boosts need some limits.

[Koval]

Minor notice: depending on how bad this conjunctivitis gets, I may not be able to post over the weekend owing to the need to take a break from staring at a computer screen. I'll see how I feel.

It's even more irritating because I had loads of ideas yesterday...

EDIT: It once again turns out that I'm allergic to something. This time, it's chloramphenicol (the active ingredient in those bloody eye drops). Oh, and it also turns out the pharmacist at Boots (who I didn't see the first time) reckons it's not even conjunctivitis. So I now have new eye drops that won't kill my eyes.

I've updated the gunfight, although I've not provided anything for the Arvus on the basis that A) I can now send Marco a PM B) I need an early night (for my eyes) and can do an Arvus post in the morning.

[MarcoSkoll]

I'm going to take the hints in the PM, and am thus going to try and get this post I'm working on up later today.

First time I've had to write Andreas since back in the lifepod, I think.

[Koval]

He's basically Alfred to Haines' Batman.


EDIT: the promised shuttle update arrived a little later than intended, seeing as I ended up oversleeping quite heavily (8:30, whereas I'm normally up and doing stuff after about 6 these days), however since Herald hasn't posted in a long time (and hasn't even been on the Conclave for about seven or eight weeks), I felt I'd have a stab at resolving some stuff with Barkley now while I had the chance.

I've left it open for Riley/Chain/Kuefer to react as appropriate; Haines' reaction is arguably "oh, like that's a bloody surprise" (as he's probably seen and/or done something similar before) but I can't speak for the Arvus' other occupants.

[MarcoSkoll]

I've added something as per Koval's suggestion.

It may have mistakes, as I've not yet had the time to proofread it or do clever formatting, but I've got to be leaving the house tohelp run a concert in only a few minutes, so you'll have to bear with that until I have the chance to get back and rest.

Steren not knowing that Andreas has been using an alias may well mess things up. However, whether the other characters are paying attention to what names she's using after the fact that a slender woman has just crashed through the wall - your choice. And Andreas himself has reason to be pretty shocked, given her entrance.
(Like Haines, he's probably not all that aware of her capabilities.)

If you do pick up on it, she'll probably go to the trouble of pointing out that none of you are being truthful and generally Sherlock Scan you, given she can read thoughts, emotions and biology - as well as knowing a lot of more mundane charlatan's tricks like cold reading, subliminal suggestion and the like (imagine Derren Brown kind of stuff) that she uses to improve the scope of her Telepathy.

As for the rest of her group, they're probably nearby - Steren will have broken off, leaving them at a safe distance while she chases after the telepathic/biomantic signature she recognises as Andreas.

[Koval]

Thanks for the update, Marco -- clearly that's you back in the game now that we can do stuff with your characters again

Considering that Iota at least now has reason to suspect that Andreas' alias is pretty darn flimsy, I reckon she'll pick up on Steren's use of his name even if nobody else does, though it's probably down to Dolnikan whether anyone actually does take notice.

[MarcoSkoll]

No problem. We finally get to see Steren being a bit less benevolent in combat (had fun with that, particularly the bit on the back of the Salamander). Hopefully none of the characters she's crashed in on are daft enough to try their luck.

As for names, Iota may indeed notice - I'd suspect that even if she doesn't first time, Steren is likely to use Andreas' name again. (Unless perhaps Andreas is desperately trying to instruct Steren through his thoughts and she notices.)

In any case, I'm interested to see where it goes. I'm not sure whether people want to consider this fight finished (if not, Steren can either partake in more carnage or, if the author doesn't want to write that, she can "borrow" a rifle from some heretic and hunker down instead - in the latter case, probably to keep an eye on Andreas. She wants answers from him, and she's not going to let him get out of it by dying), but after that we've got quite a lot to get into.

Also, I've done the proofread now. There's a few changes to the word order in a few places and I elaborated on a couple of bits that weren't quite as clear as I wanted them. Nothing changed plot-wise, though.
(I basically converted the morning's notes through to the text in one pass, between a shower and going out, so I'm not surprised there was a thing or two to fix.)

[Koval]

No problem. We finally get to see Steren being a bit less benevolent in combat (had fun with that, particularly the bit on the back of the Salamander). Hopefully none of the characters she's crashed in on are daft enough to try their luck.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did, owing to the fact that a psyker has just crashed through the wall and only Andreas knows who she is, but that one's up to Dolnikan as the characters we haven't accounted for are his.

As for names, Iota may indeed notice - I'd suspect that even if she doesn't first time, Steren is likely to use Andreas' name again. (Unless perhaps Andreas is desperately trying to instruct Steren through his thoughts and she notices.)

I can actually imagine the reverse-telepathy fitting in fairly nicely here (Andreas isn't a psyker, but he's not a fool either), though Steren should probably be careful if you want her to dig any further than that.

In any case, I'm interested to see where it goes. I'm not sure whether people want to consider this fight finished

Let's just say there's a reason why there are now three trucks and a Salamander.

(if not, Steren can either partake in more carnage or, if the author doesn't want to write that, she can "borrow" a rifle from some heretic and hunker down instead

I've neglected to describe exactly what most of the heretics have been carrying (apart from the agitator who had a stub gun and a fire axe) so there's enough room for shotguns, PDF las weapons, banged-up autoguns that probably came from a junkyard, the works.

in the latter case, probably to keep an eye on Andreas. She wants answers from him, and she's not going to let him get out of it by dying)

Clearly Andreas is the man with all the answers. One wonders why he's not the Inquisitor instead of Haines.

[MarcoSkoll]

I wouldn't be surprised if they did, owing to the fact that a psyker has just crashed through the wall and only Andreas knows who she is

Well, they don't yet know she's a psyker. Can't deny that they know she's come through the wall. (She did pulverise a heretic though, for whatever that might be worth.)

If anyone does take a poke at her, she probably won't be trying to kill them (given they're "not heretics" holed up with a known quantity), but that's not the same thing as saying she'll be gentle about it. Given she's currently boosted, even a pulled punch is going to be a serious blow.

I can actually imagine the reverse-telepathy fitting in fairly nicely here, though Steren should probably be careful if you want her to dig any further than that.

She doesn't tend to dig into people's minds most of the time. That's partly a deliberate narrative choice, so conversations with her don't end up with her predicting everyone else's sentences and being the only one speaking.

About the only thing she picks up on almost automatically is emotion (which, in my interpretation, is such a basic level of the mind that it's almost impossible to fake or block. Particularly to Steren's close examination, as she's also a biomancer who could read the chemical cues in someone's brain instead.)

Beyond that, surface thoughts take a bit more examination, and she tends not to put effort into reading them. She sometimes gets the odd piece though - in a similar way as looking at a page of text, you'll get some words, even if not deliberately reading it. To continue that analogy, thoughts with a particularly strong emotional cue attached to them are similar to bold or enlarged text.

She can delve further into memory and the like, but that's more like actively searching through the book to find things, and beyond finding simple details (like she did with Rosa's name) or certain recent memories, it's not usually worth the bother or increased risks.

So, if Andreas is worked up enough about it, she might pick up on the emotions and look a little further into it.

Let's just say there's a reason why there are now three trucks and a Salamander.

Three trucks and an empty Salamander.
She won't have done any serious damage to the tank itself though, so it could in theory be driven again. Anyone that tried though would find an angry psyker coming at them at hyper speed* - unless there's a missile launcher on the floor, there'll be no pussyfooting around with discarded weapons.

*I'm not yet sure exactly how fast her top speed is, but at least 60 miles an hour at full boost.

I've neglected to describe exactly what most of the heretics have been carrying

If there's one on hand, she'd probably go for a lasgun first. Reliable, lethal, something she'd be able to use pretty much off the bat.

Alternatively, one idea I left on the drawing board was her stealing the heavy stubber (it's still outside of course, but she's bulletproof) and re-enacting the scene from Commando.

[Koval]

Not long now 'til I go out to work, but I'd just like to say one thing:

Three trucks and an empty Salamander.

That's exactly why I brought the Salamander up in the post you were quoting.

[Jarrik32]

Sigh, how is it that I miss these threads? though admittedly it has been a while since I last logged on.

Anyway on a vaguely relevant topic: This story is turning out well; nice to see most of the writers holding their own. Not sure what's going on with that Kowal guy though... eh every chain has its weak link