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Location: E02 (Jurin II) Tags: Water vehicle Entries from the last two weeks: The End, Pt. II: Hunted The End, Pt. I: Spying **************** Made it, and in one piece! But...now where are we? Nav system is recalibrating...hmmm. That's odd... What? I'm picking up a lot signals on the scanner, but I don't see anything out here...not a ship in sight. They're not submarines, are they..?! No, the signals are too weak to be any kind of a ship...it must be... Oh no! Kill the engines! What's wrong? We're in the middle of a minefield. That's what all these signals are! AG week 34 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr That explains why Octan stopped chasing us. I'll try to raise HQ on the radio, see if they can redirect the rendezvous to airlift us directly from here. Sounds good. Meanwhile I'll take the controls and see if I can steer us around these things. No Scorpio don't touch that! AG week 34 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr **************** All builds this week are new, C&C welcome!
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Location: Jurin II Tags: Spying, Water vehicle (skimmer) Scorpio and Jex had just finished a mission on Jurin II when suddenly... Uh oh, Scorpio! Looks like we've been found! There is a signature locked on us and it's closing in fast! Rats! Get us out of here! Are they jamming our signals? CAM02024 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr No! Then I'll jam theirs. Just let me hack into their system... CAM02025 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Control, this is Skimmer One. I have a lock on the MANTIS boat, preparing to engage AG week 33 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Oh no! My controls are jammed! I can't fire any more, but I'll keep a close distance, see if I can't scare them away! AG week 33 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr That should do it! Looks like we lost them... Control, I am disengaging. Looks like I chased them into the minefield, they'll never survive in there... AG week 33 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Short story this week! C&C welcome! EDIT: I should clarify that the MANTIS boat is recycled from last week (with a few minor tweaks), just the Octan skimmer is new. The skimmer is loosely based off of set 6562. It started out a little closer in design than the final product might suggest...
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Location: E02 (Jurin II) Tags: Spying, Water Vehicle Previously, Supervising Accountant Laszlowe and Scorpio were interrogating a prisoner taken by MANTIS long ago, when Scorpio made a startling discovery. **************** Lots of story below, build at the very bottom **************** Onboard the MANTIS ship, still in Ertauq's atmosphere... Arsenica?! How...? Where...? I thought you were dead. Dead, huh? Would that have helped you sleep better at night? All those years I looked up to you, relied on you, and then... ...I'm going to, uh...get a bite to eat...yeah, some larvae. Anyone else? No. Great, I'll just uh...see myself out... You left. Of course I left! You know how I couldn't stand it at home, with the drunken rage and all that. The academy was the only chance I had to escape. Yet you left me there! Do you think I wanted to stay? I hated living with him as much as you did! Whatever. If he ever happened to be sober all he could do was go on and on about how perfect you were! I don't think he ever even hit you... Shut up! You have no idea how much hell I had to endure after you left! ... No idea... That scar...you never had that before. He did that, didn't he. Yeah. ... The academy may have been your ticket out, but you were supposed to be mine. You told me so! We made plans of getting out, of getting on without him looming over us! You would go off to school and take me with you. And then you left... Arsenica... look, I'm really... You know what, Scorpio, I don't even care any more. I don't even care. I don't need your apology. ... I'm not the same little girl you grew up with. I've had to grow up myself. In fact I don't blame you for not recognizing me sooner. The night he gave me this I ran away. Ran away and never looked back. I had to learn to take care of myself the best I could. To lie, cheat, and steal, I even joined a band of pirates for awhile, but you know what? When it comes right down to it I'm glad for it. I just wish you hadn't abandoned me. I suppose that's one thing I picked up from training with Kawashita: even though the glory and honor crap never meant much to me, Raven helped me learn the value of loyalty. Look Arsenica, I never... **************** Scorpio, you have an urgent message from CEO SpacerSteve. Leave this to me, I'll handle the interrogation from here. Right now? But I can't leave! You have to--apparently this is another one of those missions that just can't wait. Don't worry, she'll be locked safely behind these same bars when you get back. You're not going to let her out?! Of course not. She is a dangerous prisoner! She is my sister! And, must I remind you, a Kawa spy! But... No more protests! Just go do this stupid mission and try not to get yourself killed! **************** You are clever, I'll give you that. You almost had me convinced to set you free. ...what? how did you..? You don't think I would actually leave this whole interrogation up to that incompetent ninny, did you? I have been listening the whole time. Don't think I missed that bit about your loyalty! Raven invests a lot in her agents, and I highly doubt you would turn your back on her so easily! ... I know I am right. You think so, but you're wrong. Even though I have spent years hating him, we are still family. Besides, Kawashita tried to have me killed, remember? But he did leave you behind, so where does your loyalty lie? With him and M.A.N.T.I.S.? or with Raven and the Kawas? ... Tell me! ... Ha! You talk big about how much you don't believe in Honor, yet you can't bring yourself to speak even a word against your old master because of your loyalty. I give you credit for that. Guards, take her back to cellblock B! **************** You have an urgent mission for me, sir? Uh...what, no. Oh. Laszlowe said... Oh well, since you're already here I guess we could use you for phase one of the operation down on Jurin II. Ok. Just tell me what to do...and exactly how to do it. We need you to do something involving gathering information about another faction, hacking their computers, or sabotaging their equipment. Oh, and if you could use a land vehicle in a significant way that would be a huge plus. Can do. Oh, and Scorpio? Sir? Try not to get killed out there, okay? **************** Later, on Jurin II... So what are we supposed to do, again? Use this water vehicle to spy on Octan. They have a refueling station built on a platform out here in the ocean, and SpacerSteve has been tracking two Penetrator-class vessels, but they dropped out of orbit. We figure they are coming to refuel here, so we wait for them until they take off and then give him the signal. That should give him just enough time to intercept them as they break free of Jurin II's atmosphere. Coordinates up ahead, we should be getting close. There it is! So now we just wait here for these ships to show up? What if someone spots us and tries to attack us? This boat doesn't have much firepower... We'll be fine. In a few minutes the ships will show up, take off, and we'll be on our way back to base. What are you doing? Texting? I thought I'd write a message while we're waiting. Message? Message for what? A message for...oh wait! There they are! We have visual on the Penetrators, they should be docking soon. The ships are docked and refueling now. Only another couple of minutes... The Octan ships are away, and headed back up to orbit. They are all yours, SpacerSteve! **************** C&C Welcome, more photos below. 2016-01-31_02-57-16 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 32 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Location: E03 (Ertauq) Tags: Spying After scouting for the secret Octan base on Jurin II, Scorpio made a rendezvous with the MANTIS fleet in the neighboring planet's sector, Ertauq. He was finally going to close the chapter on that mysterious prisoner from months before. **************** It's about time Starstriker. Come on, let's go. We'll use the secure interrogation room. Since she managed to completely disarm one of our own agents, we have classified her as dangerous. Dangerous? I thought it turned out that the operative she took down was actually a Kawashita spy, something none of our own agents had discovered! That is immaterial, Starstriker. She is a threat and we must treat her accordingly. If I recall, your report stated that you thought she seemed familiar to you. She did seem familiar, but in a very distant way. I am not sure I have ever actually seen her before. I have tried since then to figure out where I might know her from, but I don't know. Well, have you thought that maybe you are familiar to her as well? Perhaps she has a grudge against you, and only wanted you here to try and find a way to kill you! As happy as that would make me, we can't have that kind of situation on our hands. Ah, here we are. **************** Prisoner No. 108457, in exchange for your cooperation in this interrogation, we have complied with your request and brought your original captor, S. Starstriker, to be present here today. Finally. Let's get on with your stupid interrogation. Urm, uh, right then. We will begin. What was your position at Octan? I never worked for Octan. I was on a long-term assignment from Kawashita to infiltrate Octan. Kawashita? So that's how you recognized and apprehended the spy in our midst. What was the nature of your mission there at Octan? My job was to go undercover and try and learn the secrets of Octan's high security coffee machine production. I broke into the Octan facility on Ertauq... ...swiped a key card... ...stole an operative's identity... ...and attempted to get myself promoted to upper-level permissions. However, I wasn't able to gain sufficient clearance for the coffee machine project, so Kawashita assigned me to infiltrate the missile defense and WMD research programs instead. ... ... What? Uh nothing. We'll follow up on the specifics of your mission later. The Kawashita spy you exposed here at MANTIS? I assume you had to stop her before she killed you, Kawashita didn't want you divulging any secrets? Yeah, Agent Sega was afraid I was going to spill my guts. Glory and honor and all that nonsense. She and I had trained under Agent Raven. Sega always bought into that kind of crap more than I did. For her, Kawashita was a way of life. And you? For me it was a paycheck. I have seen enough dishonor that it's hard for me to believe in any of it any more. Your boy Scorpio could probably tell you more about that, though. Huh? You still can't tell who I am? Figures. You always were dumb like that. You must have got that from dad, he was a moron, too. What the..? Arsenica? **************** Arsenica is a character I had been meaning to properly introduce since way back before I even officially joined AG, but for one reason or another it just never happened until now. Sorry for the lack of balance between story and build this week--lots to read, less to see. Sometimes that's just how it goes.
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Big Sal calls Scorpio for a meeting... I've got a bad feeling about this... Starstriker! Come in! Am I in trouble? My last spying mission went pretty good! I mean, I forgot to add the vehicle tag, but... No Scorpio, you're not in trouble. Well, you might be. You'd have to talk to one of MANTIS' accountants to find out how badly you've screwed stuff up. No, I called you in to give you a science mission. Oh. Not in trouble, then. Well that's good. It gets better. We even have a budget approved for it! Great! So what is it? We need you to research and build an Amplified Radar station. Oh, ok. I think I can do that. Well good, because I don't! I mean, I don't want to keep you any longer. Run along! Whew. I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one. Good thing we have double the budget needed, so we can fix everything after Starstriker screws it all up. Later.... Status report from Starstriker, S. Do you wish to download? YES NO Work completed, Amplified Radar achieved! Well, looks like Starstriker finished something! And in record time! View attached images? YES NO Wonderful! It looks like a very large building! ...and if you look here, one of the features of this radar station is... What the #%!? It's tiny! What kind of lazy idiot is he? CLAPPIE, reply to Starstriker that we need an Amplified Radar that will actually amplify! Even later... Status report from Starstriker, S. Do you wish to download? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES! #%*$*! CLAPPIE! YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO #$&%*! Computer, download the latest status report from Starstriker, and shut down CLAPPIE. No, actually, uninstall CLAPPIE. Rebooting CLAPPIE. #%*&$! Downloading images. Now that's more like it! He actually did something right! Amplified Radar achieved! Out of Character:
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Location: Jarin II (E02) Tags: spying It seemed like weeks--no, months--since Scorpio had last had a chance to do some real science. He was a scientist, after all, but M.A.N.T.I.S. and the Man Upstairs kept sending him on these spying missions. Even over Laszlowe's protests, here he was on Jarin II, conducting yet another spy job. He was sure all this spying would be the death of him. He was cruising low over Jarin's surface, skimming near some swampy islands. The Waterbug he was driving was not as fast as it looked, meaning he didn't stir up the water much as he went across it. This was good, because he was trying to listen hard for signs of a secret Octan base in the vicinity. Satellite imagery had caught traces of ships coming and going, but could not detect any signs on the ground. Suddenly he heard something over the scanner: "You want a cookie?" a man asked. "No way, man, I am so sick of cookies." another replied. "Suit youseff." came the response, through a mouthful of what was evidently cookie. Scorpio brought the engine down low and kept listening. "You know what else I am sick of? You sitting on your butt while I'm doing all the work here. Give me a hand with these lights, will ya? We were supposed to have them down 2 days ago" "Mmmf mm hmm hmm." The scanners had locked on to the direction of the conversation, and Scorpio began to move in slowly, coming over the edge of a grassy island until he could see the men in question. He secured the channel to the local M.A.N.T.I.S. HQ and called the incident in. "H.Q. this is Starstriker,I've found the location of our mystery base." "You can see the base? You have visual confirmation?" "Negative on the base; however I have visual on two Octan personnel with no transport in site. Looks like they must have walked here, and my scanners are picking up some indistinct signatures in the area. The base may be underground." "Excellent work, Starstriker. Have the Octans spotted you? What are they doing?" "Looks like they are taking down their Christmas decorations." "What? Ha! We put ours away two days ago! Ok, Starstriker, stay hidden and maintain surveillance. See if you can follow their moves back to their hidden base. We'll mark the location and put together a special ops team to infiltrate. Any thing else to add to the report for now?" "Just one thing, H.Q." "What's that?" "Happy New Year." AG New Year by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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View the whole Flickr album It's the latest addition to the Winter Village series, the historic Winter Covered Bridge! Build the covered bridge and drive the truck through to cross the icy river (*river not included). There is something for everyone along the country road by the historic covered bridge. Help the two city workers get ready for the holidays as they decorate by hanging wreaths and strings of lights, and by changing the lampposts to festive colors! Join the kids in an epic snowball fight! Or spend time with the romantic couple as they share a walk through the trees and enjoy a box of tasty chocolates! Drive the vintage truck up and down through the covered bridge. Set includes 6 minifigures including two workers, two kids, and romantic couple. Set includes unique lamppost with different color bulbs, park bench, and two different brick-built pine trees. Accessories include a toolbox, box of chocolates, four wreaths, ladder, and a string of Christmas lights. See more by rodiziorobs on Flickr Thanks for looking, comments and criticism welcome! Good luck to all contest entrants!
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Location: C06, Hyreal Tags: Spying As he embarked upon what was to be his latest adventure, M. Scorpio Starstriker, esq. reflected on the completion of his most recent expedition. Which is to say, he reflected on that part which he knew about. Mme. DuBois--although she preferred the more colloquial appellation "JEX"--had recounted to him the strange creature they had encountered, and how the beast had resuscitated Scorpio after his fall. However, the beast's premonition about his impending demise was still unknown to Scorpio; Jex had not found the courage to tell him. Blissfully unaware, Scorpio marched across the field to where he was to rendezvous with Scroggins, the mechanic charged with preparing his flying machine. Blissfully, of course, until he heard behind him a familiar voice: the nasally squeaky voice of M. Laszlowe, Head of Supervisory Accountancy at MANTIS & Co. "M. Starstriker, I must protest this mission! You have yet to complete your papers for the last disaster you caused a fortnight ago! Not to mention the development we have had with the prisoner in cellblock B!" Scorpio ignored Laszlowe's outbursts until mention of the prisoner. He turned abruptly and asked, "What development?" "She has said she is willing to talk, but only to you. And but two days ago we caught her outside her cell, somehow armed and assaulting one of our own guards. She did not attack any other of our personnel, insisting that the guard in question was actually a Kawa operative." "Where is the prisoner now? And the guard?" "The guard is still under investigation. The prisoner has been transferred to maximum security." "Ah. Well then, M. Laszlowe, it can wait until after this mission." "No, It cannot, M. Starstr..." But Laszlowe was cut short as Scorpio began walking again toward his destination. "I was to arrive at five to noon, and you have already detained me too long," called Scorpio over his shoulder. "Get back here right now!" But Scorpio kept walking, with Laszlowe struggling to keep up. "Is she ready, Scroggins?" "Aye, M. Starstriker. Lit the igniter about two hours ago, and now the envelope is filled." "Right on time, Scroggins, as usual." Laszlowe chimed in again, "M. Starstriker, I am putting my foot down!" "Then go put it down somewhere else! I have my instructions straight from the CEO and Mr. Cor himself, that all spying operatives are to commence a mission at once on this globe." "And what is the nature of this mission, M. Starstriker?" This was said not by Laszlowe, who had stormed off, but by none other than Mme. DuBois--Jex. "I cannot say too much, my dear, but it would appear that one of the Kawa operatives that MANTIS has been tracking has suddenly gone missing, and they want airborne surveillance to try and track him. I am to do my best to spy him out from the heavens, but that is all I can say." "Oh, but do say you'll take me with you!" This time Scroggins had the answer: "I'm sorry, Miss, but the envelope is calibrated to only carry a certain amount of weight, otherwise the flying machine will never make it off the ground. Begging your pardon of course, Miss. You can certainly watch." "Hmpf. They won't let me near the tools, and they won't even let me go up in one! Do they think I don't know how to pilot this flying machine?!" "Well, Jex, you did crash the last contraption they gave you. Maybe it's something personal," chided Scorpio. "You tease. Fine. I will wait for you on the ground then." "Don't forget your MANTIS™ spyglass©, M. Starstriker, " reminded Scroggins. “Darling,”Jex began. “Are you quite sure you are feeling all right? Remember that just a day ago you were on the verge of death!” “Dearest I feel more alive than ever. My body is rejuvenated, my mind—why I can recall things I haven’t in ages! Why, that reminds me of something about the prisoner that I must tell that horrible M. Laszlowe when I return!” “What is it, Scorpio?” “Oh, it’s far too good to spoil here. Remind me to tell you later after I chat with our dear accountant. Ta ta!” And with that, he shut the gate on the basket and commenced lift-off of the flying machine. "Good luck, we'll see you at the end!" Jex called out. "Be careful!" She wanted desperately to tell him about his future that must shortly come to pass, but could not bear it. Surely it would not be today? No, he would be safe at least for this mission. "Why must you stand so far away, Miss? The flying machine is perfectly safe," Scroggins assured her. "It is not the machine I fear for, dear Scroggins, but the operator." **************** More pics below the spoiler: C&C Welcome!
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Location: B08 (Greater Direstan) Tags: N/A (Previously) Jex and Scorpio had driven their jeep over a cliff. Scorpio was knocked out cold, and Jex had no radio to call for help. Then she heard the sound of footsteps running toward her and, in horror, an eye staring straight at her through the grass… Then the creature emerged from the grass. He wasn’t frightening at all; if anything, he was kinda cute. “Hey there. Easy now, I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name, little fella? Huh? Easy, good boy…” Suddenly a giant hand grabbed Jex and lifted her off the ground! “Who are you!? a terrible voice boomed. Jex turned and saw herself face to face with a horrifying monster. Jex screamed in terror. “Don’t eat me!” she cried. “Ha! I am not going to eat you. I know what you are; I have had your kind before and it gave me terrible indigestion.” Although still panicked, Jex’ terror subsided slightly. She turned her head in his hand to see him more clearly. It continued speaking. “I sense that you are not afraid of me. That is good. Foolish, but good.” Pausing, he turned his head to the side and looked at her again. “You are much the same as the others like you. You”—and at this, he slid one of his long bony fingers along the side of her head—“are more interested in your own good. You neglect others for your own benefit. You…want your friend there to still be alive…not because you care for him, but because you fear what your superiors will say if he dies from your carelessness.” Jex’ mouth dropped open. Embarrassed, she found herself unable to say anything. Her terror began to grow again. “Of course, Jessica—yes, I know your name. I now know much about you. Even more so, perhaps, than you do.” At this, he set her down and leaned himself against a tree in the river bend. “Of course, as a healer, I am honor-bound to do what I can.” At this, Jex was surprised to hear her own voice again. “Who are you?” She asked. The shaggy brown monster sat up and replied, “I am Curupa, shaman of the great Tupiga. I am a practitioner of magical healing and the sworn protector of this land.” Standing up, he continued, “Your species has been a scourge upon me since your arrival here. Although brothers, you war with each other for the right to rob from me and this land. You are all the same, seeking only your own. It sickens me, and every night I hear the trees and the hills sighing the sighs of death that they feel closing in on them. Even at its most barren, the earth is not safe from your pestilence, and you swarm like earwigs upon it.” Jex was rooted to the spot. A part of her felt guilty, the guilt that she knew Curupa was right. Once again, she was embarrassed. “You, however, while much the same…I feel a slight difference. I do not care for your species, especially when you care not even for yourselves. But perhaps there is still hope. I feel this same sentiment in you now. But alas, here I am yammering on when there is a soul in the balance. Come, let us see what we can do for your friend.” “You mean, even though you hate us humans, you will help bring Scorpio back?” Jex asked, mystified, as Curupa scooped her and Scorpio up in his hands. “It is my duty,” he answered. “But, I will make a condition. I do not demand payment normally, but if I have a chance to save more life by doing so, I will. After I heal him, you must take your people and go. Leave this world forever, and never turn back. I have done my duty to protect this land so far, but if I see another of your kind they will know my wrath and my revenge. Do you understand?” “I do,” Jex replied. “Besides, I think most of my kind is already gone from here and has been for weeks.” He stood up to his full height, while the curious green monster from before continued to sniff at Scorpio. “Down, Ophel,” Curupa called. ********** They soon arrived at a small clearing that looked a little more beaten down and lived in than the rest of the forest. Soon Curupa had built a small fire—small even by Jex’ standards, which surprised her given the monster-healer’s enormous size—and was brewing an awful-smelling green potion. “It seems your friend is somewhat accident prone?” Curupa asked. “Yes, he has had a few other mishaps,” Jex replied. “I can tell. Yet there is something else…I have never known anything like it. It is almost as if his soul is fractured. Like there is a part of him that is not a part of him, or has broken off. Perhaps it is floating out there in the void, or perhaps it was stolen from him, but he seems incomplete. On top of that, I feel that although I will save his life now, there is an omen upon him; he will not live much longer anyway. Death has put its claim on him, and it will come soon. It is the same as with the life here before the arrival of your kind; death is not here yet, but it approaches. Ophel, come.” Jex shuddered at Curupa's last words. Could it be so? Curupa leaned Scorpio’s body up against the creature’s long green trunk. “Take this, and spoon a little into his mouth and hair. I will have Ophel carry you back to your people before you go. He will revive consciousness within the next day or so.” “Why his hair?” Jex asked. “Because you probably won’t be able to get enough inside of him to do the whole trick, but the smell should get to him eventually and wake him the rest of the way up.” ********* MEANWHILE… Somewhere in Kawashita space, Commander Konami sat at his console. Suddenly, a message flashed on his screen and he accepted it. “Code secure, Agent Sega. What has happened? You had orders for strict radio silence until your scheduled report. Is your cover blown?” “No sir, but I have urgent news that requires immediate attention. Target Atari may be compromised, sir. I have received confirmation from M.A.N.T.I.S. accountancy personnel that suggests this.” “What do you mean, compromised? Her identity as a Kawa agent surely has not been revealed? I understood M.A.N.T.I.S. was still under the assumption she was an Octan agent? Especially when our own troops did not recognize her?” “Her identity is secure, however, she has agreed to talk. Security clearance SCORPIO, by the sounds of it. At least, that must be the code name.” “After all this time, M.A.N.T.I.S. intelligence still manages to perplex us. Well, if she is going to talk, we don’t know what she might say.” “What are your orders, sir?” “I will send an extraction team immediately. Find a way to release her, and we will rendezvous with you both in 14 hours. Use any force necessary, but only as a last resort. “What if extraction of Atari is impossible sir?” “Then terminate her and we’ll get you out. Better dead than dishonored. Understood?” “Understood, sir.” ********** “Agent Atari, step aside. I’m going to get you out of there.” “What?” “Kawashita extraction team will be here in less than 30 minutes, and we’re going to be on it. You’ve spent enough time in this M.A.N.T.I.S. cell already, and Fleet control is anxious to hear your report of both Octan and M.A.N.T.I.S. intelligence operations. Your honorable resilience under pressure will bring you rewards of glory in the halls of Orinishi. Come.” “I can’t. I can’t tell you why, but I must stay here.” “I understand you feel duty-bound to complete your mission, but it is over now. Konami himself has authorized your extraction, and with my cover blown now the time to act is this minute.” Agent Sega blasted the glass, turned to leave, and beckoned for Agent Atari to follow. “I said, I can’t.” “Then I have been given orders to not allow you to dishonor yourself by revealing your secrets to the enemy.” Sega aimed her weapon to fire, but Atari was too fast. She spun through the air and wrestled Sega to the ground, wrenching the weapon from her. “Relax, Sega. I do not want to kill you, but if you think you are going to terminate me then you can rest easy knowing your death will come honorably at the hand of your enemy…” TO BE CONTINUED… Builder’s notes: Judges! The only new build this week (besides Commander Konami’s console) is the monster-healer Curupa; all other builds are recycled and should not be counted for this week’s score! More notes under the spoiler:
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(This first picture is for the polling image, but it is repeated as a part of the story below, where indicated.) Simian genocide by rodiziorobs, on Flickr The tale I am about to tell you is one of absolute horror, of completely unthinkable cruelty. "Is the trap set, Stevens?" "Aye, cap'n. 'Tis ready." "How long must we wait?" "Won' be long now, cap'n. 'N keep your voice down, don' want to scare the lit'l blighter off." "You are certain this is the last of them?" "Yes sir, quite certain. 'Been trackin' him for days. He's all that's left." Suddenly they saw the poor creature up ahead in the clearing. "Ok, keep quiet now, here he comes!" Stevens urged. The beast approached swiftly, yet with caution all the same; nothing was more suspicious than food left so easily in the open. At the same time, nothing was so readily accepted. He crept closer and closer still. Now the prize was almost within reach. "Shoot him, Stevens! Don't let him get away!" "Shhhh! Not yet!" The beast stopped. Had it heard something? Stevens wasn't sure, but he couldn't let this moment pass. He sprang from the underbrush, pistol in hand, the captain close behind. A single report rang out from the barrel, a single report to let him know he had hit his mark. (Same picture as polling image posted above) "Well done, Stevens." "Thank you, sir. It was my utmost pleasure." "Well now the real cruelty can begin. Gabby? Gabby!" Gabriel came up from behind, lugging a heavy cage through the tall grass. "Here, sir! I heard the shot and must say, I never thought me eyes would see this marvelously horrible day!" "Yes, that's enough now Gabby. The time has come!" "On yer word, sir." "Unleash the horrors!" "Aye, cap'n!" And with that, Gabby unlocked the cage and set free upon the world some of the most vile creatures imaginable, with the earth never more to see the sweet innocent race the captain had just wiped from its face. And that, children, is why you never get monkeys in your LEGO© sets anymore. ***************************************************** Both of these vignettes are part of my 16x16 entry, built together on the same plate: Simian genocide by rodiziorobs, on Flickr There is some overhang from the palm tree nearest the corner. Plenty more pictures on my Flickr album!
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Location: B08 Tags: Vehicle, Land Vehicle After Scorpio had successfully planted mines in the outer limits of M.A.N.T.I.S. controlled space, he was sent to Greater Direstan. He wasn't sure exactly what his mission was, but for some reason he had to drive a vehicle of some kind. Apparently this was of the greater good to M.A.N.T.I.S., and who was Scorpio to complain? His D.O.R.I.S. had malfunctioned in the previous week, causing him to not send in a report. As a result, he got to cruise around for part of this mission without it. He was driving M.A.N.T.I.S. Amphibious Terrain Navigation and Intelligence Speeder, or M.A.T.N.I.S. for short. Scorpio guessed that its designer had intended for the acronym to spell "M.A.N.T.I.S.", but was less than skilled at designing acronyms. Scorpio had been under impression that the corporation did a better job screening for these kinds of things, and decided that an accountant must have intervened at some point in the naming process. Week 19 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Week 19 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Despite its nomenclatural shortcomings, the vehicle itself was a pleasure to drive, with its twin pontoons and jet-powered propellors, it skimmed swiftly over the water, yet could easily move onto ground. If only the designer had taken things like trees into account... Week 19 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr More pics in the spoiler, C&C welcome!
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*Title should be [M - E11] Location: E11 Tags: Science, Vehicle (Land Vehicle) Once again, Scorpio was summoned to Supervising Accountant Laszlowe’s office. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. (*I have used this scenario before but hadn’t finished building it, so although Scorpio has been here before this is the first we are seeing of it*) “Please, come in Mr. Starstriker. I have some pleasant news for you…” “Yeah, right,” Scorpio thought. “First, we are willing to overlook your brief unauthorized science excursion a few weeks ago, given that it was at the request of CEO Sal. Also, because we took some small satisfaction in his comment about your work...” “Which was?” Scorpio inquired. “Disappointing. He added that he almost made you walk home, but was too busy with yet another mishap to worry much about it.” Scorpio sighed. “The good news is that it appears that you have worked away your debt to M.A.N.T.I.S. at an alarming rate. At this point you would be off probation and back on to your regular duties, including Science and Spying.” “But…what’s the catch?” asked Scorpio. An evil smirk came over Supervising Accountant Laszlowe’s face. “You managed to log hours in so fast that we at Accounting find it hard to believe.” “You think I have been stealing hours?” Suddenly Supervising Accountant Laszlowe was standing on his desk. “YES! And we’re going to catch you you sneaky little thief! You were not even stealthy with that Spying Outfit we bought you! How did you expect to get away with this??!!!!” “Ahem,” he continued. “To ensure the accuracy of all M.A.N.T.I.S. records we are assigning you a Drone Of Really Irritating Supervision.” “You’re giving me a D.O.R.I.S.? Are you kidding me?!” “This D.O.R.I.S. will accompany you at all times to ensure your integrity. If it can affirm that you are indeed working as you say you are, then it will dismissed. Speaking of dismissed, it is time for you to leave.” “But…” Scorpio began. “NOW!” ************** Well, at least (once again) Scorpio was allowed to resume Science-ing duties. For the time being, at least. M.A.N.T.I.S. had pushed to the outer limit of Kawashita territory, and was about to enter Octan gate-space. A memo had been sent out to all personnel to engage in border protection as they began to fortify the southern M.A.N.T.I.S-Octan line. Scorpio was assigned to the Fascini Cluster in sector E11, a tight nexus of asteroids which Octan would have to pass through in order to enter M.A.N.T.I.S.-occupied space. In his lab aboard the Sal-class Science vessel, Scorpio designed a kind of mine that would communicate with approaching vessels. If they did not return the communication, it would trigger the mine and detonate the ship. This meant that any ship not returning M.A.N.T.I.S. communications would be targeted. Since Scorpio knew Octan had a fear of scorpions, he designed it with that shape in mind. Just then, his pilot Jex came in. Scorpio had worked with her previously, during the initial threat from the alien fleets at the center of Andromeda. “Scorpio, you ready? I hear we’re headed down to work on some asteroids.” “Yes,” Scorpio responded. “I have just finished the last of the Scorpio bombs, and…” “Scorpio bombs? How egocentric are you?” Jex interrupted. “Well, I uh...you see, they are shaped like scorpions…” “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just get them loaded up. Is that D.O.R.I.S. yours? Oh man, that’s too funny! We’ll take the Panther, if that’s okay.” “Doesn’t that only have room for one?” Scorpio asked. “Yup.” Scorpio sighed. ************** Planting the mines went off without a hitch…except that because there was only room for one, Scorpio had to be tethered to the Panther, with his D.O.R.I.S. in tow. The Panther had four omni-directional thrusters for maximum maneuverability, but even in zero-G they only supplied just enough power to hop from one asteroid to the next. In order to keep a close-but-not-too close proximity to the asteroid surface, it was equipped with the same adjustable-gravity technology Scorpio had used in spy training. “That’s the last of them, Jex, let’s head back home. Any chance I could ride in the cargo area?” But Jex had already positioned the thrusters to set a slow burn back to the science vessel. He wondered if having him towed home from an asteroid had been Sal’s idea… A few more pictures of the lab and ‘scorpio bombs’ under the spoiler. C&C welcome!
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Location: A08 (Crentium) Tags: Science, Land Vehicle ***This entry takes place after Scorpio was rescued by SpacerSteve from Aeristus*** Back story for this week in the spoiler: Scorpio’s mission was not going to be fun, although considering he had just awoken from a month-long coma after being held prisoner by Octan, it didn’t really matter. Maybe some positive effect would come from it. He was being sent to Crentium, a relatively young planet. That was the problem, though; M.A.N.T.I.S. didn’t know how young. The more temperate regions of the planet were fairly stable, but the poles were extraordinarily volatile, being both bitter cold and occasionally volcanic. Scorpio was tired of volcanoes. But when he got to the south pole of the planet, there was not a volcano to be seen. In fact, there was nothing to be seen except a vast expanse of solid white. He was sent out to collect ice core samples, to help determine the age of the planet in its current state, and climate. Ah, good old science. Of course, he was also to keep an eye out to see if anything valuable could be found. The cold was so bitter that he was given special protective gear with thermal reactor, but of course his suit had a short in it, so it ranged from inoperative to blazing hot. Luckily the vehicle was more reliable, and chugged along the tundra at a respectable pace. He came to a place where some of the snow had melted somewhat, indicative of some underground volcanic activity. Here and there sinister looking trees popped out of a semi-solid ice floe. Scorpio had no idea how anything could survive out here, the cold was so intense. But, given the uniqueness of the locale, he should probably take another sample here, too. He climbed out of the vehicle, ambled over the back and down the ladder to operate the core drill, and soon had managed to extract a few samples. One of them seemed purplish in hue, could there be some trace amounts of awesomnium in the ice? More photos, including the landscape by itself This was a lot of fun to build. I really wanted to stray from the typical M.A.N.T.I.S. color scheme, and I think the polar look came out really well. I have been trying to get back to building Scorpio’s story up in order (the past couple weeks have been all jumbled), but finally had the chance today. Also, both car and trailer have working suspension on the skis. Here is a look at the mechanism inside: Thanks for looking, C&C always welcome!
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Challenge 2 Category C **(This scene is not chronological with the rest of the story involving Scorpio, but actually happens much later)** Since initial probes had discovered some anomalous signals emanating from the center of Andromeda, M.A.N.T.I.S. had commissioned several new starfighters and other craft. Building these new ships meant lots of new parts to be inventoried and managed. Having been dismissed from both Spying and Science duties for the time being, Scorpio was stationed on one of M.A.N.T.I.S.' orbiting hangars where these ships were being finished and outfitted. He was put in charge of assigning micro-reactors and the refined awesomnium rods that would M.A.N.T.I.S. engineers had developed to power these new fleets. Scorpio didn't mind the task at all, since the micro-reactors had been designed around the 'isotopic mushroom goo he had discovered on Barnius a few months earlier. Andromeda's Gates Challenge 2 (Cat C) by rodiziorobs, on Flickr A few more photos, of more angles, without the' figs, and the armored exterior of the corridor (even though Cat C is just to show off the interior)
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Location: C04, Aeristus Tags: N/A Kawa 1: "Sir, there is a small unidentified craft approaching the planet's surface. Coming in hot." Kawa 2: "Curse these Mantites! I assume this is another of their light attack cruisers?" Kawa 1: "Not this one, sir. Initial energy and design specifications do not correspond with any known or typical M.A.N.T.I.S. technology. Full specs should be coming in shortly." Kawa 2: "Where is it headed?" Kawa 1: "Toward our military reserve base on the Western Peninsula, but it's not coming in directly..." Kawa 2: "What could it be, then? Alien? Maybe M.A.N.T.I.S. has something new. Get me Lt. Malvado on air, this is urgent..." Kawa 1: "Wait, commander. Details online now...looks like an Octan transport, a small one. There doesn't seem to be anyone on board, or at least no one is controlling it. Impact in planet surface in T minus..28 seconds." Kawa 2: "Figures. Octan trusts their robots to do everything for them, and then they fail. Besides, robots have no honor. How long until..." Kawa 1: "21 seconds, sir. Looks like it will land about a half mile wide of our base." Kawa 2: "Well, that's good. I'm still relieved we sent all our forces away from there to attack M.A.N.T.I.S. on the northern front, just in case there had been a catastrophe. Octan will hear of this, mark me--sending all their junk everywhere..." Kawa 1: "Eight seconds..." Both: ... Kawa 2: "What does that blue and purple mean on that screen there?" Kawa 1: That's the thermal scanner, sir. Blue indicates cool to normal temps, probably from the nighttime air. Cool temps means that the ship did not explode on impact, otherwise it would be red." Kawa 2: "Ah rats. I would rather it were red. I do love a good explosion, and red reminds me of the Honorable emblem of Kawashita. Oh well. Looks like there are tiny patches of red, so perhaps some parts caught fire, at least." Kawa 1: "Would you like me to send a recovery unit out, sir?" Kawa 2: "That won't be necessary. Let Octan's garbage stand as a testament to the incompetence that has emerged from their once fine glory. They have faded. And after we wipe those bugs from this planet, Kawashita will stand supreme in Andromeda! Honorably supreme, of course." Kawa 1: "Of course, sir." Kawa 2: "Keep me posted of any further incident..." ******** Scorpio gasped for air--he was alive! He struggled free from the twisted wreckage, vaguely thinking that the woman was probably still trapped. She could fend for herself, if she was still alive. He wondered where he was. Had they arrived on the planet Octan had destined him for, or had his actions at the Gate diverted their course? On the horizon he saw a cluster of red and grey buildings; he was definitely in Kawashita territory. With the red and white Octan space travel suit he had been given, he would probably stick out and get captured instantly, but he had to chance it. Besides, there didn't seem to be anyone around. The building was deserted, evidently in a hurry as tools were scattered everywhere. He had to find a clue to where he was, and find out if there were any M.A.N.T.I.S. operatives nearby. He reached for the radio controls, and sent out an SOS. He could not access a M.A.N.T.I.S. secure line from the Kawashita base, so he would have to use a public channel. If there were any Kawas around, they would lock on to his signal and find him in a heartbeat. But there was no other way. :::Open channel::Freq.786DF::<unencrypted>::Message[begin]Request for immediate extraction from unknown location, please confirm coordinates with positive ID__Agent: Starstriker, S.__Enemy units nearby, discovery imminent,extraction urgent[end]Close channel::: ******** Kawa 1: "Sir, we just picked up a strange transmission requesting an extraction." Kawa 2: "One of our operatives in the field? Get them out!" Kawa 1: "No sir, this was sent from our training facility on the Western Peninsula, nearby that crash from a few hours ago. An agent named "Starstriker"--nothing pulls up on our records; might be an Octan from that crashed transport." Kawa 2: "Drat! Send a unit back there to investigate, and if needs be, terminate. Those dishonorable Octans! Let me know immediately of any progress!" ********* Scorpio waited for a response. No doubt the Kawas would be closing in soon, and he might never get a response. He had to keep moving. Suddenly a response came in: :::Open channel::Freq.786DF::<unencrypted>::Message[begin]Scorpio! Long time no see. Got your location, I'm headed there once I teach these Kawas a little lesson. Don't get yourself caught again, okay? -SpacerSteve[end]Close channel::: Ha ha! Scorpio was saved! As long as SpacerSteve could reach him in time... **************** Another PAB build this week, if you couldn't tell. Hopefully next week I'll have access to all my bricks. Microscale of the crash site, near the Kawa facility: Andromeda's Gates week 9 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr C&C welcome!
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Location: F02, Lesser Drigo Tags: Spying *This week is PAB week, see note at the end!* After Scorpio's failed attempt at escape the previous week, he had tried a number of other things, each of them ending in similar failure. The time came for him to be transferred from Lesser Drigo. Where to? He wasn't sure. Over the sound of more kicking and grumbling, he had heard Dr. Long again in the laundry room, but only learned a few details of the reason for his transfer: he was supposed to meet someone very important, somewhere, and after that Octan would decide his fate. Probably, they would send him somewhere to interrogate him, and then barter with M.A.N.T.I.S. for a prisoner exchange or something. Or he would be executed. Guards escorted him onto a small modified transport ship, once again in chains, and secured him on board. From his position, he could see the pilot on board, and was alarmed to see that it was the woman with the scar--the one who had caught him weeks ago. Scorpio had been looking for a new chance to escape; he knew if they went toward their projected destination, he would still be in Octan custody. However, if he could change their course somewhere else, his fate might be different. The gate opening up The ship was sealed, began its ascent from the planet's surface, and headed toward the gate site in the atmosphere. The ship moved into position, and the woman activated the portal system to open the gate. At once the ship began to experience very heavy turbulence, and everything began shaking uncontrollably. "Hold steady, you bucket of bolts!" the pilot said to herself. "Almost there!" The shaking became so violent that the post Scorpio had been chained to started coming loose from its position. Trying to steady himself, he put all his weight behind the post and lunged--it wrenched free! sending him spiraling into the cabin. "What the!? Get down!" the woman shouted, turning her attention from the gate to Scorpio. The gate began to quiver and change color, and the ship shook even more. This was the moment Scorpio had waited for--stumbling forward, he pushed down on the controls. The little craft surged down and forward, headed toward the unstable gate. The ship diving into the gate "What have you done?!" He heard the woman shouting. The ship was coming apart at the seams: alarms were sounding, lights flashing, and then the gravity stabilizers stopped working, sending both Scorpio and the woman into freefall as the ship hurtled into the unknown... More pics The ship on its own View of the Gate Behind the scenes ******** This week's build is...unique, let's say. I still wanted to contribute this week, but I am in the middle of moving, so my entire collection is packed away in boxes, except for what I picked up at my local store this week--two PAB cups, the July GWP, and a clearance-priced Mixel I threw in to qualify for the GWP. So, everything you see here is from that! I discovered that while the PAB's current selection of green parts is really great , it is hard to work with exclusively (although I am proud of how the Gate turned out!), not to mention that I wasn’t able to do any decent editing on the photos (not that my editing could normally be called “decent” ) Can't wait until this move is over... As a result, I wasn’t able to build out as much of the story as I wanted to, like the ship interior or Scorpio's latest attempt at a daring escape. He really isn't that great of a spy, no matter how hard he tries.
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Location: Lesser Drigo Tags: Spying, Science Things were not looking so good for Scorpio. His mission last week had been a complete success, other than that well, you know, he got caught. When he came to, his equipment had all been taken, and he had been put into a bright red jumpsuit. With no further ado, he had been transported to the prison compound. He assumed they intended to interrogate him later. In the meantime, he was stuck in a bare cell, under the watch of a continual guard, with food that smelled of coffee, and not even a bench to sleep on. The prison area was also on a very busy corridor, where sneering Octan would come by constantly. At least there were no rats. In place of rats, however, there were other pests. Specifically, scorpions. He wasn’t sure if they were indigenous to the planet, or if they just happened to be wherever Octan was. Whatever the cause, the hallways seemed to be teeming with them at all hours of the day. It comforted Scorpio to know that the Octans were afraid of them. Some more so than others. Scorpio had always liked scorpions—it was actually where he had gotten his nickname. Once, when he was just a little boy, his father had found him playing with one as if it were a puppy, completely unhurt. When his father had reached down to get it away, it struck at and nearly stung him. Amazed at this, his father called him a scorpion trainer. His little sister Arsenica had been unable to pronounce it and so called him ‘Scorpio’ and the name had stuck. No time to dwell on old memories, though… One nice thing about being on the busy corridor was that his cell was right next to the laundry, where he overheard a lot of juicy gossip from the Octans. Some of it was the regular workplace drama, but a lot of sensitive information was being passed around in there. That was where he had learned that while Octan had recognized his data transfer of the beryllium sphere specs, they still did not suspect that their robotics program had been hacked. As he passed yet another dull day to himself, he heard a familiar voice from the laundry room. It was Dr. Long’s voice. She was clearly talking on her phone to someone, probably some Octan bigwig somewhere. He was barely paying attention when suddenly he heard: “hrgrngrngnrgnrnStarstrikergrngrngrrrnhrgrn” Scorpio pressed his ear against the wall to hear better. “Yes, we are sure it’s him. Well, not him, but, you know, another one. Blasted door, open! No, sorry. Look, he had identification on him as Scorpio Starstriker, M.A.N.T.I.S. scientist 1st class. Yes. Yes. Uh…I’m not sure, how should I know why they would sent a scientist on a spying mission?! Okay, why don’t I just ask him, then? stupid bloody…rrrrrr! No. Okay. Yes, that would probably be the best way to do it. come on, No! I didn’t want a pre-wash! Oh, okay. I’ll put together the requisition forms and he should be ready to be released into your custody tomorrow. Fine, next week, whenever you want. Yeah. Sounds good. <click>. You cursed little..! Isn’t someone supposed to be doing this for me? As Scorpio heard Dr. Long’s footsteps he wasn’t sure if this was good news or not. Apparently he was going to be shipped off to somewhere else, but where? And what did Dr. Long mean, “another one?” Had one of his comrades been captured as well? Surely he would have known by now. Perhaps she meant another scientist? Or…another Starstriker? That wasn’t possible, as much as Scorpio wished it could be. Still, there was no time to waste, and Scorpio wasn’t going to be hanging out here any longer. He knew there were still M.A.N.T.I.S. agents operating on Lesser Drigo, but if he was shipped off somewhere else his chance of making it home was gone. He had to escape. He waited until a large swarm of scorpions entered the hall, then he would hack the electronic lock and escape in the confusion. Here they came! Now was the time! Waauuuughh! Scorpio decided that it must have been the faulty Octan wiring that had shocked him. Yeah, that was it. Meanwhile, Octan assigned him a robotic guard that was not afraid of scorpion attacks, and he had to endure more of Dr. Long’s cursing and kicking the machines. He would have to escape some other way…
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Location: F02, Lesser Drigo Tags: Spying, M.A.N.T.I.S, Scorpio Starstriker "At last," Scorpio grunted as he scraped along the narrow cave floor. He had been crawling over an hour, but now he had arrived at his goal, the lower utility corridor of the engineering wing of Octan's water extraction facility on F02. Operation OMEGA had begun. He had been sent to infiltrate the facility along with Double D and Isaac Redsyn. Scorpio's specific mission was to break in and steal the software to their robotics program. They knew they could persuade the robots to pledge allegiance to an opposing corporation--this had been Isaac's mission--but worried they may still continue to work for Octan. With the raw code, however, M.A.N.T.I.S. would be able to override this protocol in order to reveal all of Octan's secrets. There were also rumours Octan had discovered an incredible energy source, so Scorpio was to gather intelligence to confirm this as fact. Conveniently, satellite readings had shown high energy signatures from the same labs where the code was kept secure. Secure, hah! Having drilled an entrance into the utility corridor, Scorpio pulled his Octan disguise on over his spying outfit, and headed up into the engineering bay. What he saw he couldn't believe. First of all, the number of coffee stains on the floor. (Ugh! and they thought larvae were gross!) Second, Octan had indeed discovered a tremendous energy source. Scorpio recognized it from some historical documents--it was a beryllium sphere! Scientists in radiation gear were scanning it, while the others stayed a minimum safe distance; Scorpio guessed from the awesomnium-tipped rods that they were attempting to increase its generation potential even further. "Hold it right there!" a woman's voice commanded. Looking up, Scorpio saw a woman up on an extendable platform, staring straight at him. She seemed familiar from somewhere, but Scorpio couldn't place where. All the scientists stopped, and turned to see Scorpio. "Who are you?" she asked. Scorpio had practiced this part. "Dane Fleegman, ma'am, Octan PR. President Business heard about the great work you folks are doing, so had me sent down here to take some photos, you know, for good publicity back on Terra, show the folks how much Octan is innovating the future and all that. Would you consent to doing an interview?" Her scowl in return answered his question, although she said nothing. Not to him anyway. Instead, she turned aside and called some instructions to the radiation-suit guys. "I'll just snap a few photos of the..what is it called again?...Never mind, of your work here, and try and stay out of your way." Scorpio advanced up the spiral staircase, up high to get a better view. So far his plan was working, and within minutes M.A.N.T.I.S. would have all the info it needed. But he still had to find the secure terminal where the robotics code was kept. Then he saw, up on the platform next to the woman, a lone server. That had to be it. "Mind if I, uh, come out there? You know, to get a bird's-eye view?" She remained motionless. Just then, a call box down the catwalk rang and the woman, even more upset (if such a thing were possible) left to answer it. Perfect. It would only take a few seconds to locate and remove the proper chip, and he could then complete the data transfer to HQ en route to the rendezvous point with Isaac and Double D. Luckily enough, there was the chip inside, clearly marked. He hurriedly inserted it to his hidden radio and hit send, then began his way back down the stairs. The woman, finished with her call, came up right on his heels, grabbed the megaphone and called out, "Intruder alert! Our lab has been breached! All staff on alert!" Scorpio froze. Did they suspect him? Or had one of his comrades been discovered? The answer came quickly enough as he was suddenly heard running the woman running toward him from behind. He dodged, and raced towards the stairs. The radiation suit guys were already blocking his way. "Give it up, spy!" The woman called. "Never! I never give up, never surrender!" came Scorpio's retort. He quickly checked his radio: "File Transfer: Code name OMEGA: 13% remaining." Hopefully it would finish in time. He looked up just as he was struck from behind. He must have only blacked out for a second, because when he came to there were guards on all sides and then the woman, standing above him saying "take him away. I'll deal with him later." As she spoke, he noticed a familiar scar he hadn't seen before. The last thing he saw was the end of one of the guard's stunners. To Be Continued... ************ More pictures: M.A.N.T.I.S logo (along base) in focus, and edge of cavern area Octan logo (along base) in focus (fuzzy) overview of the whole lab Spiral staircase, upper control panel, with view of lower personnel doors Spiral staircase in focus, view of cavern area Bay doors and emergency hydrant Coffee, heads-up display, and far console Octan crew, including radiation suits and a guy who has clearly forgotten his a time or two. Beryllium sphere and robot
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Location: A06 (Guinevere) Tags: Piracy Science Land Vehicle It had been a pretty busy week on Guinevere for Scorpio and Elbow and Pitt, his two assigned SPIT (Special Police in Training). After dispatching the Octan spy, they discovered a few more Octan agents nearby—which with some efficient work from the SPIT quickly became a few less. They may be a bit dim-witted, but the SPIT sure knew their way around an assault blaster. Scorpio was still a bit bummed about that having given his grubs to them. Even more so because today—larvae Friday, course—he had missed lunch, due to an over-long briefing with his superiors. When he got back, the SPIT had seen to it there were no leftovers, except salad. Meh. The brief had been long because Kawashita troops had touched down on the other side of Guinevere a few days previous. The council was deliberating the best course of action, and had orders for Scorpio to not engage in a violent encounter. In the SPITs’ mind, that took all the fun out of it, and Scorpio had to agree. He had decided that even though being a scientist wasn’t bad, he enjoyed these more exciting kinds of missions. Scorpio and the SPIT went to the Kawas’ landing site. Although there weren’t many of them, clearly they had gotten right to work right after landing, as there were several crates already filled with gold. As the M.A.N.T.I.S craft was approaching, Scorpio saw them all stop to watch. He could see that although a few of them were carrying arms, they didn’t seem to be in any hurry to shoot. He imagined they had similar orders from their higher-ups to avoid armed conflict, which was somewhat reassuring. One of the Kawas, clearly their leader, emerged from the back and advanced toward Scorpio. “This is our claim,” he insisted. “You Mantite scum better get on outta here.” “Sorry, M.A.N.T.I.S. already claimed all of Guinevere. So, you’re the ones on our turf.” As he spoke, Scorpio suddenly realized that he had underestimated their numbers, and hoped his hunch about their orders was correct. “Ha!” the Kawa leader laughed. “It doesn’t matter. We have already extracted almost everything here, as you can see—” he motioned towards the crates. “But I’d like to see you try and make us leave, anyway.” “I’ll tell you what,” Scorpio replied. “Let’s make a deal, you and I, to see who leaves this spot, and who can stay.” The Kawa leader laughed again, followed by the rest of his team. “What kind of a deal? You can see, I have more men, more arms, and more gold! And I have my orders. What could you offer me?” “Oh, this is not an offer. This is a challenge. We challenge you to a contest—you win, we will leave you in peace to do whatever you please in this place. We win—” Scorpio paused to look around at all the Kawashita troops, “and you leave forever. Not just this spot—but the planet. You leave Guinevere for good.” “Ha ha! This insect is a joker! I will indulge you, what kind of contest did you have in mind?” “How about a race? Ah never mind, you wouldn’t stand a chance against us. Let’s pick something more fair…” In his mind, Scorpio counted to three. He only got as far as two. “You boast, Mantite! Kawashita engines are the fastest, and our drivers the most skilled! I accept your challenge, if only to teach you humility!” “Very well, then. Your fastest land craft against ours. You pick your racer, and Pitt here,” Scorpio motioned toward the more dim-witted of the SPIT, “will drive for M.A.N.T.I.S.” As Scorpio and the Kawa leader shook hands, Pitt leaned over toward Scorpio and whispered, “I don’t think I can. I’m not that good a driver—not as good as these Kawas, for sure—and I’m starting to feel a little sick. Like I’m going to…” but he never finished his sentence; the words were drowned out by awful wretching noises, and drowned in a pool of sick. “I feel sick, too, sir.” the SPIT leader, Elbow, intuned. Then, looking over at Pitt, said, “but I think I’ll be fine.” “Well good, because I need you to come with me.” “What about me, sir?” Pitt inquired. “You still have to drive,” Scorpio answered. “But don’t worry; it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, just as long as you drive for at least five minutes or so.” “Why doesn’t it matter?” Elbow asked. “Because,” Scorpio began, “while all these fools are cheering on the race, you and I are going to steal them blind and make a quick escape. Don’t worry, Pitt, we’ll pick you up in the ship. Elbow, come and help me set up some telesponders over here.” While the Kawa leader was explaining the course and rules to Pitt and the Kawa driver, Scorpio and Elbow set up the antenna-like devices around the crates of gold. As the start pistol fired, Scorpio summoned the teleporter crate and quickly rerouted it to the telesponders; before the dust had even settled, Scorpio, Elbow, and the gold were all gone. ********* Other weeks I have incorporated the story with the build, but this week the story is really just to build-up the, uh, build. With both teams landing on the same planet, it was fun to think up some way to bring conflict into the mix without any actual conflict. C&C welcome, as always! More pictures under the spoiler: See more on my Flickr page
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Shibboleth Location: A06 (Guinevere) Tags: spying science After Scorpio's brief adventure on Barnius, the council had decided that--despite the sustainability of the planet--M.A.N.T.I.S. resources were needed more urgently elsewhere. His discovery of foodstuffs had earned him an impressive commendation from the Council (“such an excellent variety of mushrooms! And the Barnian grubs are the finest we have tasted in Andromeda!”), so he imagined he would be sent on yet another food-finding mission. Yet the brief Scorpio received was nothing he had ever expected. “We need you to go to Guinevere. On a spying mission.” “What? But I’m not a spy!” “Not important now. We need you to go because you’re resourceful…” “But…” “…dependable…” “But…” “…and most importantly…” “…Yes?” “You’ve got a bribe bag.” “Ah, well then, fair enough.” “Your dossier will contain further instruction. Any questions?” “Yeah, do I get a cool special suit or something?” “<sigh> Yes, I suppose you’ll need one.” Scorpio was to be accompanied by a small detail of special forces, as M.A.N.T.I.S. had gathered that there were be hostile forces starting to build on the planet’s surface. Further investigation had confirmed these reports, also adding the reason for their suspected colonization: gold was found in tremendous supply. Scorpio’s mission was to (1) determine the strength of any enemy forces on Guinevere. Once that was accomplished, he was to (2) obtain a sample of the gold for analysis, and make observations considering large-scale mining and extraction. The rest of the unit’s mission was to guard the gold Scorpio the gold. If the team’s presence were discovered, the special agents were to terminate any enemy threats, with interrogation and torture optional. Scorpio almost laughed when he was introduced to his team—they were not full-fledged agents, but Special Police in Training—SPIT, as they called them back on Torresta. It was actually a term of endearment, and was no way a knock on their abilities. The brief had just made this sound like such an important, high-profile mission, and here he was, a non-spy, being sent out with two—yes, only two—rookie guards. Oh well, at least he got a special suit. As a scientist, he outranked the SPIT, but this essentially just meant they called him "sir" all the time and then did whatever they wanted. Not that Scorpio minded; it seemed like they knew their job pretty well. They touched down on Guinevere, and the heat was overwhelming. The air, despite the sulfuric odor, was safely breathable, so long as you had a filter against the volcanic ash. Scorpio took off his helmet in an attempt to cool off, but the SPIT left theirs on (“combat gear, sir”). They ambled around until coming to a low, bubbling volcano. Scorpio’s scanner was picking up a weak signal nearby, when suddenly he was distracted by the sight of gold. Right on the surface. Sure, it was surrounded by molten, bubbling lava, but this was no different than back on Torresta! Mining and extraction would be a cinch. First to procure a sample for analysis... He took his pick and extracted a nugget, then summoned the teleportation crate. The gold secured inside, he punched an auto-analysis formula, and the code to return the crate to the ship. One thing he liked about this mission already was that he got cooler toys. Scorpio then had to turn his attention away back to his primary task: spying. “Why couldn’t they have sent an actual spy?” he muttered to himself as he fiddled with the calibration. They could see no signs of activity, so why was there a signal? Suddenly, one of the SPIT broke the silence. “FREEZE!” Scorpio spun around and saw a man in an Octan uniform just a short distance ahead, hands up. He dropped his instrument. "Found an Octan agent, sir!" The lead SPIT reported. "No, no, guys, you've got it all wrong! I'm here with you guys!" "They why you wearin' that Octan gitup?" The lesser SPIT spat. "Well, uh, we heard reports there might be Octan personnel in the vicinity, so the, uh, Lady K sent me in disguise, just in case." Scorpio thought the scenario sounded fishy. "The Lady K, huh?" he asked. The stranger nodded. "Then where is the rest of your unit?" "We crashed on entry to the planet. I have been wandering for hours—good news, I haven’t seen anyone else. I reckon Octan is light years away from this place. The real Octan, that is. You know. Not me. ‘Cause I’m not Octan. I’m with you fellers.” "Do you want me to blast this liar?" The SPIT interjected. “Well, you see, I would have radioed in, but my coms broke," the stranger explained. Scorpio ignored him; his patience with this Octan spy had worn thin. "Who was your unit leader?" Scorpio asked. "Uh, Dave. I was a part of Dave’s team," came the reply. Suddenly Scorpio's expression changed. There had been two missions sent to spy on Guinevere--Daring Dave had been the one leading the team on the opposite side of the globe. They had supposed to have contacted each other shortly after landing, but Scorpio had been unable to reach him. What if this guy wasn’t actually a spy? Perhaps he was telling the truth. "Did anyone else survive the crash?" "I don't believe so. I was unable to survey the wreckage because of the flames." Still, Scorpio couldn’t tell if he was for real. They hadn’t noticed any smoke from wreckage, yet given the planet’s volcanic activity, how could they? He needed a test, to make sure. Then, an idea came to mind. He whispered to the SPIT, “Private--keep your guns trained on him for just a second." Then to the stranger: “Well, we’re sorry to hear about the crash. I had better send a report to the Lady K immediately, and see what she would have us do. In the meantime, I am sure you are quite hungry..." "Oh yes, do you have any food?" came the earnest reply. "Why, of course.” Scorpio pulled out a jar, which he had kept from his trip to Barnius, and it pulled from it two fat, wriggly grubs. He could practically feel the anticipation in the air as the two SPIT licked their lips. "Well, here you go. A real tasty morsel, to help calm your nerves after all that you've been through." The stranger stood motionless. Week 4 of Andromeda's Gates by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Week 4 of Andromeda's Gates by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Week 4 of Andromeda's Gates by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "Boys, he's all yours!" Two quick pulse blasts later, the lesser of the SPIT inquired, "Do you think he really was an Octan, sir?" "Certainly; he wasn’t one of us, I can promise you that. He was probably sent up here to investigate our arrival, and the rest of his buddies are down there over that ridge setting up their own mining encampment. We had best proceed carefully.” This encounter raised a lot of questions: how did this spy know about the Lady K? and Dave? Was it a just lucky guess? or had Octan cracked their encoded communications? Or worse, yet, was there a mole in M.A.N.T.I.S.' operations? Surely the answers would not come easy. But in the meantime... Week 4 of Andromeda's Gates by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "Looks like Friday came early this week, boys, but I think you've earned it. Eat up, and let’s go see what we can see."
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Location: B04 - Barnius Tags: Science, Exploration Mission objective: The Council of Five has commissioned several missions to establish a permanent colony on Barnius, location B04. While aware of the planet’s varied plant life, the Council wishes to know how many, if any, of these species may be useful for cultivation, and if any water sources are safe for consumption. This knowledge will enable the Council to make more resources available, if needed, in the interim until an awareness of the planet’s sustainability can be attained. “In other words, ‘go down there, Scorpio, and see if you can find good things to eat. Or at least, things that won’t kill us if we try to eat it.’ Like it matters. Us M.A.N.T.I.S. operatives can eat anything—it’s part of our training, after all.” Scorpio dug around for some roots, and found a few promising greens, and a what appeared to be a large brown carrot. It reminded him of some of the food they had had in System 10193, although hopefully this one tasted better. It certainly smelled better. “Better move on down the canyon, the winds are starting to pick up here in the plains” Scorpio had been sent down solo to one of the larger continents of Barnius, where the mountains were a little higher. The winds had been relentless, but sometimes between the large fingers of rock that sprawled across the horizon, shelter could be found. It meant it was also where he was most likely to find plants, some of which may bear fruit fit for consumption. He came to a low grotto, where he could hear water running up ahead. His scanner was reading high amounts of methane gas in the air, though; nothing lethal, but noticeable. Possibly leaking from some cracks in the age-old rocks, as this planet was still somewhat active. Here the wind was reduced, although still enough to blow blossoms off of the trees…some kind of apple tree, that is! He would have to get some on the way out, and test them for toxicity and growth potential. He also saw a few mushrooms, and hoped they would be edible, as fungi would surely earn him a commendation back with the Council. Then he saw something that made him stop, suddenly. He had come upon the stream, but the water was unlike anything he had seen! Explorer Little John’s initial reports had stated pink water, but it was quite strange to see! The methane count was climbing ever higher—Scorpio wondered if the water was the source. He was about to scoop some into a jar to analyze back at the lab, when he saw an even stranger sight… More mushrooms, only these didn’t look edible, not even to Scorpio. They were glowing, and pulsing strangely. They were quite beautiful, if not exactly appetizing. Scorpio pulled out his knife and punctured one, and a strange hiss escaped—along with some oily, acrid smelling goo. “How remarkable! I definitely need to sample some of this, and take it back to the lab!” He filled a few large jars, not forgetting of course, to take a water sample as well. “Alas, I was so captivated by this strange jelly that I used all the large jars for it. Better use a small jar for the water. I won’t need much anyway…” And with his arms full, with jars, mushrooms, and a cutting from a plant that Scorpio found fascinating (he did have a thing for bright green things—probably what drew him to M.A.N.T.I.S. in the first place)—he trudged back to his bike, to take his findings back to the lab. And what a small lab it was. Big Sal, naturally, got the big labs with the new tech. Scorpio’s lab was smaller, but well equipped. He took off his helmet, and put on his earphones to listen to his music. He hastily stashed the potential foodstuffs—the Council wasn’t expecting a report for another week, so no rush there—and went to work with the other samples. He put part of the plant into a petri dish, and into the fume hood. “Just crank up the nitrogen, here, see if we can’t accelerate the growth a little bit…” But now came the real fun—he suspected that the mushroom goo was volatile, and could be digested into a very efficient biofuel. He put his helmet back on (he had a habit of losing safety goggles, either that or M.A.N.T.I.S. had never issued him any, he couldn’t remember) and approached the flash tester. This was a device that would test the ignitability of the substance. Scorpio poured some of the sample into the brass crucible to begin the test. Next, he put the crucible into the testing apparatus, where it would slowly heat it uniformly and then try and light it on fire. Immediately it ignited in a glorious (but of course, controlled) blaze! Scorpio would have to do some more testing, but suspected that the fungus had already performed the digestion, and what he had extracted was 100% useable without any further refining. A fine specimen of biomass, indeed. Now just to go and check on the plant in the fume hood… ************ Picture of the grotto. My first time trying to build a twisting landscape using Mixel joints (only to go and cover most of it up!) Picture of the lab. I work as a chemist and this lab is actually very similar to my own. A picture of it all together. Even though it is kind of a large build, I felt it was all part of the same story. Sorry for the funky shadow in the back, I had to rush the photos and had no real time to edit. See more at my Flickr page: rodiziorobs Edit: Added required header, edited tags.
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This is a vignette I built from Thor, the scene where Thor has to destroy the Bifrost bridge in order to thwart Loki. The scene is inspired by the movie, but I built the details how I wanted, rather than try to be 100% faithful to the movie. I think it captures the look of it pretty well. I know some people don't like the stiff capes, but I do--they help hold the figure up in a way that allows for some pretty dynamic posing. C&C welcome! See the rest on my Flickr page
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Presenting Capt. Fist and his hearty crew of cosmic corsairs! Their infamy as ruthless scallawags is spread all across the galaxy, and while it has earned them the ire of the Imperial police, it has also earned their fear--few be they who dare to tangle with this motley crew. Many a ship there be that has surrendered at the first sound of even so much as a warning shot from Capt. Fist...Which is exactly how he and his crew like it. After all, the best fight is the one you win just by having a scary reputation. Of course, they still fight when they have to, committing a massacre here or there and leaving only a few survivors--to tell the stories of course. What's the use of being fearsome if you kill off everyone who might spread the word of fear for you? Besides, once word has got out that a pirate has gone soft, it's nothing but work, work, work all the time. Truth be told, however, they like quick surrenders because that leaves more time for their favorite game, pirate's dice. On to the crew! Sloroth the Savage First mate Sloroth was always scary: his scaly skin, red eyes, and scraggly mustache were menacing enough, let alone the two pulse pistols he wields with deadly accuracy. But the problem was, he was just...Sloroth. That is, until Capt. Fist suggested adding "the Savage" to his name, after which his fame as a bloodthirsty blackheart spread like wildfire. Speaking of wildfire... Fogo Chen Chen is a bit of a gearhead, which is a good thing as he has had to build himself prosthetics after burning off so many of his actual limbs. He is also, as is probably evident, obsessed with fire, which occasionally leads to mixed results. He helped design and build Capt. Fist's ship, the Flying Fist; fireproofing was high on the list of necessary design features. Arsenica Starstriker Arsenica never leads anything to chance; she is a meticulous planner, and is stubborn enough and determined enough to see that everything goes according to that plan. She is the crew's navigator, and is also tough as nails. No one is quite sure how she, being human, is able to breathe in space without a helmet, but she isn't about to let something like asphyxiation get in her way, is she? While her weapon of choice is a light phase cannon, she also loves tossing tetra bombs as well. Gnaark the Unhinged When it comes to reputation, Gnaark's name says it all--and those blades back it up. Slightly Generally unstable, it is the one no one wants to sit next to during a round of dice, and everyone makes sure the rum is on the opposite side of the table from it at all times. Manahu Not a member of the crew, but a loyal ally to Capt. Fist, Manahu is the leader and shaman of his people. He and Capt. Fist were first allied fighting a common enemy, and soon became friends. He can summon spirits and other cosmic forces through the oracle he carries in a glass sphere. In return for Capt. Fist's assistance to his people, he granted unto the captain a special gift. And last of all, Capt. Abraham J. Fist Capt. Fist is a merciless villain who will stop at nothing in the pursuit of gold and other valuables. Before he met Manahu, he was a decent enough pirate, save for his poor eyesight--one of the problems that come with having a head less than one stud tall, you know? But Manahu gifted him with a companion from the spirits--a crow. Once summoned, the bird leapt to Capt. Fist's chest and immediately began to peck out his tiny eyes. After a moment of panic, the captain realized the sensation he felt was not pain, but clarity: his eyes gone, his vision was the bird's own. Now he can not only gain a greater perspective of the scene during the heat of battle, but he is even better at picking out gold and other shiny objects. Other photos: The crew at their favorite pastime These pirates really are a scurvy band! Yo-Ho Yo-Ho a Pirate's Life for Me! Most importantly, their vessel, the Flying Fist, my entry for Category C. See the rest of my Flickr page
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Of all of the pirate vessels roaming the Caribbean galaxy, perhaps none is more notorious or feared than the Flying Fist. Flying Fist - polling image by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Captained by the merciless Capt. Fist and his bloody band, the Flying Fist has defeated the Imperial police on countless attempts. The most notable episode (the one most retold in drunken song in taverns 'round the galaxy) involves twenty Nova-class Imperial cruisers, an asteroid field, a well-timed disruptor blast and a very angry Terrillian Ape. The Flying Fist is a small craft and very swift. Its main engines are three medium-weight Magellan thrusters, which have been modified to withstand extreme energy capacities. The reason for this modification is the custom da Gama suprasorb energy sails; originally developed for power generation from solar energy, they have been specially treated with ionic tetraflutamine to increase their energy absorption from all spectra. While this process also strengthened the normally fragile sails against physical blasts, it means that rather than doing damage, energy or laser shots--especially direct hits--actually supercharge the fuel cells, to then be used to power any of the ship's systems--the engines, the cannons, the shields, etc. The ship actually gets stronger the more hits it takes. Armaments include small rockets, countermeasures, targeting missile systems, and of course each crew member's own personal arsenal. But the big guns are the three heavy phase disruptors on either side of the ship. They fire concentrated alternating energy beams that can rip right through even armored ship hulls, and can usually weaken shields sufficiently enough to let the other weapons do the rest of the work. Other ship features include two flight decks, on-board controls for energy and weapons management, nav center, lower positional thrusters, and that sweet alien skull on the stern to strike fear into the hearts of those lily-livered Imperials! See the crew, Capt. Fist's Bloody Band, my entry for Category A. See more photos of the Flying Fiston my Flickr page. There are also more further below. Check out the rest of my creations on Flickr ****** A couple of notes and a few pictures With this ship, I wanted to give it a feeling of a Chinese junk, with the square decks and battened sails, and also use a non-traditional color scheme. It does not feature a full interior (that's taken up by the cannons), but the front of the lower half of the ship holds the navigation center, and the top half is easily removed, being attached by only a few studs (yet it is still pretty strong and swooshable!) The entire lower half of the ship is built upside-down. I wanted to avoid treating the underside as an afterthought, so I tried to include some good detail on there as well, but this meant I had to build a base for it to stand on.
