FTL: Harmony Edition IC

[1/27/16 7:50:06 PM] Espresso: "I'm literally a living furnace." Degree belches a gout of flame, burning up most of the alcohol in his system. "Dragons don't get drunk. And the kids will grow up eventually. Anyway, what's it to you? Who're you, anyway?"

[1/27/16 7:50:48 PM] Fæge: "Didn't I introduce myself already?" Borealis frowns. "I could swear I did."

[1/27/16 7:51:33 PM] Espresso: "Yes, well, I forgot." Degree says, taking another drink. "Piloting a rustbucket off a burning planet does that to a dragon."

[1/27/16 7:52:20 PM] Fæge: Borealis frowns again - the dragon's attitude was starting to grate on him already. "The name's Borealis. I'm in charge of security for the moment."

[1/27/16 7:53:36 PM] Espresso: "Cool, cool." Degree eyes the minotaur thoughtfully. His stance and equipment are more than enough indication that this is a professional. "You a soldier or something? Mercenary, maybe?"

[1/27/16 7:55:42 PM] Fæge: Borealis shakes his head. "PMC. Adjutant Corps. You? That flamethrower of yours tells me you're no civilian either."

[1/27/16 8:03:07 PM] Espresso: Degree snorts. "Flamethrower? Please, you wound me. This baby here," he hefts the Burninator up to his chest, cycling through each setting, "is the best of the best in heat-based weaponry. It's 100% custom shopped, there's nothing remotely like it on the market. I make sure of that."

[1/27/16 8:04:00 PM] Fæge: "You make sure of that?" Borealis raises an eyebrow. "What, you a merchant?" Somehow he doubts that a merchant would have access to this kind of firepower, but still… something about his wording...

[1/27/16 8:05:34 PM] Espresso: "Merchant, trader, whatever." Degree shrugs. "I prefer the term gunrunner. I have contacts in some of the top weapon manufacturers in the Sector."

[1/27/16 8:07:25 PM] Fæge: "Ah… you're that kind of trader. Right." Borealis grimaces. The dragons seems entirely uncaring of his behaviour and is a criminal on the side. He resists the urge to confront him right there and instead feigns interest in the flamethrower. If he was to work with the drake - might as well figure out what heat he's packing. "So I'm guessing one of these contacts set you up with that weapon?"

[1/27/16 8:10:02 PM] Espresso: "Ha!" Degree snorts, and a flicker of fire streams out of his nose. Taking a long drink from the bottle, he pats the Burninator lovingly. "This is all me. Sure I sourced the base parts from my contacts but the rest I custom built. It's one of a kind."

[1/27/16 8:10:50 PM] Fæge: "What makes it so special? Is it just that tricked out of a flamethower?"

[1/27/16 8:16:08 PM] Espresso: "This isn't just a flamethrower. It's loaded to the brim with pure elemental dragonfire, so it'll practically burn forever, and has a few neat tricks on the side. This here is a pressure-launch canister battery, it'll fire anything from a flare to a thermite grenade. I've got a stock full of fuel and catalyst canisters to turn an ember into a wildfire in seconds. And - this here's the prize winner - I custom modded a Junkyard machine laser to draw on the supply of dragonfire I fill it with, so instead of firing lasers, it shoots condensed pellets of pure hellfire. It'll punch through as many layers of armor as anyone can ever wear."

Degree stops abruptly when he realizes how childish he must seem, fawning over a cool toy. He takes a deep breath after the excited spiel, and coughs meaningfully. "So - PMC, huh? What are you packing then? I recognize hardlight projectors when I see one."

[1/27/16 8:29:07 PM] Fæge: "As you should." Borealis says, taking a little pride in his armament. Clearly, despite his rampant disrespect, Degree knows his weapons - Borealis can work with that. "This is forged by one of the greatest light smiths in the Minoan Republic, given to me as a parting gift. I added a few attachments, but overall this is the closest you'll get to an original Archetype bodysuit."

Extending an arm, he allows the Warden Exosuit to spring to life, encasing his already considerable bulk in an even larger shell of golden energy. He takes a few swings with the light blades extending out of the back of his forearms, and then blasts the wall with a non-lethal burst of pure light energy. "This is a Tau-Class Warden Exosuit. It's as good as it gets in terms of defense, and it lets me rapid manifest energy barriers to protect allies. It's top of the line in Minoan defensive tech."

[1/27/16 8:30:29 PM] Espresso: Degree looks the armored titan up and down appraisingly before begrudgingly nodding in approval. "Gotta admit, I thought you were just a stuck-up holier-than-thou soldier, but I guess that's impressive enough to make up for you being an uptight stick in the mud.”

[1/27/16 8:48:51 PM] Fæge: Borealis scowls. He doesn't appreciate being insulted by this drake, who seems not only to be irritatingly quippy and disrespectful, but also is also a criminal. A gunrunner profits off conflict, and are often the cause of the conflict anyhow. But still…
"As long as we are on this ship together we will have to work together. It would be… appreciated… if you could address your crewmates with a little more respect." Borealis says, still determined to at least resolve the situation calmly.

[1/27/16 8:51:03 PM] Espresso: "Hey, now. Loosen up a little." Degree hands the bottle to the minotaur, still in his exosuit. "Here. You'll like it."

[1/27/16 8:51:23 PM] Fæge: Borealis frowns, but dispels his suit. "I'd rather not, thank you."

[1/27/16 8:52:00 PM] Espresso: "Mm. Your loss." Degree swigs it again. "It's good booze."

[1/27/16 9:20:01 PM] Fæge: "You may benefit from an internal incinerator, but I'd rather stay alert, if it's all the same to you."

[1/27/16 9:20:56 PM] Espresso: "Mm." Degree mumbles again, this time picking up the Burninator and stowing it away. "You know, I'm getting the distinct impression that you don't like me that much."

[1/27/16 9:50:38 PM] Fæge: "No." Borealis deadpans. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

[1/27/16 9:52:46 PM] Espresso: "Yeah." Degree waves a claw around vaguely in the minotaur's direction. "Something about that scowl."

[1/27/16 9:59:10 PM] Fæge: Borealis kneads his brow, and sighs. "Look, I'm not going to pretend that I like your particular trade. I'm an enforcer of Concord law, and you supply the people I try to take down. But for the moment, until we make it to somewhere safe - can we pretend that we're not the literal opposites of each other and work together for the sake of survival?"

[1/27/16 10:00:14 PM] Espresso: Degree considers Borealis for a moment, before finally holding out a claw. "Deal. We bipeds gotta stick together, right?"

[1/27/16 10:01:38 PM] Fæge: Borealis, against the part of his mind that is screaming for justice, shakes on it. "Then we have an understanding."

[1/27/16 10:02:19 PM] Espresso: "Cool." Degree looks away from Borealis, continuing to have his drink.

[1/27/16 10:02:35 PM] Fæge: After a moment's pause, Borealis turns to leave.

[1/27/16 10:02:56 PM] Espresso: "I still think the Burninator is better than your suit." Degree comments, idly.

[1/27/16 10:04:05 PM] Fæge: Borealis stops and turns around, the suit materializing around him. "I highly doubt that." He says. "This is masterwork produced by one of the best light forgers to ever live. Yours is a patchwork of smuggled weapons."

[1/27/16 10:05:08 PM] Espresso: Degree leaps to his feet. "Oh no, you didn't." He slams the Burninator into the ground hard enough to dent the plating. "Right here, right now. Try me."

[1/27/16 10:05:28 PM] Fæge: Borealis narrows his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

[1/27/16 10:14:21 PM] Espresso: Degree smirks. "You keep dreaming, sunshine."

[1/27/16 10:23:04 PM] Espresso: ((Do we roll initiative now?))

[1/27/16 10:57:01 PM] Fæge: ((Yup))

[1/27/16 11:32:01 PM] Fæge: ((Initiative: 1…))

[1/27/16 11:32:42 PM] Espresso: (Initiative: 1 son of a b-))

[1/27/16 11:32:58 PM] Fæge: ((Rerolling… 3))

[1/27/16 11:34:43 PM] Espresso: ((Reroll: 15))

[1/27/16 11:34:49 PM] Espresso: ((I'll go))

Relevant statblocks:

tl;dr Degree uses thin scales on himself and Feeder flames on Borealis.
HP: 30
Energy: 2

Crystalite - Tuesday 10:23 AM
> "Zebras. More about zebras, please," Copperette said, wondering off with Sweetie as she talked.

Shazam - Tuesday 10:45 AM
> "Oh oh! I know! Fact: Zebras used to live with the ponies but overpopulation drove them to a new home among the stars. Their traditional lifestyle resulted in a culture rooted in valuing effort and hard work, as well as self sacrifice for the sake of others." Sweetie Bot says, bouncing alongside Copperette. "Zebras do not value scientific research much, except for a few machine cult tribes. Like the one Creator Belgond is from! Fact: Machine cults are dedicated to developing totally original technology, not inspired by alien artifacts!"

Crystalite - Tuesday 10:48 AM
> Copperette looked around as she listened.

The unicorn was accustomed to thinking about multiple things at once. As such, she could handily tinker around while Sweetie talked to her. She cast around, deciding to look for tools first, as she asked the next question. "Alien artifacts? Tell me more about those," she said.

Shazam - Tuesday 10:58 AM
> "Fact: 93.921% of currently discovered technology is lifted from artifacts left behind by a race of master builders. Commonly known as Archetypes" Sweetie bot says, "Speculation: Archetypes predate most sentient races. Many believe they still exist. Maybe they are hiding behind that stool?" Sidetracked for a moment, Sweetie Bot ducks behind a stool. "Negative. I thought there was a chance for success. This terminates my dream to be the most famous filly-bot of the century. Theory: Archetypes left to avoid nosy filly-bots."

Crystalite - Tuesday 11:01 AM
> Copperette giggled at Sweetie's antics, dumping the collected tools into a convenient box which she levitated behind her. "Okay... Why does the zebra machine cult choose build their own stuff?" she asked, looking around for materials. "Seems like it'd be a lot easier to study the Archetype stuff."

Shazam - Tuesday 11:08 AM
> "Speculation: Archetype technology is limited. Reverse-engineering provides no innovation and actual discovery. Curiosity not sated. Technological development is limited." Sweetie Bot trots back to Copperette's side. "Recall the cultural traits of the Kaiserate - reverse engineering old technology is not hard work and effort. Fact: There aren't many lazy zebra."

Crystalite - Tuesday 11:22 AM
> "Makes sense," Copperette agreed, adding a lump of steel to her box. "One has to start somewhere, though."

Shazam - Tuesday 11:30 AM
> "Logical." Sweetie Bot considers this for a moment before adding the tidbit of wisdom to her memory. "Question: Sister, what are you making?" She struggles slightly due to her small stature, but eventually she manages to prop herself up against a crate to peek inside the floating box.

Crystalite - Tuesday 12:12 PM
> "I don't know," Copperette admitted. "Hopefully something useful... I've had a rough day, and I'd like to be better prepared for tomorrow," she explained, grinning briefly at a small lump of silver before it went into the box.

She thought back to Sweetie's earlier comment, and how it had reminded her of Princess Twilight's lecture. She thought about Marelowe's Gravity Anchor, and wondered. The purpose of the enchantment was to "anchor" an object in space, so that it was unaffected by gravity or other forces. It was usually used for just about anything that needed to float, or alternatively anything that needed to not move. It was not, of course, infallible - enough force could overcome it. But now that Copperette thought about, it might not be a bad place to start...

Shazam - Tuesday 5:47 PM
> "Quote: A little planning can go a long way." Sweetie Bot recites, tapping her fore hooves together excitedly. "Tomorrow we will be headed for… Junction B-5… Not prominently featured in any remote access databases. I cannot predict likely outcomes." Her ears droop slightly. "Reflection: I am not helping this way… Would you like to learn more about the world? We can talk about space manticores. It will be 2.74 megatons of fun!"

Crystalite - Tuesday 7:15 PM
> Copperette gave Sweetie a sideways glance. "... Space... Manticores?" She shuddered at the idea, pushing it away. "Maybe later... Let's see, you mentioned... Ponies, zebras... Drakes? Tell me more about drakes," she said, looking for a suitably clear spot.

Shazam - Tuesday 8:23 PM
> "Drakes. Fact: Our pilot Degree is a black drake. Drakes are a major part of the Concord. Descended from dragon invaders who attacked hundreds of years ago, the drakes are an independent, nomadic people. They are divided by scale coloration, and each color is their own large family group. There are five colors: Red, Blue, Green, Black, and Gold."

Crystalite - Tuesday 8:32 PM
> "Huh... Here, can you help while you talk?" Copperette asked, pulling out a small, sharp blade and the lump of silver. "I need some shavings," she explained, showing her how to shave off a thin sliver with the blade.

Shazam - Tuesday 8:40 PM
> "Yay! I'm helping!" Sweetie Bot studies the motion carefully before getting to work shaving.

Crystalite - Tuesday 8:42 PM
> "Very good," Copperette said praisingly, and pulled out the steel plating. "Can you tell me more about black drakes?" she asked, laying the steel out and grabbing a marker, and a string. Tying them together, and tacking the string to the center, she drew a wide circle from one edge of the plating to the other, taking great care to make it round...

Shazam - Tuesday 9:14 PM
> "Fact: Black drakes are the most militaristic of the dragon colors. One of the few dragon flights who actively invest in military and engineering technology. Many become mercenaries and serve in the Concord military."

Shazam - Tuesday 9:18 PM
> "Speculation: Degree has similar background which is why he knows how to pilot this ship." Sweetie hums thoughtfully as she continues to make shavings. "Why would he be out here, alone? This is far from drake territory. Note: Ask Degree for motivations after assimilation."

Crystalite - Tuesday 9:20 PM
> "That sounds like a good - wait," Copperette said, stopping to look at her. "How do you know the pilot's name? *I* don't know that yet..."

Shazam - Tuesday 9:51 PM
> "He said his name when announcing the launch." Sweetie Bot's eyes glow green, and Degree's voice crackles out. "'There's no telling how well we can avoid things that are being shot at us so you'd better hang onto your butts and strap yourselves down for the ride. Degree out.' Belgond's cybernetics captured the moment and all relevant data is uploaded into my database. Fact: I am an all-purpose assistant filly-bot. Creator Belgond prepared me for every situation!”

Crystalite - Today 6:15 AM
> "Uhm..." Copperette tried to wrap her mind around the function. Apparently Sweetie could recall things Belgond had seen and heard? Interesting... And she could apparently play recordings, as well...

... Wait. That meant...

"... Can you play music?"

Shazam - Today 8:15 AM
> A short jingle plays from Sweetie Bot's general direction.

Crystalite - Today 8:17 AM
> Copperette grinned at the sound. "Cool! Can you play..." She paused, wondering what she wanted. "Sapphire Shore's 'Smooth Criminal'?"

Shazam - Today 8:18 AM
> Sweetie's eyes glow green for a moment. "Concern: Cultural artifact not found?"

Crystalite - Today 8:20 AM
> Copperette stared blankly a moment before her ears drooped. "... Oh. Right... That was a thousand years ago..." she remembered with a sad expression.

Shazam - Today 8:42 AM
> Sweetie Bot's ears droops slightly. "Objective could not be achieved - I'm sorry…"

Crystalite - Today 8:43 AM
> "It's not your fault," Copperette sighed, hugging Sweetie for a brief moment. "Just... What kind of music can you find?" she asked encouragingly. "I'm going to be cutting this steel, and I want something nice and loud to go with it," she explained with a smile.

Shazam - Today 8:51 AM
> "Scanning database…" Sweetie Bot's ears flick slightly, and suddenly her expression lights up considerably. Her eyes glow, and suddenly a grainy and fairly poor quality rendition of a song begins playing. Due to the quality, it takes a moment for Copperette to recognize the music - it's a little different to what she remembers but it's one of Sapphire Shores' louder songs.
As the music plays, Sweetie Bot smiles hopefully. "Cultural Artifact located!"

Crystalite - Today 8:58 AM
> Copperette gasped, and all but beamed as she put on a pair of dark goggles. The graininess didn't matter - it was no different from a record player in her home time. Granted, it didn't seem to be Shores herself - but under the circumstances, Copperette could hardly be choosy over it. She picked up a tool from her box. It looked like a hoof-sized version of the cutting wheel in Daddy's shop - hopefully that's exactly what it was. She flipped a switch, grinning as it spun up with a high pitched whir. She pushed the wheel into the steel, and grinned almost maniacally as it cut like butter, sparks flying harmlessly into her hide. She cut slow and careful, reveling in the action as she cut to the beat of the old song...

... Until, just as the song finished, she pulled the cutting wheel away, turned it off, and picked up the heavy disk with some effort. "Alright Sweetie... Can you show me some newer stuff? What does music sound like in the future?"

Shazam - Today 9:28 AM
> "Uhm…" Sweetie Bot flicks her ears a few times. "Cultural artifact located."

This time her eyes glow blue, as a strange trance-like beat starts playing. The first few seconds Copperette feels rather underwhelmed by the beat, but then, like a switch has been flicked, Copperette feels a surge of excitement and enjoyment as the rhythm continues, beginning to fluctuate and mutate organically into subtle but different rhythms. "…Neon trance music. Uses targeted frequencies to induce maximum effect, ranging from exciting to soothing. Would you like to hear a different song?"

Crystalite - Today 9:29 AM
> "Oooh..." Copperette sighed at the sensation. "Yes please... Can you talk while it plays?"

Shazam - Today 9:30 AM
> "Yup!" Sweetie Bot chirps, as the funky beats continue.

Crystalite - Today 9:31 AM
> Copperette grinned, letting the strange music flow across her. She picked up a chisel, and started to etch a pattern into the steel disk. "Where were we... Right. Drakes, and colors and such. Can you tell me about the other colors?"

Shazam - Today 9:40 AM
> "Trivia: Each dragon color have their own color flames matching their scale color, except black dragons who breathe yellow flames." Sweetie Bot's eyes glow.

"Fact: Red drakes are territorial but festive. Visitors don't stay for long, but they will be treated to enthusiastic local traditions before asked to leave. Blue drakes commit themselves to studying their draconic heritage and inherent magic. Many have magic comparable to skilled unicorns. Uhm… Green drakes enjoy living planet side and many wander from planet to planet to take in the sights and sounds. Gold drakes are upholders of the law for the Concord. Smaller but less controlled by their draconic greed than the other families of drakes, they serve as intermediaries between drakes and the rest of the Concord."

Crystalite - Today 9:42 AM
> "More about the red ones," Copperette said, continuing to chisel into the steel. "What sort of traditions? Why doesn't anyone stay very long?"

Shazam - Today 9:45 AM
> "Red dragons are… umm…" Sweetie's ears quiver as she scans her databanks. "Fact: Red drakes, while easygoing, are comparatively secretive and don't reveal much to outsiders. While visitors are not shunned and are treated with festivities, they are asked to leave after a short period of time."

Crystalite - Today 9:46 AM
> "Is that why you don't know about their traditions?" Copperette asked, almost teasingly.

Shazam - Today 9:48 AM
> Sweetie Bot puffs out her cheeks. "I… uhm… Fact: Copperette is a dummy." She sticks out her tongue at Copperette. "… … ...also, yes."

Crystalite - Today 9:49 AM
> "A dummy wouldn't know how to modify Marelowe's Gravity Anchor for variable postions," Copperette countered, setting the chisel down. "Pass the silver?"

Shazam - Today 9:51 AM
> Sweetie Bot pouts, but pushes the pile of shavings she has gathered to her.

Crystalite - Today 9:52 AM
> Copperette began to sort through the shavings, giving them an approving nod as she held them in her magic. "Alright... Can you tell me more about the gold drakes?" she asked, as she began to lay the slivers into the grooves left by her chiseling.

Shazam - Today 10:00 AM
> "Gold drakes are smaller…" Sweetie Bot gestures with a hoof. "Fact: 80% of Gold drakes never become taller than a normal pony."

"Unlike other dragons, gold dragons are less concerned with greed… so instead of hoarding everything and being mean to everyone they try and make sure the dragons stay friendly. Fact: Gold drakes live in a space station the size of a small planet."

Crystalite - Today 10:02 AM
> Copperette raised an eyebrow. "Why not just live on a small planet?" she asked. Her magic focused, and the silver slivers began to melt down, flowing into the grooves and bonding to the steel.

Shazam - Today 10:04 AM
> "Fact: If necessary the drakes can move their station to visit other people," Sweetie Bot pauses, watching Copperette's actions intently.

Crystalite - Today 10:05 AM
> "Huh. That's... Huh," Copperette shook her head. "... Let's talk about minotaurs for a bit. What can you tell me about them?"

Shazam - Today 10:13 AM
> ((minor correction: Black dragons breathe both yellow and purple flame depending on their control over their magic. Purple signifies higher magic control))
"Minotaurs…" Sweetie Bot's eyes go green again. "Boop… Fact: Minoans are largely inspired by Archetypes in their culture. Their script is based primarily on Archetype lettering and their technology is almost entirely lifted from Archetype artifacts. Uhm… The minotaur on board should be able to tell you more about the specifics of Minoan technology, but the primary technology of Minoan society is hardlight. Which is like light but hard."

Crystalite - Today 10:16 AM
> Copperette raised an eyebrow. "... Minoan. Didn't Golden Gears say something about..." She paused and thought about the matter. That's right - she had compared Copperette to a Minoan apprentice. "I wonder... if that means the artificing I'm used to is also Archetype based? Or if it's merely coincidental?" she mused out loud. "... Never mind. Be quiet a moment, I need to focus for this bit..."

Shazam - Today 10:18 AM
> ((Unfortunately her focus is broken by the sudden drone of alarms…))

Crystalite - Today 10:20 AM
> ((Yup. Will post a transcript.))

[+3] Photon Reconstitution (Sanctity of Faith) - Standard Utility
You gain regeneration 2 (save ends).

[–3*] Energy Drain (Drain Blood) - Minor Attack
Deal 3 damage to target creature. Target creature gains 3+2 life. X cannot be less than 1.

HP: (30) (-5) (+5) = 30
Conditions: Ongoing 5 (Save Ends), Regen 2 (Save Ends)

Saving throw for fire: 2, 16. Not saved.
Saving throw for healing: 9. Not saved.

Standard:
[+1] .65 Supplementary Incendiary Rounds (Kindle Pain) - Standard Utility
If target enemy is suffering ongoing damage, increase that damage by 5.
Minor:
Switch to spellbook.

HP: 27
Energy: 4

Steetwise- Shortcut to the Living Area?: 3,+6=9
Acrobatics- RUN BELGOND! RUN!: 15+12=27

[+1] Gather Energy - Standard Utility
On your next turn, you may take 2 standard actions. You cannot use this talent two turns in a row.
[–2*] Energy Drain (Drain Blood) - Minor Attack
Deal 2 damage to target creature. Target creature gains 2+2 life. X cannot be less than 1.

HP: 30 - 10 + 2 + 4 = 26
Energy: 0 + 1 (Amulet) + 1 - 2 = 0
Saving throws:
Ongoing 10: 12, 15 (Heck yeah) Reroll - nat 1.
Regeneration: 15 (...dangit)

Ripping out the alarm.

1d20 [6] + Mechanics [11] = 17

[–3] Everlasting Misery - Interrupt Utility
Trigger - An enemy makes a saving throw and you dislike the result.
Effect - The triggering creature rerolls the saving throw.

Standard:
[+1] .65 Supplementary Incendiary Rounds (Kindle Pain) - Standard Utility
If target enemy is suffering ongoing damage, increase that damage by 5.

HP: 27-2-2+5=28
Energy: 4-3=1+1=2+1=3