Part 4: Psionic Surprise

Chapter 4 - Psionic Surprise

"Commanders Log: April seventh, 0600 hours.

In the last three days we've made some significant forward progress. We have set up multiple facilities in Stuttgart and Paris including a pair of basic weapon factories, two weapon labs, two ordnance factories, and two medical labs. All in all not a bad start to getting the basics of weapons and gear back to the troops.

Armor is quickly becoming our most needed essential. What we previously dismissed as low risk transgenants are now responsible for putting large numbers of my men in medical, including Golden and Booya who are out of action for several days after clearing a few areas surrounding Stuttgart. Our factories are manufacturing basic sets of light weight armor as fast as possible, but the factories have only been running for two days and supplies are in very short order. Ammo is also a major concern. After the exploration and sweep and clear missions we are about to run out of Reticulan power cells. Once we're out we are going to need our factories turning out firearms and ammo for the soldiers.

Despite all these problems there is some good news. Rabbit and Fastball have been set up in the Laputa barracks, paid a trip to the stores, and are ready to join the action. A good thing too with Golden and Booya down for a few more days. Hero will be taking a squad of herself, Val, Rabbit, and Fastball, and taking the spheres down to England. We've received another message from the surface requesting our aid, something that is starting to become standard practice. Hero's team takes off in half an hour to make contact."







Hero: Welcome back to the fun Rabbit, Fastball. How did you like the ride down?
Rabbit: It's like the worst kind of motion sickness I've ever felt.
Fastball: Yeah, the kind that makes you puke even when you're standing still.
Hero: At least it's faster then that old Chinook heli' we used to ride in.
Fastball: Hey wait a sec, you two have armor? Where's ours?
Vallhallan: Haha, suck it. We got the first sets for taking Stuttgart.
Hero: You guys will get some as soon as the factories have time to make some more.
Rabbit: In the mean time try not to get shot?
Hero: Yeah, basically. Anyway, we're looking for the folks who contacted us down here.
Vallhallan: Another meet the locals, save the locals, get on the good side of the locals?
Hero: Pretty much.





Tatalia: Greeting strangers. I am Tatalia. Normally we wouldn't trust outsiders, but we need help and Redeker said we could trust you.
Hero: Redeker? You know Redeker? How?
Tatalia: Redeker is my husband. He is the leader of our village.
Vallhallan: No shit? Redeker want off and starting his own group of hybrids?
Tatalia: We're not all hybrids, but we are all psionic. Since the halt of the Biomass and the great psionic shock that killed many and stripped many others of their powers those left with their psionic gifts have banded together.
Hero: So, an entire settlement of psionics then?
Tatalia: That is so.
Hero: So, what can we do for you?
Tatalia: One of ours has gone missing. We fear she has been trapped in an area with mutants. We wish for you to seek her and rescue her.
Vallhallan: Simple enough. Let's get going.



Hero: Heads up, first contact of the day.
Vallhallan: Stupid Uzi's have no range compared to the laser rifles.
Rabbit: So just get closer.



Fastball: Whoa, what the hell was that!
Vallhallan: Looks like those snakemen aren't defenseless after all.



Fastball: Son of bitch. I can't move!
Hero: What? Damn they must be a psionic type.



Vallhallan: Ha, doesn't always work even if he hits you with it!



Fastball: Bastard. Stay down! God it feels unnatural being paralyzed like that.
Hero: Careful these are tough ones, have to make sure they stay down.
Vallhallan: Yeah, just like that, watch out!



Vallhallan: Not done with you!



Vallhallan: Stab, stab, staaaaab!!!
Rabbit: Whoa, calm down Val.





Fastball: Muckstar spotted.
Vallhallan: God damn ranges. These uzi's suck.
Hero: Hey, don't bitch to me. I only have a Beretta.





Rabbit: Muckstar is down.
Hero: Fuck, so is Fastball!
Vallhallan: When did these things get so deadly?



Fastball: Ohh man... I'm okay... Feel like I just got microwaved.
Hero: You'll be alright, but can you carry on? We'll be really short handed with out you.
Fastball: I'll make it. Just stick to the back for now.



Vallhallan: Another one!!
Rabbit: Whoa, where did it come from!



Vallhallan: Okay, at least the Uzi's get it done at point blank.



Rabbit: Damn, another one. They're everywhere.
Vallhallan: Take cover around the corner of the building, make it come around real close.







Vallhallan: Ha, sucker. They're not big on thinking I guess.
Hero: Never stopped you before.
Vallhallan: Oh shut up!
Hero: Hahah, let's keep looking
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Rabbit: You think everyone left down here is taking shelter in these places since the Biomass started weakening?
Hero: Makes sense. Still standing shelter, machinery to salvage, and if they can get it working production plants for whatever they need.
Rabbit: Yeah it's just... Seems like a grim existence. Barely making a living, fighting off the mutants.
Hero: Well, what are they all going to do? Give up? And the Laputa can't hold everyone on it. We're dependent on the surface for resources and food too.
Vallhallan: _{Damn it... always happens when the girls are on a mission together and there is nothing to shoot.}
Hero: What was that Val?
Vallhallan: Nothing, I mean... Muckstar!



Vallhallan: Ha, dumb thing is coming right for us.
Fastball: Uh actually...



Fastball: It's going right past us.
Vallhallan: What the hell? Those things really are dumb.



Fastball: Maybe not, looks like he had a buddy back there.
Hero: I got something out here too. Going to need a hand with it.



Vallhallan: I got you covered. Come over here ugly!



Vallhallan: Yeah, how'd you like that!



Hero: Nice, I think it's down.
Vallhallan: Oh no, not yet!
Hero: Hey, come on. We still got moving targets!



Rabbit: This morelman looks stunned, I got him.



Rabbit: Yeah, he's not getting up again.



Fastball: Still one of the brainy snakes over there. Oh never mind, knocked him down with one shot.
Vallhallan: Doesn't mean he wont get back up until you make sure of it!



Hero: Seriously Val, overkill much?
Vallhallan: What can I say? I enjoy myself so much more when Golden is laying hurt somewhere not bothering me.
Hero: Whatever. Let's find that missing person. Can't be too many mutants left around.


20 minutes later

Hero: God damn it. Anyone?
Rabbit: Nope, nothing here.
Fastball: Negative, no mutants either though.
Vallhallan: You think someone would have heard the gunfire and maybe poked their head out to look at what was going on. They might see a rescue party risking their lives to find them.
Hero: Yeah well keep looking, keep the radio open.



Vallhallan: Hero... I found her. She was hiding.
Hero: Where the hell at?
Vallhallan: Womans bathroom in the big building to your south.
Hero: Why was she hiding in there? ....why were you looking in there?
Vallhallan: Uh... no reason... I found her didn't I? She said she doesn't trust strangers. Wouldn't stop pointing her gun at me until I mentioned Tatalia.
Hero: Alright, good enough. Get her back to the sphere. She's about to have one hell of a ride back to her town.










"Commanders report: April seventh, 0714 hours.





Hero's squad has made it back with no fatalities, however Fastball is badly hurt and will be resting for the better part of a week. With the territory under our control we can now sustain three bases for operations. Hopefully by the time everyone is recovered we'll have enough armor and guns to keep them out of medical so much.

We haven't had time to set up much in the London area. The psionics are pleased with us and are willing to let us set up near by them to further test a cooperative bond. Relations are made easier by the fact that Redeker turns out to be the founder of the psionic community. It seems since the loss of most of those with psionic abilities that the remaining psionics have become an even more closed group and they have avoided contact with all the other survivors on the surface. Stranger still seems to be that most of the psionics that are still able to use their powers are female. In the brief talk I had with their spokeswoman Tatalia, they promised me no male recruits. It seems they're so few in number they will not risk the males life in such a dangerous fight.

Stuttgart is fully operational as previously mentioned and is turning out sets of armor for the men. The labs are cooking up some basic blueprints for the mass production of guns and ammunition. All this can easily been seen in the included overview.




The cyborgs have let us build up in the Paris region and while the base there is a little smaller we have set up two medical labs, an ordnance factory, and we are saving space for a medical factory once the labs finish with the designs. Again, shown clearly on the overview.




London will take a few days to set up. We're going to be delayed slightly as we try to bridge the English Channel with our track. The up side is that the London region provides a good sea port. We could move supplies the old fashioned way if we set up a port and salvage some freighters. While it might seem very low tech, it is somewhat appealing as it would let us expand into the east coast of North America. If we're right the Biomass shouldn't be any threat there, and if we're lucky a lot of our old supplies might still be around.

In the mean time we're going to explore the rest of the European area we have bases in and make sure they're collecting all the supplies they can. Also we're going to start pressing our influence with the people on the surface for recruits, and the citizens on Laputa to sign up to be a soldier. Three of my best are currently out of action and that leaves one short handed squad."