Olis Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Welcome to the thread, brothers and sisters, and may I be so bold as to announce this to be the first multiple choice story on B&C (well, it's the first one I've known about on here, at least). The aim here is to provide a story with direct input from you, the members, as to how it'll pan out. Although I have a couple of other important things on my plate right now, I had an idea and I thought I'd run with it to see where it went. :devil: The format will run thus: I will provide the initial story in the form of three paragraphs and then provide a choice of options which the story will use to move on with. But only one option can be used. There will always be three options to choose from and I will only go with the majority vote - you may post in this thread to vote. In the event of a tie, I will choose between the most popular options as voted on by, at the latest, the following Sunday and post a follow up on the Monday. Should anyone have any suggestions on future options or where the story is headed, please shoot me a PM. :blush: So, without further ado, the story! The Spirit of Terra Out in the void of space drifted the Spirit of Terra, broken and abused by brutal ship-to-ship combat. Although without engines or offensive capacity, there was still enough life in the strike cruiser to support it's remaining crew for a few weeks yet. The destroyers Everance and The Reaper were gone and the aggressors had also left too, no doubt lured away by the escorts attacks. Captain Orocco of the Grey Spectres lay on his back, amidst the ruins of the upper command deck recovering what wits he had about him. At his last count he had about thirty space marines under him that still lived after the ambush. He blink-clicked his helms situational report readouts again. More than two dozen had perished from the swift attack before the Spirit of Terra could even get her shields up. He had seen the ship, clear as day, through the viewports as it passed close enough to his vessel for him to be concerned of a ramming manoeuvre. He remembered the archenemy star emblazoned on the hull - his lip curled at the memory. Now, out here, billions of miles from the nearest world, millions of miles to the warp point and lacking an astropath and possibly a navigator, the situation may very well be grim. It would not be long before the attackers returned. Hephastus Orocco was never known as a man that faced death quietly - he always had his weapons to hand and a battle-cry on his breath. Crippled they may be, but he'd be damned if he let the Spirit of Terra be taken by the archenemy. Options: The archenemy ship returns and Captain Orocco must deal with the ensuing boarding attempt. Will he survive? Or, more to the point, will his men survive? Who will these heretics be? Vox traffic from his sergeants warns Captain Orroco of strange beings stalking the ship. Surely they must be archenemy agents, sent over to take care of the Spirit of Terra's post-human defenders? The ambusher does not return, and neither do the Spirit of Terra's escorts. Captain Orocco must affect repairs and make best speed back to the world they just liberated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Sweet idea!!!! Option 2 gets my vote. Cheers, Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Option 2. Ludovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Colossus Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Another for Option 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Such fast replies, thanks guys. Well, if it's alright with everyone, I might advance things ahead a little bit and post a follow up on Wednesday, rather than next Monday, considering the interest. It'll just be something reasonably short (say... six paragraphs) and hopefully it'll easily allow more options. After that the next follow up will be Monday. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulse Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Oh this is a sweet idea!! Option 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Onyxius Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Chapter 2 indeed brothers! and great work on chapter 2 brother Olisredan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 The next entry is prepared and ready to go, so if anyone else wishes to cast their vote, now would be a good time! :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 The popular choice appears to be option two, it seems, and by unanimous vote, no less. ;) Vox traffic from his sergeants warns Captain Orroco of strange beings stalking the ship. Surely they must be archenemy agents, sent over to take care of the Spirit of Terra's post-human defenders? Here's the following part. Strangers Amongst Us Treading the corridors of the Spirit of Terra brought a strange calm to Captain Orroco. He had yet to meet another soul since leaving the bridge to the repair crew and, despite the odd noises, felt secure in himself, girded against the possibility of hostile action. This arena was his domain; it was his ship that was under trespass and he was an Imperial astartes. Woe betide any foe that crossed blades with him. Various calls over the vox kept the Captain ready and alert, some of them obviously nothing more than ghost harmonics and crossed frequencies, others more harrowing as crewmen wailed for help, pleaded for help, begged for help - often these particular pieces of traffic ended in a scream or a gurgle. Venturing deeper into the ship brought into sight the first abomination - a shambling, humanoid shape dragging a butchered and scorched crewman, leaving a trail of blood that led away into the darkness of the ship. This...thing appeared to be made of living crystalline or bismuth and was constantly in steady flux, shifting proportion or shape over the course of a mere minute as Orroco approached like a big game hunter. One minute it was humanoid, the next it was a multi-limbed blob, green heat emanating from any orifices that manifested. Orroco thumbed the activation stud on his power sword, bringing it up to strike even as he charged at the metallic daemon with great thundering strides. The thing saw him coming - a real feat for something that didn't have actual eyes - and threw the corpse it clung to away like a ragdoll. The limbs transformed into pin sharp blades and dug deep into Orroco's battle plate, only just puncturing the chestplate and sticking fast. A great howl from the beast, unlike anything the Captain heard before or since, issued from it's mouth along with a great gust of emerald fire as it knew it had made a mistake. The emanations blistered Orroco's heraldry, bubbling the paint work and singing the ceramite underneath, forcing the Captain to turn his helm to the side as it licked up close to his faceplate. One swift sweep of his power sword severed the thing's 'arms' and a measured coup de grace, using a reversed grip, pole axed the daemon. The sound of a cooling engine ticking itself cold could be heard as the beast expired, the bodily effluvia draining into the air itself, dissolving into nothing around his sword. Orroco checked his battle plate's status; barring the two punctures in his hand-embellished armour and some superficial damage, he had suffered very little at the hands of the daemon. Something he thanked the Emperor for. Calling for a sitrep from his Sergeants revealed little beyond what his helm had already relayed to him - one marine, Brother Erasmus, had died quite suddenly in the past few minutes and Brother Alvarez's rune had gone from a healthy green to a cautionary yellow. The rest of the still living complement the second company had were scattered throughout the Spirit of Terra, either in small groups or as singular bastions of strength. The nearest of his men were just two decks below him, however they remained unmolested for now, a group of seven space marines led by Sergeant Qhuistov. The gundecks had begun to report of a serious problem with a 'silhouette' and were now declaring a collective alert, an appeal for aid. Deeper into the ship several sections had also declared similar alerts, some more alarming than others. It was at one of these that Erasmus and Alvarez were situated. Options: Travel down two decks to link up with his men and attempt to effect a seek and destroy mission. Having several astartes to back him up would provide the Captain the impetus to attempt cleansing the ship. Directly move to aid the gundecks in an effort to rid the reported problem plaguing the gun crews. These 'silhouettes' will suffer just the same as the bismuth-daemon - death at the hands of the Emperor's finest. Leaving the gundecks as they are could mean the loss of a significant number of the crew. Investigate the death of Brother Erasmus. If at all possible aid Brother Alvarez and save him from whatever unholy creature that killed one of Orroco's men. Alvarez is depending on the coming aid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Option 1 this time for me. Cheers, Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Might I just give a friendly warning to others in casting their vote - any one option chosen precludes the others from occurring. Weigh up your options carefully, brothers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 In the current situation, option 2 seems to be the wisest choice. I'm really enjoying it, Oli, keep up the great work :D Ludovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messor Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I'm gonna go with option 1. More marines together is gonna get more done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I'm gonna go with option 1. More marines together is gonna get more done. True, but if you loose a large part of your crew (like it says in the option description), you're screwed :P Ludovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messor Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 True, but if you loose a large part of your crew (like it says in the option description), you're screwed :P Ludovic Depends which part of the crew, but it's certainly a risk. Orroco won't be much good to his crew or his men if he gets overwhelmed by demo...what am I saying, he's a Space Marine! No but really, it could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyear Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Option 1 gets my vote as well. Better to have a squad of Space Marines with you then to go at it alone and possibly get ambushed and killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 It appears that the choice for this next instalment is option one, by two votes to one (sorry Ludovic). Granted there's a third vote for option one, but it was out of time and discounted. Best get your vote in earlier this time Tyear! :) Travel down two decks to link up with his men and attempt to effect a seek and destroy mission. Having several astartes to back him up would provide the Captain the impetus to attempt cleansing the ship. Back Up Orroco rendezvoused with Qhuistov and his squad on the lowermost command deck, just shy of the area of the ship that led into the crew quarters. Power was intermittant and so the lighting flickered on and off periodically, not that it actually mattered to Orroco and his men. He kept a weather eye on the runes representing company members, noting warily that Alvarez's personal rune no longer emitted the yellow for caution - it had slipped not just to red but it was flashing. Brother Alvarez was gravely wounded, perhaps mortally. A great cry echoed from the direction of the embarkation deck, preceded by a heavy bass, animalistic rumble, barely a hundred metres on from Qhuistov and his charges. Orroco knew instantly that it was another abomination and followed steps behind the grizzled Qhuistov himself toward the source of the roar. The astartes practically sprinted to where the shuttles rested, or had rested, only to find something that could not rightly be described as a beast. It had a mouth to bellow from, that was a surety, but the pink and blue flesh that housed the noisome orifice was smeared over the walls and floor of the shuttle bay. Here and there various machinery had melded with the fell beast, creating a myriad of dangerous obstacles that seemed to have a life of their own. Orroco silently prayed for the machine spirits within. The captain ordered up Brother Inigo, hefting the flamer, to cleanse the foul creature from the ship. The moment flame contacted daemon-flesh the thing squealed and howled. Not giving any quarter, Inigo torched what he could, the daemon retracting what un-cremated extremities it could back to the main body dwelling at the far end of the bay. Whipping tentacles, coloured various shades of pink, blue and everything in between, cracked as they flicked out from corrupted machinery, Inigo's brothers beating them back with bolt and blade. Orroco demolished a wall-mounted cogitator, exploding the hallowed calculation device in a hail of bolter fire. The kernel of the flesh-daemon hiding within sprang from the fizzing and crackling machine, wrapping itself around the helm of the nearest marine. Brother Cueto screamed as the thing punctured his helmet and his skull through the eye-piece. The yell was short-lived - Cueto crashed to the deck stone dead. Before the fleshling had a chance to disengage from the unfortunate brother, Inigo doused it and the corpse with cleansing promethium. It hissed and popped, slowly burning to a crisp as Cueto's battle plate scorched and singed in the fire. The further they drove into the bay, the further the thing withdrew until it was gathered into a corner, growling at it's aggressors. The beast was clearly a massive monstrosity, easily rivalling the size of the chapter's own vaunted Land Raiders. The outlying flesh that had amalgamated into the daemon swathed the thing in folds of leathery skin and sinew, the dozen or so remaining tentacles still attached to the main body supported the weight of the flesh-daemon as if they were boneless legs. Taking a moment to weigh up the options, Orroco had noticed Alvarez's rune was now black: Dead. He felt his bile rising at the prospect of losing more men to these abominations, especially when he had no influence on the matter. It was galling. The death of Cueto, however, sat just as badly. He listened momentarily to the vox; the silhouettes were slaying the gun-crews without mercy, cornering stragglers and sucking the life out of them. The repair crew on the bridge had relayed that it was back up to minimal operational capacity and the enginarium had just begun to encounter their own problems. Thing's, on the whole, were not faring well. Another bestial roar announced the daemon's attack, tearing the captain's attention off of the vox. It barrelled through the squad, smashing Qhuistov aside and launching poor Inigo the length of the bay. Qhuistov came to rest amongst the landing gear of a shuttle, whereas Inigo bounced once, twice and rolled to a halt, his flamer sent far out of his grasp during his short-lived flight. Unfortunately for Qhuistov, the shuttle was infested with a fragment of the flesh-daemon and slender tentacles fought to best the old warrior. As Inigo stood, the thing regarded him with what could only be described as child-like curiosity. The marine drew his weapons as the flesh-daemon approached menacingly. Options: Assist the venerable Qhuistov, his experience will be invaluable, no doubt. His men look up to him and he's walked a hundred battlefields and more. Aid Inigo, who will not be able to face the beast alone and live, despite his pedigree. All he has at the moment is his bolt pistol and combat knife. Get the flamer. If any weapon will slay this flesh-beast, it will be a cleansing flamer. However, in the time it'll take to get it, Inigo would likely die and Qhuistov could very well perish too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Option 3, trust that the battle brothers will aid those in need. Cheers, Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Juan Juarez Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Option 3. If you have only one weapon capable of truly harming the creature why waste valuable time in trying to assist others when none of you have that weapon? Any Marine would gladly sacrifice themselves for the Greater Good :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messor Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Option 3 thirded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Option 3. Ludovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 So... does anyone want to a twice-weekly update, or should I keep it to a weekly thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allfather1 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Option 3 I just want to say that I am really enjoying the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messor Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 So... does anyone want to a twice-weekly update, or should I keep it to a weekly thing? Just don't over burden yourself, I personally am content with weekly updates, and enjoying how its shaping up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Don't stress yourself, but I'm definitely ok with bi-weekly updates. Cheers, Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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