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[LP CYOA] Epic

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
Eye patch would be easier to remove in combat but Azo is right, it stands out. BAndwagon it is.

Edit: Kipeci, the right eye works without having to worry about burning through the bullet time. We can always get a augment later if we want, but we can't get our eye back later if we go with the augment now.
 

Storyfag

Perfidious Pole
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Stealth Orbital Nuke Control Centre
Seeing as how the preview for D suggests we'll go up against people habitually taking over cybernetic hardware of other people, I believe it is prudent to not get excessively augmented ourselves. Therefore, the cybernetic eye is a bad idea.
 

Rex Feral

Prophet
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,300
We are already pretty augmented, I don't think an eye will make that much of a difference to whomever we go up against. And as much as I'd like to look like Garret, it's something we can decide later if our natural eye proves troublesome.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
BA, as sad as I am to see the eyepatch go, we're Jason Bourne'ing here, best not to stand out too much. That, and I'm not signing up for any redundant augments, that may just give our "benefactors" another way to control us.

Say, treave, can Yua 2.0 directly interfere with our decisions and actions at this point?
Edit: and do we still have that text-game Shulgi gave us?
And an off-topic question: since the ex-Shinar Empire seemed to have a strong naval tradition, a-la British Empire, I am assuming that they also have an above-average Marine tradition, in their original sense of amphibious troops/ship guards, a-la British Royal Marines.
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
Kipeci, the right eye works without having to worry about burning through the bullet time. We can always get a augment later if we want, but we can't get our eye back later if we go with the augment now.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that things such as being able to see in 3D (driving or something might be nice to be able to do, yeah?) and lasers might be more helpful on a regular basis than being able to access a power that we already only use extremely rarely without going into a state that we need to practice more with, anyway.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
She can't, and you lost the game's data back on the Kaguya-hime. The Shinar don't have a strong naval tradition. They're a land-based power.
 

GreyViper

Prophet
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,523
Location
Estonia
BA Deus Ex here we come, oh and we should start looking into some type of power armor just in case.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Flopping to CA, since I don't see a one good reason why we should abandon the eyepatch: if the enemies start recognizing us, we're doing it wrong anyway; it's easier to remove it in combat; and, finally, it will net us a good +intimidation bonus agains basement-dwelling hackers and punk-ass scientists. Not a damned reason we should take it off, the hard-ass rep is just a bonus.
Too bad about the game. Were we ever supposed to finish it I wonder?
To be fair, I don't think Shulgi will ever give it to us again; "Like you need more encouragement."
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
BA - don't trust the augment tech that close to our brain. Remember the preview about pople being hacked through their eyes?
treave, will the contact lens keep us from slicing things in half?
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
It works to block off your sight just like an eye patch would, so you effectively can't see anything with it.
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
I could see a major downside with the contact lens that isn't there with the eyepatch - if the shit hits the fan, we can take off our eyepatch much easier than we can a contact lens. Then again, the whole point of having the lens in the first place is to keep a low profile and hopefully enhance our natural abilities instead of just buying an augmentation that could turn any random dickhead into a superhero.

treave: is the eye augmentation an obvious one? Would someone be able to tell that it's artificial in any way? I'm wondering whether it would arouse suspicion or not.
 

ScubaV

Prophet
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
1,022
Perhaps treave will take authorial license to add some C&C, but when I wore contacts it was super quick and easy to take them out. Granted, not as fast as flipping an eye patch, but not more than a couple seconds.
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
Perhaps treave will take authorial license to add some C&C, but when I wore contacts it was super quick and easy to take them out. Granted, not as fast as flipping an eye patch, but not more than a couple seconds.

Heh, I have glasses that are of a pretty low prescription, so I have never really needed to wear contacts for sports or anything, and as a result I never bothered with getting them.

Could also be that 1C is just a very shitty choice with little upside. I mean, that's what it seems like - it'll just piss off our superiors and make us look completely obvious. Hard to see any positives here.
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
The cybernetic eye would look a bit unnatural, particularly since it's a lone eye instead of replacing both, but augments are pretty popular amongst those who can afford it, and people will think you're just some rich kid with money to blow.

Contacts can be quick to remove, though doing so with your cybernetic hand might be a bit hard. You're not going to need to spend a minute fiddling with it, though. I'm thinking that the eye-patch/lens only comes off when stereoscopic vision becomes vital and the risk of his power going out of control is minimized (i.e. in a deserted street with Shulgi where there can be little collateral damage). You certainly don't need to remove it to use the ability to see lines in your left eye.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Well, remember how the soldiers and common folk respected Dio for his rough appearance after Skane? I figure the same may apply here, with the less savory characters we may find ourselves dealing with; that, and we'll be able to pass some serious [Intimidation] tests, if I am correct. Is that what you meant by "it adds character," treave?
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
Well, a patch makes you memorable and people will remember your actions, be it good or bad. It's easier to build a reputation.
 

aleam iacis

Liturgist
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Messages
115
Codex USB, 2014 BattleTech
AB. I'm not interested in finding out about anti-augmentation terrorist groups, though the idea of the traditional female cop bait with Erika is fun.

Even if the cybernetic eye makes anti-augmentation groups not like us, or even makes us vulnerable to neural hacking and emp grenades... I still want it! It would be unfortunate if we lost our power ability with it, but that's hardly certain, is it?

And maybe we can use Yua better with this, or get some special telescopic sight or easier wireless feed/hacking into things. I'm sure treave wouldn't offer us an upgrade that was totally useless. Probably.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Double-edged sword, then. I suppose it depends on how risky we want to play this and remember, Azo and Shulgi are, most likely, not our friends; getting along with them shouldn't be our goal, we (Senya) came here for information and resources, the ones they don't want us to have and then to break free/turn the tables on them. I'm thinking that us accruing "street cred" can help us a lot with both of those things, if we play this smart. I'm optimistic, so why deny ourselves the opportunity, eh?

P.S.:
“Perhaps I should force the answers from you, then.” I raise a hand to my eye-patch, but Shulgi just smirks.

“It’s far too soon for that.”
I'm thinking that the eye-patch/lens only comes off when stereoscopic vision becomes vital and the risk of his power going out of control is minimized (i.e. in a deserted street with Shulgi where there can be little collateral damage).
I don't like the sound of this.

Edit:I still prefer the lens over the augmented eye.
 

Zwist

Learned
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
236
BA

But lets find a way to turn our lens opaque on command, making it much more effective than a patch.

Looking at girls undies because: Chances are that someone is using an augmentation here. One that we might "acquire".
 

treave

Arcane
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11,370
Codex 2012
BAndwagon victory.

***

Case of the Missing Lawmaker, Act I

Reconstruction is still going on in major parts of Kyoto. I see many construction robots wading their way clumsily through the streets, restoring the destroyed buildings under the supervision of humans in mechs. Despite the infrastructure damage and lives lost to the colony drop, and in spite of the war still ongoing just a hundred kilometres above their heads, a sense of normalcy seems to have returned to the people of Kyoto.

The worst is over. What else could happen? The war will end soon. Who cares what is going on in space?

All these thoughts, and countless others similar to it, are fostered by the media and politicians every day. It was not a year ago that Higashi was fighting for its own survival against the Indus Confederation; now they are treated as a distant memory, a defeated opponent fleeing where Earth's gravity cannot reach them. The cult itself remains public enemy number one, with constant televised reminders to report any sympathetic behaviour towards the Apostles. However, I can't help but feel that as long as the cult does not take any more overt action on Earth, the incessant warnings only serve to deaden the public's interest in the cult; it is fast becoming background noise amongst all the war propaganda that is being aired.

Speaking of war propaganda, as the train takes Erika and I towards Shijo, I spot a poster for Naim's upcoming movie. They'll be auditioning for a vital part next month; though most of the major roles have been cast, no one seems to want to play the character of the traitorous terrorist known as Hoshikawa Senya. Apparently the memory is still too fresh and too painful, especially amongst the Higashi that had adored the Shinari royals and have become the major creative force behind the movie. They're considering writing off the character, but it seems that the director had insisted he be kept in as a sequel hook for another movie where Naim can proceed to take bloody revenge for his beloved princess. It seems he's spending more time being a celebrity hero to the public than fighting at the frontlines nowadays.

“Perhaps I should audition for the part.” I mutter.

“Why not? It'd be funny.” says Erika. I frown at her, and she raises her eyebrows in return. “You were talking out loud.”

“Sorry. Oh yeah, Erika? Do you know anything about what happened to Kyrie?” No harm in asking. She might actually know something, since Shulgi is her uncle.

“Nothing, besides what everyone knows. You think she's...?”

“I know she is.”

“That's great.” There's a genuine smile on her lips, for the briefest second.

“I didn't think you were that close with her.”

“We had some talks about you, back at the academy.”

“Oh?”

“It's private stuff.”

And that, as they say, was that. Erika turns away to look out the window – it's clear I'm not going to get anything more out of her for now.

***

The urban legend about women being abducted in the changing rooms of a certain shopping mall have been circulating for more than a decade. I recall hearing the same rumour from my sister once; she had heard it from a friend of hers, and had been too frightened to go to any shops for weeks. I had checked it out in my spare time, with my friends, and found nothing of note. We did gain some... unlawful footage, footage that sparked the first blossom of adolescent curiosity in our barely pubescent minds. The things some people get up to behind the curtains of those cubicles...

Anyway, it looks like the rumours have continued unabated. They have taken on a more sinister twist lately – whereas the old story had the fate of the women unknown, the new one spoke of them being sold to an underground club where they were tortured and forced to perform for the pleasure of the club's members. Just recently, a blurry picture was leaked on the internet, as purported proof of the rumour's authenticity. It depicted a gloomy room dimly lit only by candles. A naked woman was suspended in the center of the room from her arms. She appeared to have no legs, just bloody stumps. The photo's condition was too poor to make out any more detail than that. Most of the internet community immediately denounced it as a hoax, a forgery to lend the urban legend more authenticity.

According to the files of the Department of Miscellanous Affairs, however, the physical profile of the woman appeared to match that of a subject of a missing person's case that had been reported nearly three months ago. Even so, there is no conclusive evidence. No one could identify the room in the photo, nor could the person who uploaded it in the first place be traced.

Which brings us to where we are now; the department is not taking any missing people in Shijo lightly, particularly if they are slightly more prominent members of society.

“So, which shop was it?” I ask Erika. She just keeps quiet and points ahead. I guess this means I'm supposed to follow her. We're in the largest mall in Shijo, Sunflower Complex. It had remained untouched by the war, and it is as crowded as ever. There are probably more than 5000 shops in here, though I only know the electronics and games-oriented ones. Fashionable clothes are a bit far from the sphere of my hobbies. The department had given us the budget to suit up normally, however, and both Erika and I are dressed up in the trendy, casual wear popular with teenagers nowadays. Though I blend into the crowd somewhat with my plain hoodie jacket, Erika turns the heads of the crowd with her silver hair, long legs and model-like looks.

“I should have kept the eyepatch.” I muse. “You're getting all the attention.”

“You should have,” she replies. “You looked cooler with it.”

“Too late for regrets now.” I have my right eye's vision blocked with an opaque contact lens. It's indistinguishable when I have it on, and seems to work just as well as an eyepatch does. Despite what I said, I do find it more comfortable to not have people staring at me in public. I'll probably be able to modify it with some extra functions when I have time, but the delicate equipment I would need to do so is somewhat difficult to acquire.

“We're here.” remarks Erika, stopping in front of a rather pink and lacy store. So it was this type of shop.

I look around desperately. “Do I really have to go in there?”

“It's your job.”

Sighing, I enter Madame Tuvalu's Etrurian Lingerie Boutique.

The experience is overwhelming; I don't know where to put my eyes. A female attendant comes up to us, beaming. I let Erika do all the talking. Judging from the police report, the detectives in charge have done all the questioning competently; there is nothing I would ask that they haven't already. Obviously, none of the staff said anything that would put them under suspicion. She looks around for the dressing room that the lawmaker was reported to have gone missing in. Picking up the sort of lingerie I'd never expect her to wear, she gives me a rather fake smile and walks into the room. Well, she can take care of herself... she'd probably still best me in a fight 7 times out of 10.

I wish I could wear something like this...”

“Did you say something, Yua?”

“N-nothing. Please be focused on your work.” says Yua 2.0, uncharacteristically flustered at my question. My eyes dart around the shop while I wait, and fall upon a familiar looking pair of panties. Ah, yes. Kyrie had made me do her laundry once, and caught me staring at a similar pair halfway through. The less said about what happened next, the better.

“Se- Kurou!” whispers Erika loudly, poking her head out from between the curtains of the changing room. “Could you take a look at this?”

There are sniggers from all around as the customers and shop attendants glance at me. Turning red, I make my way towards the changing room at a brisk pace. Though I hesitate right before going in, Erika grabs me and pulls me inside. Thankfully, she's still fully clothed.

“What is it?”

“I sense something wrong, but I can't make out what it is.”

I nod, understanding the situation. This is when my ability comes in handy. I breathe in deeply and activate it. The world turns still as my senses become manyfold sharper than usual. I can feel Erika's body heat radiating strongly from her in this cramped space. There's something off about this room. The police had checked the room thoroughly for any signs of hidden chambers or passageways, but found nothing. I can tell that there is nothing like that in here, but there is something else that they had missed.

The mirror is slightly, strangely hollow. Of course, there would be no place for anyone to hide inside, but it was a compartment nonetheless. There could be an important clue within. Erika had sensed the subtle distortion of her image within the mirror due to its construction, but couldn't put words to it. I run my fingers along the smooth reflective surface, tapping it, but find no purchase for to pry it open. It's extremely well-constructed, so seamless that even if I were to use my tendrils I would not be able to slip them between the glass and its frame.

“Break it?” asks Erika.

***

A. It's unlikely we'll get official permission to confiscate it – and we are not operating in any official capacity whatsoever anyway, so we can come back to investigate the mirror later at our leisure, after the shop is closed.

B. I try to talk the shop's manager into selling us the mirror. We do have a really nice, sumptuous budget to work with; to be honest, I could probably buy half of the lingerie on display casually if I so desired.

C. This might be a red herring; I'm overthinking things. There's probably other explanations for a weird mirror. I should approach the case from another angle instead and not waste my time with this.

D. Break it.
 

Zwist

Learned
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
236
Hollow? As in "might contain gas" hollow? And if something is wrong with it, buying it will most certainly tip them of. If buying the mirror we should most certainly by more than that. How about all the changing booths? Our lovebirds should have no problem coming up with a believable story for that.
I do however Promote A. barring any surprises, or us fucking up, this should net us most gain with a minnimum of atention.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Do it, we didn't come here to play nice and I am curious as to what may be on the other side.

If anyone comes to check on the noise, Senya and Erika were were having some private time and "accidentaly" broke it. All damages shall, naturally, be paid and if Erika protests, hey, it was her idea.
 

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