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Shobuda entered the building slowly, brushing past the creepers and vines near the garden entrance. "Otousama," he called. "Otousama, are you at home?" "Yes," came the reply, "I am over here, tending to the anthynia. I found some kuwagata larvae destroying the roots, and I..." The older man broke off as he stood and saw the young officer before him. "Why, Shobu-kun, have you been promoted?" Shobuda beamed. "Yes, father. I am a captain now." The older man smiled as the young man continued, "and we are going back! At long last!" The older man's smile faded instantly. "Going back? But...why? W-w-when?" "Reports have come in saying the zone is safe. Our departure date has not been announced, but Octan is already preparing. Our forces have been commanded to be ready at a moment's notice. Your presence in Kawashita's science branch would mean much toward discovering new species and..." He trailed off, as the older man turned away wordlessly, squatting to perch himself at the edge of the small fountain in the center of the greenhouse. "Are you not proud?" Shobuda asked. "I am proud, but my pride is overshadowed by worry." "You need not worry! The Kawashita High Command has assured us..." "And that is my worry!" The younger man stood in surprised silence, interrupted only when the older man asked, "for what noble deed did they advance your rank, musuko? For bravery and honor in conflict and battle?" "...Yes," Shobuda started, beaming again despite himself. "What conflict? What battle?" Came the retort. His question answered by his son's resumed silence, the old man continued. "There has been no conflict since the Gates were locked, and armed competition has been outlawed in this solar system. Why reward you now when the conflict has been over for months?" Again, the younger man remained silent, his proud grin becoming replaced with an angry scowl. "I presume many of your compatriots have also been promoted?" Shobuda gave a sharp nod. "The danger is real my son. Not danger of war, of sabotage, or of any human creation, but of greed. I believe you worthy of your promotion, Shobu-kun, but I do not believe your superiors would grant it to you upon merit. I see that they would rather buy your allegiance, that they may use you to enrich themselves." Incensed, Shobuda stood unflinching. His father slowly turned to face him, and when their eyes met, Shobuda could take it no longer. "You are an old man, and know nothing!" he cried. "The world has changed much since your time! You will sit idly by and watch, with your old ways, while I will inherit a new future!" "My son, please reconsider..." "No. I am going. I will prove myself and you will see! You stay here and waste away, I have worlds and riches before me!" Cursing under his breath, Shobuda turned and stormed out through the arbor. The older man sat silently, sadly, for several minutes. When he came to himself, he stood up wearily and returned to his work, collecting the kuwagata grubs in a basket. He had a game of Go in the afternoon, against an old ex-marine friend from Mantis. He would be delighted at the gift. C&C always welcome. Here are a few fig-less shots:
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Dhjsdjcjd Location: C02 (Hunston) Tags: n/a Previously... I've come to help you. Even after I took you hostage and held a sword to your throat, huh? No. I mean yes, I mean... I don't say this kind of thing often, but I appreciate it. That Seliman is a piece of work, if you hadn't intervened she might have killed me by torture a few minutes ago. Wait...she tortured you? Oh my gosh! What happened to your leg? That's her. She did that in just a few minutes. Look, I'm tough, and I've been around, but I've never seen a weapon like she had. Oh no, that means... Listen. Things aren't what they seem around here. There have been some rumors about a kind of underground crime ring here at MANTIS. I never believed them but suddenly a lot of things are making sense. Like why Seliman let a convicted slaver escape? Exactly. If the rumors are true, then she probably won't let you leave no matter what the general may have said. But I am pretty sure I can get you out. How? That's what I came to talk to you about when I first arrived on the Strata, but I've realized more about you now. It's about Scorpio? ************************** ************************** There, Farrs? Do you see? She kind of responded. In a trance like sort of way. I see it. Try again... ************************** ************************** Why yes, how did you... Scorpio? I knew it. You are his sister, aren't you? Yes, I am. Is he here? I thought I heard him. Scorpio I'm here! Where are you? Oh...dear. Sorry to break the news to you, but...Scorpio...he's dead. What?! ************************** ************************** Farrs, how can I figure out exactly where I am? I told you, you are Here. But...where is everything else? Everything...Else..? Yes, you can see the universe above but how do we get there? I need to find where my sister really is; this is kind of her, but more like a ghost of her. I have a feeling she isn't really here at all. I have heard of a Place far away toward the center of Nowhere but I have never been. Do you have a way we could try and get there? Yes. I will come with you. There is nothing really for me Here any more anyway. Perhaps Somewhere Else will bring me new purpose. ************************** ************************** Farrs' ship was unlike any Scorpio had ever seen. It looked like a sort of gondola, but Scorpio could see no way that it stayed aloft. He and Farrs loaded Arsenica's cot into it and then climbed on. Farrs guided the ship to where Scorpio directed. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to solve the mystery of what had happened. More pics and stuff below. ************************** ************************** I had wanted to build the scene between Jex and Arsenica but there wasn't time. I really liked the way the gondola turned out, but it was a remarkable pain to photograph. I had to counter the weight of the ship with a PAB cup in the back behind the cloud backdrop, which threw off my already poor photo space. AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 69 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr In the end, I knocked everything off my table to the ground, including the ship C&C always welcome!
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Location: C02 Hunston Tags: n/a "Wake up, Virginia," a voice called, from the other side of a dream. "You must wake up." One by one, conscious thoughts came drifting into focus, the drowsy fog lifting and chasing sleep from his eyes. He heard a different voice mumbling, a voice that was familiar and yet that he had not heard for what seemed like ages. After a few moments, he realized the mumbles were his own, and managed to twist them into a single word: "Wut?" Followed by a more distinct "Who?" The first voice, clearer now, gave the reply: "Ha ha, why it is you, Virginia! You are finally coming to. Good." He understood the words spoken, but had no idea what they were supposed to mean. He opened his eyes, but the misty sunlight made him close them again. As his brain struggled to decode the sudden flood of information from his long-dormant senses, he sat up from where he had been lying, pushing off the sort of gauzy blanket that had covered him. Eyes still closed, he turned to where the voice had come from. "But I'm not...I'm not...my name is not Virginia," he stuttered. "My name is...my name is..." As he cast his mind around for this once-known fact, he opened his eyes and looked up at the being who had woken him. If he hadn't been so disoriented he might have been startled at the sight of the four-armed man before him. Instead, he simply kept staring, and said, "Scorpio. My name is Scorpio." "Scorpio, not Virginia? A pity, I liked Virginia better. Although the others suggested even more unusual names, I suppose it makes sense that your real name be the most unusual of all." Scorpio was thoroughly confused, and wasn't altogether sure he wasn't still dreaming. The four-armed man continued. "My name is Farrs Farrkas. I was once a chieftain of my people, and I have been looking over you since your arrival." "My arrival...? How long have I been here? And where is here? Scorpio inquired. "You are simply here. Where all Things are. Although we have rarely seen anything such as you here. You have been here for several months by our reckoning. "Several months...?" Scorpio's mind was going wild, searching for anything to connect to, when he was interrupted by Farrs: "Your companion arrived at the same time, but she has not shown any inclination to awakening yet." Companion? Scorpio looked over to the other side of his cot. There, also lying prone, was his sister. His sister, Arsenica, whom he had not seen in years. What has happening? Then he noticed the scar on her face and it all came rushing back: his captivity in Octan, the transfer through the Gate system. The swirling green vortex was the last thing he remembered seeing, usually the Gates weren't green, were they? What had happened? The woman who had captured him had been his sister all along? How had he not recognized her? He turned back to Farrs. "Where did you say I was?" "Where all Things are. We have never given it a name because it is where we have always been. Except that...after you arrived, my people were broken. Conflict, which had never been known before. They all left in an exodus and are no longer Here." "Your people all left you? Why? Where did they go?" "Come sit with me in the bowery. Eat. Drink. I will tell you." "We have been observing your activities--your people's, I mean--and many of my people saw your arrival as an omen. They saw their own doom as your people transversed the realm you had overrun to arrive in ours. They said they were leaving Here to establish a New Here. I suppose they are now Someplace Else." As he spoke, Farrs gestured to the sky, where Scorpio could see faintly in the clouds several small spheres with invisible lines connecting them. It took him a moment before he recognized what it was he was looking at. He recognized Torresta, and saw that he was probably on a world correspondingly close to that. Or something. Scorpio looked at the heavens, then back to the motionless form of his sister, and then back to Farrs. "So, what do we do?" "I was going to ask you the same question, Virginia." "I told you, my name is not Virginia, please don't call me that. It's Scorpio, okay?" "Sorry. That is what my people elected to call you when they were still here. I will try and remember. Scorpio." "Thanks." Scorpio felt an unexplained trust for Farrs. Surely the fact that he had been watching over him for so long was part of it, yet it felt deeper than that. "Aha, do you see? This is why I wanted you to awaken." Scorpio looked and saw his sister's face contorted in pain, then relax again. "She does this sometimes. You did it too, even to the point of screaming, but then were still and color returned to you. And now you are awake." Perplexed, Scorpio looked at his hands and began screaming. "What happened to me? I used to be...normal! Now I'm...I'm..." He looked and noticed that Farrs was also a lighter pale color, almost white or sand yellow. His sister, however, was still a healthy bright yellow. What was going on...? **************** If you remember much of Scorpio's story (and even if you don't), this entry probably raises a lot of questions (like: 'wait, isn't Scorpio dead?' short answer: yes) while hopefully not being too undiscernible. I had planned for this story to come later, but with AG1 potentially wrapping up in the foreseeable future, I figured I had better start on it if I wanted to get anywhere with it. More answers will come later, but for now know that everything that will happen relies on story threads that were either laid down by me myself or piggybacking off of hints made by @LucasLaughing or @woofmcmoose in entries of theirs from way back. *JUDGES: the building seen is an official set (Starlight Inn) with very few modifications, and should not be judged. The landscape and tree and such is all original work, and although the crystal part at the base of the tree resembles the Elves Crystal Cave, it differs significantly enough that I consider it my own. The tree: AG week 67 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr The Bowery, Bizarro Scorpio, and Farrs Farkas AG week 67 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Location: C02 (Hunston) Tags: Military Building Recap: Previously, Jex had gone to the MSS Strata to find more information about Scorpio's missing sister so that she could receive his final belongings after his funeral, including several weeks' worth of back pay. While there, she discovered that Scorpio had caught a prisoner, which, according to MANTIS' prisoner regulations, made him ultimately responsible for the prisoner's fate. Before Jex was able to interrogate the prisoner, there was a breakout in which two slavers--who had hidden their acts by disguising themselves as Zoids--tried to escape. Scorpio's prisoner had also escaped her cell and, in an apparent act of revenge against the slavers, killed one while the other managed to get away in the ensuing chaos. To bargain for her own freedom, the prisoner had then taken Jex hostage until General Teague had shown up and settled the scene. In the hours that ensued, mysterious forces set themselves to discover who this prisoner was, and how she might present a threat to their unsavory operations. Meanwhile, Scorpio has awoken, but is not sure where or when, or most perplexing, how. **************** The prisoner was muscled into a small room and cuffed to a chair. A woman entered the room, whom she recognized to be Seliman, the commander who had halted the prison break."You cannot keep me here!" she shouted. "Your general himself granted me clemency when I swore to hurt no MANTIS personnel, and that my only wish was to catch that scumbag slaver you let escape!" "Yes, but the general isn't here now, and I need information you might have..." Seliman responded, brandishing a glowing red prod. The prisoner noticed that it looked nothing like any MANTIS technology she had ever seen. "Tell me who you were working for when you were taken prisoner." "I answer to no one," came the terse reply. "Not anymore." "Then why are you listed in our records as being a Kawa prisoner, yet were initially apprehended in an Octan uniform?" The prisoner said nothing. "Tell me!" Seliman roared as she jammed the prod into the prisoner's leg. She screamed as the rod burned her flesh. ********** "Do you see?" Farrs Farkas inquired. "Come closer! She is more restless than ever!" Scorpio looked on helplessly. "Should we wake her?" he asked. "I don't know if it would kill her," Farrs replied. "I knew it was safe to awaken you because your color had returned." ********** Seliman waited a few moments, then stabbed the prisoner with the rod again, in the same spot. "Tell me who you are connected with in Andromeda," she asked simply. "As you have been in this prison for over a year, I am guessing that no one will come even notice if you never turned up again. But I am curious, and the people I work for even more so, so I am going to give you one more chance." The prisoner managed to see through the blinding pain and looked up at her captor. And remained speechless. "Fine then, the hard way it is." Seliman raised the rod, almost bringing it down on the prisoner's chest, when a voice interrupted through the intercom. /\/\/"Seliman, we have an urgent order from General Teague. The prisoner has a guest--a Ms. Jessica DuBois--who has requested an immediate visit. General said to comply ASAP."/\/\/ "Don't you think we're through here..." Seliman groaned as she walked out. To the guards she said,"take the cuffs off and put her in visiting room C." ********** "She stopped. She is peaceful once more...what does that mean?" Scorpio wondered aloud. AG week 68 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "Perhaps her bad dream is over," Farrs mused. Scorpio thought to himself. The last time he had seen his sister she was a prisoner at MANTIS. He hadn't had a chance to negotiate her release before Laszlowe had sent him on that fool's errand. What had happened there? He had been spying on Octan with Jex, when they had escaped on their boat and ... Oh no. He remembered suddenly. The crushing pain, the suffocating vertigo, the slow agony and tears and then... ...and then nothing. That was it then. He was dead. Except he wasn't. Obviously, he was still here. Or, he was Here, as Farrs had said. And if he had died, Jex would probably be Here, too. Unless of course she had survived. But then why was his sister Here? "I'm going to try and wake her," he said, over Farrs Farkas' protestations. **************** Even though the vignette is small, C&C is always welcome!
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Dona Flor had heard the news and couldn't wait to tell everyone: the three biggest corporations in the galaxy were hosting a series of games, just for them! The Space Geriatric Games. Did I mention Dona Flor was a little hard of hearing? Anyway, it wasn't hard to put together a five-man rowing team from the local homesteaders, and Dona Flor herself would be the coxswain. When the team arrived to claim MANTIS sponsorship, the MANTIS agent was sure that rowing wasn't an actual event, but after checking the rules, it simply said "boat race" and had only a size requirement, not age. "Why not," he thought to himself. "At the very least, it'll give those NBC morons some more human interest crap for their broadcast," and he signed them up. Besides, he had learned not to ask too many questions. **************** "Did he say to put on our tuxedos?" "I want some taquitos!" "Look, ma! I'm on TV!" **************** Pictures to show size. The red buoys mark every 5 studs from the dock to the yellow buoys, exactly 20 studs, and there is a space of 10 studs between the rows. Boat Race by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Boat Race by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Reverse trike, with tilt function. IRL, a rider would lean into the turns and the wheels would tilt like on a motorcycle to give better maneuverability and control. Will add story later. AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr **************** Edit: AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Because the minifig cannot actually lean (like most Lego models, it relies on hand-of-god steering), I put a lever in behind the right wheel to activate the tilt function. AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr I had wanted to go all-in with independent suspension and steering, as well, but the size constraint made it impossible. Some undercarriage shots follow, along with the required size proof: AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG Cat D by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Location: F03 (Forring) Tags: Military Building Previously… Jex was shocked to discover that the mysterious claim ticket she held was for…a person? She turned to the guard, who had clearly been expecting the reaction. He pulled her aside and explained MANTIS’ policy on prisoners: agents who captured prisoners were entitled to a percentage of the bounty or negotiable benefit with other corporations, where applicable, and given a ticket to assert that claim. If after a year, no benefit was forthcoming, then the prisoner could be released at the capturing agent’s discretion. Jex then asked the guard how long the prisoner in question had been held. Checking the record, he replied, “since Septembrinali of last year* *The relevant story for the prisoner’s capture is in the TL;DR spoiler of the linked post (Ice Planet MANTIS). The guard noted that the record showed that nothing had come of her capture—Kawashita had tried a covert operation to recover her a few months after her capture, but that the prisoner herself had foiled the operation, revealing a Kawa mole in MANTIS in the process. Jex realized that the ticket in her hand was a get-out-of-jail-free card for the prisoner. She could use that to get the information she needed about Scorpio’s sister, if indeed the prisoner knew anything at all. She turned to address her: “My name is Jex. I am trying to find some information, and if you help me I can assure your freedom.” “Ha! I don’t believe that for a second. That fool Laszlowe tried to sweet-talk me with the same thing, and in the end, he turned out to be as low as the scum you put in the block with me!” Jex looked down to where the slavers were being held two cells down. “You know them?” “What, personally? Of course not. But I know who they are. I have seen them and I know what they have done. And if I ever get the chance…” Jex wondered what kind of past this prisoner had with the slavers, but her thoughts were interrupted as the prisoner continued: “what have I ever done that put me in here, getting the same treatment as those lowlifes?” And to that, Jex had no answer. Suddenly, the power fluctuated and surged. “Uh-oh,” the guard said. “that can’t be good.” And then the lights in the cells turned off—meaning that the restraints had as well. The prisoner stood for only a moment, until she saw the slavers racing down the corridor. “Speaking of…” she murmured, but then she was barreling out of the cell, knocking over Jex and the guard as she dashed after the fake Zoids. Alarms began sounding and lights flashing all around the compound. “Let’s go, we can’t let them escape!” Jex called as she helped the guard to his feet. She rounded the corner just in time to see that the prisoner had already caught up to the escaped slavers—-one of them at least. Somehow, both the woman and the remaining slaver had gotten hold of weapons. Needless to say, an epic sword battle ensued. ********************************************* Although the posing of the figs and some minor changes are new in the prison cell build, only the scene after the prison breakout is actually new and should be judged: Scene without ‘figs by rodiziorobs, on Flickr C&C welcome! Edit: like others, part of my build this week is a tribute to Gnewal Gwevus/Pvt. Gnarl Graves. Also, I hope I have done justice to what other AGers have written concerning the Zoids. While there have been some conflicting stories, MKJoshA managed to reconcile them pretty well here. I maintain that the villains in my stories have been impersonating Zoids all across Andromeda, causing troubles both for Kawashita and ALIEN (by besmirching their reputation) and for Octan (adding to the crisis northern Andromeda was facing by the real Zoid slavers), and for MANTIS (the PR scandal involving Laszlowe, etc).
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The Fusion Wave is part of the team representing M.A.N.T.I.S. in the GARC category of the Space Olympics. Piloted by Roskin Jargons, the Fusion Wave was a last-minute addition to the team, due to the simple matter of resolving the pilot's criminal record before he could be cleared to compete. Not that Jargons is a dangerous felon, but let's just say that he has always enjoyed fast racers...even if he didn't own them. AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG GARC entry by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Location: F03 (Forring) Tags: Military Building (prison) As Jex was guided down to B Sector of the MSS Strata, she wondered what the claim ticket could be for? The claims agent said it wasn't what she expected. She couldn't puzzle this one out. Looking around, she guessed that B must be on the other side of the prison compound--she recognized the slavers Agent Blond had caught that she had read about. One of them tried to reach through the energy barrier and got himself shocked, while the other made rude gestures. Why would they build the ship so you had to go through the prison? It just didn't make sense. "Here we are," said the guard. "B Sector, cell 68. Ms. DuBois, meet prisoner #C04-k2." "Wait...what?" **************** I'll try to add links in to refer back to other stories, since this post ties together a lot of loose threads. More photos below, C&C welcome!
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Location: F03 (Forring) Tags: Military Building An epic sword fight had ensued in the corridors of the M.S.S. Strata. At least three prisoners had escaped: two slavers posing as Zoids, and a Kawa who Jex was hoping could help her find a missing person. The Kawa had some kind of history with the slavers and had already killed one in his attempted escape, and her prolonged battle with the other had led them away from the prison sector to the ship bay. Jex and the prison guard had raced to keep up, the guard radioing in for support as they ran. As they came around the corner to the bay--the dueling prisoners, followed by Jex with the guard--there was a sudden eruption of sirens and the sounds of clanging metal, and a voice called out, "FREEZE! Drop your weapons!" Turning and seeing the MANTIS squad already assembled, weapons primed, the duelers immediately came to a halt, and the slaver dropped his sword. The Kawa saw the opportunity and in a flash, brought her blade around at the slaver. He moved to dodge, but the blow caught him across the shoulder. Blood spattered, and he called out in pain. "DROP IT I SAID!" called the MANTIS commander, and the MANTIS soldiers rounded on the Kawa. The slaver slumped away, clutching his shoulder, but all the soldiers' eyes were on the Kawa. Sensing the soldiers' hesitation, she swirled around, grabbing Jex by the arm and sliding her blade against her throat. To Jex she intoned, "look, despite the way this looks I actually don't want to hurt you, so don't make me. No sudden moves, got it?" Jex nodded as best she could against the blade. "Listen up! I don't want any trouble and I mean MANTIS no harm, but if you charge me or get in my way from avenging myself against that slaver, I will show no mercy and your girl here gets it!" "Keep your weapons trained on her, But wait on my word!" the commander called to her troops. "I'm warning you!" AG week 62 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "What is the value of your hostage? A mere pilot in the balance of us catching a deadly prisoner?" The standoff was momentarily interrupted by the sound of a ship taking off; the slaver, unchallenged, had escaped. "Deadly prisoner is the one you just let get away!" The Kawa spat. "This is your last chance!" The commander was about to give the order when another voice sounded over the bay. "Lower your weapons, this is general Teague!" Obediently, the soldiers backed away. The general approached the commander and in a low voice said, "Seliman, I admire your tenacity, and under normal circumstances your decision would have been correct. However, this pilot is Jessica DuBois, she is the one who survived the space/time anomaly on Jurin II. She is valuable to us, and we must tread lightly here." "You want to negotiate with a prisoner, sir?!" Commander Seliman retorted incredulously. "We are still trying to learn what happened, and she is our biggest clue. We cannot afford to lose her. And it seems..." the general nodded toward the bay, "that you already let one prisoner slip through your fingers. We'll have words on that later. Understood?" "Understood, sir," came the reply. The Kawa had not heard the discussion, but she could tell that the hostage she held was more than she seemed, if a general had come down to intervene--suddenly there was an ace in her hand. If she acted quickly, there might still be time to catch up with the slaver before he got too far. She whispered to Jex, "you said earlier that you could help release me. Maybe this isn't what you had in mind, but it's time for you to make good on that promise..."
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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I'll add story tomorrow, but at least the photos are here for now. UPDATE: Story below (a long one ), pics same as before. "Dearly Beloved, we gather today to mourn the passing of one among us, MANTIS scientist 1st Class Scorpio Starstriker. His life was [...]" AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Jex shrugged and tried to stay awake. She didn't want to be here, despite her doctor's insistence. "It'll help you find closure," he said, "to put the whole episode behind you." Hmmmph. While Scorpio's death was still fresh on the minds of everyone at MANTIS, it had been two years ago for her. She had already done her grieving. After the explosion and all the mysterious circumstances that followed it, Scorpio had been all she had. She had tended to his wounds as best as she could, but in the deep swamp of...wherever it was they had ended up on, she couldn't even remember...there was no helping him. She talked to him, and sometimes he talked back, and then he was gone and that was that. She was alone. But his death steeled her will to survive. She held out hope that MANTIS would somehow find them. She looked up again at the ceremony, trying to gauge how much longer it would go on. She didn't see a reason why she should be here, although she did think it nice that Scorpio was finally being laid to rest. AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "And now while Brother Armando plays a hymn on the organ, Brother Jacobim will offer a solemn chant as we prepare to give our final respects. The doors you see behind me symbolize death, the portal that will take the deceased to the great beyond..." "Too late,' Jex smirked. 'He's already at the 'great beyond', or whatever it is you call it, Father. Two years ago." The music was soothing, though. Perhaps her doctor was right, and this would help her find a little more closure. She didn't share the beliefs of the priests of the order of San Corbin (having been a Davidite in her youth), so while she found their practices somewhat silly, yet she admired their dedication to them. She was aware that everyone was beginning to stand and approach the casket. She remained seated, allowing the others to leave before rising herself. AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "Poor Scorpio. You really didn't have a chance. Perhaps, if there is another place you've gone to, it will treat you better than this world has." AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Jex was surprised by Brother Jacobim standing behind her. "Pardon my interruption, but are you Jessica DuBois?" "Yes, what do you need?" "Well, we have some documents we need you to sign. Next of kin sort of stuff." "I'm...not his next of kin." "I know that, but your corporation said since he had no next of kin that you would be the closest..." "I'm not. Before he died he told me he had a sister that was also at MANTIS." "A sister? Well our MANTIS rep made no mention of that. Well his belongings were entrusted to us after the funeral arrangements were made, but it seems then that we cannot transfer them to your custody as we were instructed." "How long can you hold them?" "Well there isn't much, but to be rid of it all sooner I'll say...a week? maybe two?" "Fine. That should give me time to find her and let you know where to forward them to." "Very well, thank you miss. My condolences." AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Jex turned and headed for the door. She was intrigued by what Scorpio might have left behind, and also wondering, if Scorpio's sister was also at MANTIS, why didn't she attend the funeral? **************** Last week was my 1 year mark, but I was unable to get anything built. Oh well, Scorpio was already dead then anyway. I thought of using this post to reminisce of some of my builds from the past year, but the story had too much going forward to take very long looking back. C&C welcome! Pics of the priests and organ below: AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr AG week 50 by rodiziorobs, on Flickr
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Here is my entry for Category B (Maze control system). MAZE joystick control by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rather than relying on an etch-a-sketch style control system (in other words, rather than the forward/backward tilt movement and left/right tilt movement being controlled with separate knobs), all movement is controlled by a single joystick. MAZE joystick control by rodiziorobs, on Flickr The joystick is attached to a ball joint mounted pointing upwards, which gives it a wide range of motion. A similar ball joint attaches the maze platform to the base. The movement of the joystick is transferred to the column that supports the maze by two control arms within the housing: one arm controls the left to right movement, and the other controls the movement back and forth. Below is a video clip that explains and demonstrates the function of the control system (clicking the video will take you to Flickr to view it there). These features are also explained in the text below: Video by rodiziorobs, on Flickr MAZE joystick control by rodiziorobs, on Flickr These control arms have a reducing effect on the movement of the maze tilt platform, meaning that large movements of the joystick will only effect small movements on the column. This allows greater control over the tilt of the maze in any direction. The reduction effect works because the control arms are attached very close to the base of the joystick but very close to the top of the maze support column. Moving the joystick moves these control arms a proportionate amount in any horizontal direction. The arms move the same distance for the maze support arm, but because they are farther from the pivot center, the change in angle for the support column is smaller than for the joystick, resulting in a reduced tilt. The housing is decorated with an electric blue and black design with white accents. The knob on the joystick is also the storage for the marble/soccer ball. The maze board design is just the official design used in the LEGO Ideas set, based on the project submitted by Jason Allemann, but redesigned in a fiery lava color scheme (which contrasts nicely with the colors on the base). It is for demonstration purposes only, and not considered part of my entry. In fact, you might have seen it on Andromeda’s Gates recently. (Go MANTIS!) MAZE control box, detached cradle, and maze board by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Thanks for looking over my entry! And thanks to Bob for organizing the contest! Good luck to all participants. More at my Flickr page: rodiziorobs
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Location: C03 (Torresta) Tags: N/A TL;DR blah blah blah character development blah blah blah Jex' rehabilitation was going quite well. Mentally, she was in keen shape, and physically, she had nearly recovered from her two years of wilderness survival. Emotionally, however, she still had occasional breakdowns, particularly under stressful situations. For that reason, her doctors had recommended she not resume combat missions yet. This was fine with her, as she acknowledged her need for further healing and stability, and felt a little rusty behind the controls. So, she willingly accepted the transfer to Torresta to help train New cadets. Intermediate trainees were sent out to a lava flow in the Torrestan highlands where there were some interesting rock formations. Pilots would race in and out of the towers, and down through the maze of valleys. Jex enjoyed the familiarity of the terrain, as she herself had trained here nearly three years earlier--a funny thought, she realized, since MANTIS had only arrived in Andromeda a little over a year ago. Recovering from a time displacement was definitely going to take some getting used to. She heard about the experiments that Moose and Big Sal's team were doing, trying to understand the GATE anomalies, and hoped they would shed some light on her own experience. Those scientists always seemed so smart, like Scorpio had been. Even though he was kinda dumb sometimes, he was always pretty good at what he did. The funeral was to be held back at the Core, Torresta's capital, in about a week. She had thought about not going, but Dr. Urie said it might give her a little closure to the whole ordeal. Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice in her earpiece: "DuBois, you ready? You're all refueled and ready for another dozen tours out there." Jex shook off her thoughts. Time for that later."Yes, I'm ready." "All right. You'll be taking Gareth out this time and it's his first time around the cracks, K? so go easy on him. He's just getting strapped in right now." Jex smiled. Another greenie. Perfect. "You got it." *************** C&C welcome, a few more pics below: *************** My apologies for the low quality photos. It's late so I'm working in less than optimal lighting conditions, and on less than optimal sleep The ships and the race platform The maze layout--yes, a Torrestified 21305--that I will be using as part of my entry for Bob's MAZE contest, but only to demonstrate my Cat B, so don't worry--I didn't disqualify myself.
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Challenge 4: Cat B Location: C03 (Torresta) At the outskirts of The Core lies a poor, neglected district. Not so neglected that the crime is rampant or out of control, simply neglected to the point where nobody bothers to go there anymore. Like this building, which most recently was rented out to the Torresta chapter of a charity, but is now boarded up. The only part of this area which sees any life at all is, ironically, the local cemetery. No one of great renown is buried here, nor probably ever will be. Although is looks like there is a freshly dug grave. I wonder who it's for? **************** I wanted to do some of the lesser-seen city elements here, hence the shack and the cemetery. I had planned to build them together on a common base with some landscape to connect them, but didn't leave myself enough time to finish, so you'll have to settle for them merely sharing the same sidewalk out front.
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Location: F03 (Forring) Tags: Military Building, Spying **************** MANTIS military academy, Forring ...and so, cadets, that is how fleet maneuvering works, leading us to MANTIS' current position in northern Andromeda. Given the tenuous relationships between our corporations lately, MANTIS has not been able to perform full-scale military incursions. However, we must maintain our fleet ever-ready, even anticipating-- General Teague, I hate to interrupt you but this is urgent. What is it, Maynes? It's Blond. Agent Blond? Yes Sir. I'm on my way. Students, please read sections 10.2-10.5 while I am gone, Shearer you lead the discussion questions. I'll be back shortly. Colter are you texting in class?! **************** [ Well, sir, we've got the tracer back online, after Blond's signal blinked out. Looks like the Zoid ship made a gate jump, that's what caused the malfunction. So where are they? Do we know what has become of Blond? Still gathering that intel, General. But, I was analyzing the last bit of thermal imaging from Blond's report--the one that convinced the court to sentence Laszlowe--and things don't add up. How so? Well, the scanner picked up five signatures, all of them human. So? We know the Zoids had slaves aboard the ship at that moment, maybe there were more, and that's where the extra signatures came from. Except there were no Zoid signatures at all. Only human ones. Look for yourself. Well, I'll be. That certainly is odd. Yet even in his testimony, Laszlowe confessed he had been meeting with Zoid agents, so how can this be? I think someone has been trying to hoodwink all of Andromeda, Sir. Is Blond's signal live? Yes, Sir, but I have yet to completely decode the data packets. Well, keep on it, and let me know what you find. Good work, Maynes. Thank you Sir. **************** Class dismissed ***************** C&C welcome!
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Location: F04 (Terrial Minor Illustria) Tags: Spying Agent Blond's mission against the Zoid slavers had been a complete success. At least, right up until the point he got knocked out. Perhaps "MANTIS' best spy" was a bit of an exaggeration... He awoke and found himself strapped awkwardly to a table. He tried to regain his composure and assess his surroundings for escape, but at that moment one of the Zoids burst through the door. Then, to Blond's horror, the Zoid began taking off his head. Why, he wasn't a Zoid at all! "Good evening, Mr. Blond! I see you are finally awake!" "Who are you? Where am I? Blond inquired. "In our secret base on Illustria! But ah-ha! I already tell you too much. You should not be the one asking questions here, Mr. Blond! That's my job!" "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Blond, I expect you to die!" This was not spoken by the first man, but by a second as he entered the room. Blond could see he also wore a Zoid costume. "So much for our 'secret base' Gib," he added. "Sorry boss," the first fake Zoid replied. As he came in the second man grabbed a controller hanging from the girders above, and with a cruel chuckle pressed the button. Blond felt the room suddenly get noticeably hotter. He looked down towards his feet, and knew he had to act quickly... Although his hands were bound, he was able to reach out his MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster© Pocket Edition™, and fire a beam at the laser. Nooo! The slavers cried. Blond then shot off his restraints, turned on his captors, and said, "Now, sirs, I believe it is you who will be doing the talking, and unless you cooperate, the dying as well." **************** This was a build I did a couple of weeks ago but missed the posting deadline. It's been on my Flickr for awhile, but never posted anywhere. Been itching to do a Bond reference for awhile C&C welcome! Edit: I got the planet name wrong. It is supposed to be F04, Illustria. That's what I get for using the dynamic map on mobile
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Challenge 4 (No Place Like Home) Location: C03 (Torresta) ****** Forgot to put Cat A in the topic title ****** Admitting his own guilt of his crimes against humanity at the MANTIS High Court, former Supervising Accountant Laszlowe had to stand and face his sentencing. Agent Raven of the Kawashita delegation offered several...unique...suggestions for the sentence, but the MANTIS judge insisted that the punishment fit the crime. The nature of Laszlowe's crimes had not been to inflict death, but suffering and enslavement. Therefore, he would not be sentenced to death, but rather a lifetime of hard labor. He was transferred to a remote outpost in the Torrestan deserts, and set to work in the Awesomnium mines with an armed guard around the clock. **************** "Hey down there, Laszy, heard some rumors you've been up to more criminal activity. They say you even sold a secret pain formula to some terrorists." "I have already been committed to my sentence, Private Rannen, and confessed all my guilt! Why do you..." "Eh, as for me I figure that's just giving you way too much credit. You ain't clever enough for anything like that." "..." **************** While MANTIS believes in uncompromised justice, it also believes in the supremacy of mercy; as such, Laszlowe's punishment was not merciless. Upon his arrival at the mines, Laszlowe was given a small syringe with a potent toxin specially formulated to his own DNA but inert to any other being. If he tires of the work, or of Private Rannen's particular brand of humor, Laszlowe holds his own life in his hands. Such an escape--a quick death--his victims would probably be grateful for if it were offered them. It was agreed that this sentence was fair and just, while still offering a measure of mercy, even if the guilty scum deserved none. 50% of the proceeds from the Awesomnium mined by Laszlowe will be donated to Andy's Orphans, a non-profit charity in Andromeda which assists in the rehabilitation of former slaves or the otherwise oppressed, and to defray the costs of relocation and counseling services of the same. Laszlowe's tiny cell is sparsely furnished, with only a bed and a sink inside. The sink is supplied by an external water tank. There also is space outside to hang his tools. The guard station towers over the small prison and surrounding dunes.
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Location: E01 (Donwarr) Tags: Spying, Land vehicle **** Advance apologies for the quality of some of the photos below. I'll see if I can get some better shots up later in the week. **** Aboard the MANTIS flagship Petticoat: "Look General, I know the paint job isn't regulation, but there isn't anything we can do about it until we return to the docks in Torresta in a few weeks when we deliver Laszlowe to begin his sentence." Well look into it immediately! It's a complete disgrace! **************** Shortly thereafter, the Petticoat picked up an uncommon transmission--one from a black box. MANTIS engineers had managed to reduce the size of this technology, meaning virtually every MANTIS craft could be equipped with it. This enabled the location and recovery of practically every ship, to help engineers better equip the rest of the fleet against future malfunction or mishap. Also built in was a switch that would only turn on after most or all other systems were unresponsive for a determined length of time. Normally, MANTIS black boxes sent tracking emissions only intermittently, so as to conserve battery life. However, this meant that such a signal was unlikely to be picked up by scanners unless they were specifically looking for it, as was often the case when rescuers were searching for a downed ship. This particular emission was even more of a rare case--the black box code identified it as belonging to a small speedboat, the last ship assigned to Scorpio Starstriker and Jessica DuBois, who had vanished on a spying mission nearly two months prior. This was not the most intriguing part, however: the boat had been dispatched to Jurin II, not Donwarr. Although there had been mishaps with the gates before, they were not yet understood. Therefore, a recovery team was dispatched immediately to go down to the surface and bring the black box back for analysis. **************** Later, on Donwarr's surface... Ick, you know Williams I don't usually mind tough conditions, but the smell here is horrible. That's just the Octan you smell, Private. Figures that this mysterious signal would come from an unrecoverable swamp--probably the only one on Donwarr--that also happens to be crawling with Octan speeders. I hear one coming our way, now! Stay low, and keep your blaster ready. I'll see if I can spy it... Should I take it out? No, it would only reveal our location to the rest of Octan. Only shoot if we're already caught. Looks like he's moved on... Well, which way do we go? North, we're already pretty close. **************** Last known location is right here, and look, there's some wreckage. And what appears to be human remains. Climb in there and get the box, and a bit of the body. See if the lab guys can match the DNA. Yuck. Shut up, Private. **************** Suddenly, there was a soft woooooosh sound, as Private took a dart to the neck. Captain Williams spun around to face the assault, but too late; in a flash, the assailant was on top of her, knife in hand. In the swampy marsh, she could get no footing, and found herself completely disarmed and vulnerable. Who are you? Why do you come to this place? ... Answer! Captain April Williams, MANTIS Marine Corps North. ...MANTIS! After all this time! The attacker relaxed her grip on Williams, who slipped in the mud, from surprise as much as anything else. You've finally come for us. It's been two years! Two years, do you hear me! Where have you been!? Do I...Should I know you? Here my name is only Jex, but before I was Jessica DuBois, MANTIS pilot Second Class. This here is Scorpio Starstriker. Please take us home. ****************
