Corey

[color=#2f4f4f][size=1]The door to the ship hissed shut with mechanical speed. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Our first stop will be A-Block, crew quarters." Intercoms lined the ceiling of the halls at fifteen foot intervals. Call boxes were bolted to the walls outside of every door. Lighting shone through indirect lighting fixtures in the corners of the ceiling. Nicholas opened a door and led the group through. "This is one of ten crew quarters across this block. They're each about 15 feet by 20 feet, have one double bed, one bathroom facility, a closet equipped with both leisure wear and proper uniforms." He pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, an example of leisure wear. Van walked over and plopped down on the bed. [b]Van-[/b] "Hmm. Comfy." He winked at Allen and stood back up. Trini walked into the bathroom. The florescent lights flicked on. [b]Trini-[/b] "Not bad... My bathroom back home wasn't this nice." She walked back out shutting off the lights and closing the door. Nicholas cleared his throat from the hall. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Let's move on, shall we." Everyone fell back into position behind him. "This ship has three levels. Level one is the top level. It holds the bridge, the armory, the medical bay, and the main communications room. Level two has the engine room, the war room, and the main computer room. Level three is where we are, it includes the crew quarters, meeting room, mess hall, exercise room, game room, and the warehouse where all of the repair equipment and replacement materials are." A door hissed open and Nicholas gestured inside without stepping in himself. "This is the game room and exercise room. There are several physical activities, ping pong, cyber golf, virtual tennis, etc. There are also barbells, treadmills, rowing devices, resistance therapy, and an anti-gravity room." He shut the door and walked on. [b]Allen-[/b] "What's the difference between cyber and virtual?" [b]Van-[/b] "Two different words. I think they mean basically the same thing." Another door hissed open. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "This is the mess hall. There is a compliment of MREs (meals ready to eat) plus a nice supply of fresh meat and vegetables you can make dishes with. That's located in the freezer." He pointed to the far side of the room. [b]Trini-[/b] "Ooo, a walk-in freezer." [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Yes. There's also a six burner range, a megawave, and a spacious icebox. Let's continue." The door closed and they went on walking. "This door leads to the meeting room, nothing really special. A plasma board for writing, a coffee maker, etc. Last thing on this level is the warehouse." He opened this door manually, sliding one bolt open and twisting a circular latch. "The warehouse has four sections. Section one is extra food. Just MREs and protein drinks. Section two is ship repair devices. Caulk guns and extra tetra-silicon slabs. Plus nail-guns and several different adhesives. Section three is electrical equipment. Extra circutbreakers, fuses, wiring, etc. Section four is extra weaponry, both handheld and external." He sealed the door back up and opened another hatch that led to stairs. "There are two elevators that go to each floor, and two sets of stairs on either end of the ship. The stairs run to each of the three floors." [b]Allen-[/b] "What's this war room?" The stairs were made of a steel composite material with a coating of anti-slip material. Rod railing ran on the sides of the stairs. The air wisped around their faces, in and out of the vents. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "The war room is a tactical planning room. It's hardwired to every sensor the ship has on it. Holographic displays show what the sensors pick up. It'll also give you a readout of every aspect of the ships condition. Anything from engine temps, to CO2 levels in the captains closet." Yet another door hissed open. "This is it." The room was pretty large with several computer displays and holographic panels. Helena uttered a small gasp. [b]Helena-[/b] "Oh my..." She pushed past Allen and Nicholas and entered the room quickly, examining every panel and display. "There's a Quantum Unit... The only other place I've ever seen a working Quantum Unit is in the magazines..." Her eyes were alight with pleasure. Allen smiled at Nicholas. [b]Allen-[/b] "I think you've made a friend. C'mon, Helena. You can check it out when we're on the clock." Nicholas began moving down the hall. Allen held his arm out for Helena to follow, the others had already begun walking. She walked by with a sullen look on her face. "I know. Plenty of time for fun later m'lady." Nicholas raised his voice slightly, wanting to let the captain, now at the end of the pack, hear. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "The main computer is through this door. Normally the circuitry just through out the ship would be enough, but we have a few upgrades on the Dominion. There's advanced voice recognition software. Instead of using normal servers and such to compute your requests, it uses a fusion of technology and biological compounds. We call it the Android Unit. It's almost three hundred times more efficient and powerful than any normal computer on the market right now. And several times smaller than any super computer the government has." He continued past the door, heading for a set of double doors larger than any other previously viewed. [b]Allen-[/b] "Wait." Everyone stopped. Nicholas turned around, quickly a smile to his face. Not quick enough to hide it completely, though. "What kind of biological components are in use?" His smile faltered. [b]Van-[/b] "Allen?" [b]Allen-[/b] "Hear me out, Van... What are we talking about here? A few lab-grown containers of neurons? What?" Nicholas remained motionless. "Fine, let's see." Allen turned around and walked back to the door. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Wait! You can't do that!" He began pushing through Allen's crew. [b]Allen-[/b] "Are you telling me what I can and can't do on my own ship? Nathan, if you would." Nathan grabbed the man by the shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "No!" [b]Allen-[/b] "Van, his security card please." Van dug in the mans pocket and tossed the card to Allen. He passed it in front of the sensor. The doors opened. Allen walked in and flipped on a light switch. "Jesus... Have you people lost your..." He stopped short of making the terrible pun. There were three containers with human brains suspended in liquid. Wires and cords went in and out of every crevase. Small bursts of electricity issued from the wiring every now and again. Allen walked back out of the computer room. "Do you remember what was in the prior mission report, Wyler? We were dealing with creatures from HELL! They make a very good show of toying with ones mind! What were you thinking when you decided to power a ship with three minds?!" [b]Nicholas-[/b] "They were grown in labs. The sections of the brain that give a person their individuality, thoughts, free will, everything that makes them a human being were altered on the genetic level to be useless. Do not underestimate us Captain Chubbs! Despite your opinions, we are not idiots!" Allen pressed the close button and walked away as the door hissed close. [b]Allen-[/b] "You had better be right, Wyler. For your own sake as well as ours." Nathan released Nicholas. He snatched his card back. "We'll continue the tour after lunch. Please guide us to the mess hall, Mr. Wyler."[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Though I've thought about this on more than one occasion, I doubt I would ever want to go back and change anything. The movie 'The Butterfly Effect' did a good job of illustrating the probable effect of time incursions, but I suppose that some changes would be far worse (or far better) depending on what it was you were changing. To do ultimately good things by changing the past would require far more wisdom and foresight than any human posseses. To answer the question, I would never change something that has happened.[/size][/color]

[quote name='MaxSonic]And in the end, when she finnaly told her mother, it was not becauce she was fed up, it was becauce she was worried about me. And [b]that[/b'] is why I cannot move on.[/quote] [size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Worrying about you doesn't mean she still likes you. The reason she might have went to her mother is because she pitied you. You came off sounding like a stalker, maybe that's what she saw you as when she told her mother. Because you [i]were[/i] her friend, she couldn't hate/be digusted by/or completely fear you. She pitied you. Take Amibasuki's advice to heart. It works.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]I was just wondering if Otakuboards is going to be making the switch for Daylight Savings Time (spring forward) automatically like I have selected in my options menu. My time is still reading an hour behind what it should be and I have the 'Automatically Detect DST Settings' option selected. If this is a glitch I'd like to report it now, but if there's something wrong with my specific settings I'll just switch it to 'DST corrections always on' or 'always off'.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]My main habit is that I can't sit still for a long period of time unless I put major thought and effort into it. I've always been a rather active person and just can't stay in one place or in one position for a very long time. I constantly cross and uncross my legs. I constantly shift in my seat. I constantly move my legs and arms to different positions. People have assumed I have ADHD because of it, but I just don't like to be still. One of my little habits I've been trying to break is the biting of my fingernails. I used to pick at them and bite them until it hurt and there were small rims of blood leaking through. I have been with nails for almost a month now... Maybe I should trim them down... My cat, strangely enough, is extremely vocal an usually does respond to what I say to him. Now, when he doesn't say anything, I look up at him and ask if there's anything wrong. Lastly, I am extremely angry at small things. Problems or actions that would usually seem large (almost getting hit by a car. getting a D or a F on a report card, or being grounded for a month or two) don't get me upset. It's the small things that get me angry. Like when I come home and can't remember if I was supposed to do laundry, or if my computer is booting up slow. I can't really make any sence of it, but over the years I've been able to manufacture some control and rarely get extremely angry anymore.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]I have slight muscle spasms in my neck. All they do is make me twitch at random times. It only started happening in the last year or so. It doesn't hurt and the doctors say it isn't damaging anything, so I'm not going to worry about it.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Good one Mitch... I think... The mailbox one was great. And why would gangs do something so stupid as burning down mailboxes? I mean, burning down whitepiketfences is much more productive.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Later today I plan on placing superglue on the bottom of a fellow band geek's chair. Though I seem to have misplaced my tube of superglue at the moment... Several people have already got me today. My dad woke me up by saying my school was closed due to boiler problems... I wasn't in a good mood after that but it was definitley a good one.[/color][/size]

[size=1][url]http://www.casebook.org/intro.html[/url][/size] [size=1][color=#2F4F4F]The above link is to the pinnacle site of Ripper information. On the above page there is an assumed, and widely accepted, way that The Ripper killed his victims (Under [b]Evidence[/b]). Just thought some of you would like to know for sure considering the mention of Jack The Ripper. I'm not exactly sure the exact question of this thread, but I have never heard of the BTK murders before. If you would be so kind as to present some of the information your local papers have, I'd appreciate it. They sound interesting, and since I'm a Ripper freak I'd very much like to compare the two murderers.[/size][/color]

[color=#2F4F4F][size=1]Ouch... Bad grammer, like kryptonite... Painful... Searing my eyes... *ahem* What computers are you using that break within a couple days? And if you live your technological life by the philosophy "There'll always be something better in a month or so." you'll never buy a single computer in all your life. As for the cost factor, I agree things are getting a tad overpriced, but what do you expect? Inflation is a popular practice.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F][i]I have two quick announcements. ? First, skedy is no longer with us. He decided to drop out for reasons he will release at his own descretion. His character will be delt with a little later in the story. ? Number two, I just want to make everyone aware that I have not given up on this. I'm, unfortunately, not as able to find time for leisure activities as I used to. Advanced Placement test is just a month or so away, and I'm actually planning on studying for it. This will continue at a slightly laidback pace until I find more time. I'm sorry about it.[/i] ??? They drove behind the hanger, the bright sun being blocked by its massive steel walls, and immediately fell silent. A few small conversations had been brewing, but the mutual excitement overpowered all of that. The bus stopped at a closed gate. Five men came out of a nearby, and extremely squat, building. Four were armed with Series Seven Pulse Rifles. One held a small handheld pistol. The four with the SPR's flanked the bus, two on each side, and leveled the weapons at us. The man with the pistol entered the bus. He looked at each of us in turn, and holstered his pistol. [b]???-[/b] "I am Major Gerald Fisk of the USESA. All of you will present you id card for in-" [b]Trin-[/b] "I'm sorry. You're with the... who?" The man glared at her. [b]Fisk-[/b] "The USESA. The United States Experimental Spacecraft Association. You will present your id cards for inspection. You will then allow us to take a small blood sample for DNA fingerprinting. Be warned that all of your actions will be monitored from this point forward wether you are admitted or not." He looked around at everyone. They were looking at him and not moving. "Id cards... Now!" Everyone went for their cards. They each brought them out one by one and handed them to Mr. Fisk. He left the bus and entered the building. The others kept their weapons on us. [b]Allen-[/b] "Experimental..." Van jumped up a seat. One of the gunmen tracked him with the gun. [b]Van-[/b] "What are you thinking..." Allen peered at the door Fisk had left through. [b]Allen-[/b] "I'm thinking I'm not exactly comfortable with an experimental ship... This design has probably never been off the ground... All they have is simulation data." He shifted. "This makes me uncomfortable..." Fisk came back out with the id cards and a small needle with a sensor device. He came back on the bus. [b]Fisk-[/b] "Captain Allen Chubbs, extend your left hand palm up, pointer finger extended." He glanced around the bus and extended his hand. Fisk poked him with the needle at a breakneck speed Allen was barely aware of. The device turned a bright green. "Identity confirmed as Allen Chubbs. Information stored. You are free to enter Hanger F... Next, Van Ambrose. Step up here." The security ritual passed without incident. Nathan stepped off last, Mr. Fisk disappearing into his building. [b]Adam-[/b] "So now what?" A huge hanger door suddenly rumbled to life. Everyone turned in the direction, all rather startled by the loud and unexpected noise. The gunmen went back into their building seemingly to have dubbed us 'safe'. [b]Allen-[/b] "I guess we go that way..." Allen started walking toward the opening, everyone else following behind. It was dark inside, minimal tripod lighting lit a path into the gloom. The air whispered around everyones head showing the place was well ventilated. It smelled of brand new plastic, fresh from the production line. The air was obviously heavily filtered. The lit pathway ended in a small circle of illuminated metal floor. "So..." He winked at Adam, trying to bridge the gap he had previously opened. "Now what?" [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Now, Mr. Chubbs, The Red Party will introduce you to your new ship." His voice echoed though the hanger, but not as if it was empty. "The RPS (Red Party Spacecraft) Dominion." The entire hanger lit up with bluish-white florescent light. Thousands of tubes sat on the ceiling, dazzling the seven crew members. [b]Allen-[/b] "Jesus ******* Christ! What the hell is your problem Wyl-" He stopped halfway through the ******** last name. His breath caught in his throat. "Oh my God..." [b]Nicholas-[/b] "I take it you like the ship Mr. Chubbs." [b]Allen-[/b] "It's... Amazing." The ship was almost 350 meters long. The hull was obviously composed of the new tetra-silicon alloy, extremely light, extremely white, and unbelievably strong. It was an extremely experimental material. There was no indication they were even making it on such a large scale. The ship sat on seven extremely large hover-trailers. The engines were six new model Plasma Injector Burst Pods. They were built into the ships hull. When in space, they used short bursts of superheated plasma to propel the ship. Extremely efficient and economical. The bridge was in the front of the battle-ax shaped ship. Reverse and maneuvering stood out all over the ship. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "You haven't seen the best part yet, Mr. Chubbs." He spoke a few whispered words into a walkie talkie. "Your new ship had been outfitted with a prototype defense system. May I present to you," a deep magenta light crackled across the hull of the ship, "the Electrical Force Shield protection grid." Dispite his dislike for the Red Party's mascot, a smile broke across Allen's face. Force Shield technology had been in the works for nearly fifty years. And he was going to be the first to try it out. [b]Allen-[/b] "My God..." Nicholas motioned as he began walking to the ship. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "Right this way Captain, I've arranged a tour of your new ship."[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Allen looked around at the group, checking off names in his head, and again came up short. [b]Allen-[/b] "I don't know about this guy..." Van turned to him. [b]Van-[/b] "What guy?" Allen watched the elevator expectantly, waiting for Adam to come out of it... ... ... ... He didn't. [b]Allen-[/b] "Adam Faulkner, our engineer..." He glanced at the elevator again. "Let's go people. If he misses the tour, he'll just have to get aquainted with our new ship a different time." They walked out of the compound to find a nice little charter bus awaiting them. The group stepped on and sat down without incident. The doors to the bus closed and it began pulling out. A muffled voice sounded from outside. Allen turned his head already knowing what he was going to see. [b]Adam-[/b] "Stop the bus!" He banged on the window. "Stop!" Allen looked at him for a moment longer and pressed the emergency stop button. The bus was computerized, so there was no driver. Allen walked to the front of the bus and got out. Adam walked up to him, panting. [b]Allen-[/b] "Mr. Faulkner, do you usually have a problem with punctuality?" He bent at the waist, hands on his knees. The bus had travelled a good distance and he had to run pretty fast to catch up. [b]Adam-[/b] "No... No sir... No one... Told me about... A meeting..." [b]Allen-[/b] "What did you think we were going to do Mr. Faulkner?! Just walk onto a ship the day of the mission without the slightest idea about its layout, its capabilities, or its systems?" Adam looked up at Allen and shook his head between breaths. [b]Adam-[/b] "No sir... I just thought-" [b]Allen-[/b] "From now on you will either be punctual, or you will be off of this mission. Understood?" Allen stared at the man. He straightened up and nodded. [b]Adam-[/b] "Yes sir... I understand." [b]Allen-[/b] "Don't call me sir." He opened the door for Adam and watched him get onto the bus. He followed, feeling slightly bad about his outburst. Stress was getting to him, and it wasn't maing things easier. The bus started up and they headed toward the New Madison Docks.[/size][/color]

[color=#2F4F4F][size=1]Hmmm... If I were to say that I'd return the wallet/check/credit car, I'd be lying. However it would really depend on a lot of different variables. Maybe I'm short on cash and need to pay a ticket or something. Or rent. But justification still doesn't make it right. I guess that I would take it. Everyone can use a couple of extra bucks. And all the better if you get away with it.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F][i]Sorry I've been away, everyone. I've just recently been accepted into an extremely well written play and I've had some post school rehersals. This plus work plus homework equals very little comp time. I'll try and be more regular, I promise.[/i] ??? Allen stepped into his apartment and popped a couple more antacids into his mouth. Five Bloody Marys had him pretty well sloshed. Especialy for a man that hadn't had anything to drink for years. And on an empty stomach. He plopped down on his bed and shut his eyes, thinking about how little time he still had on earth. Just a little more than twentyfour hours. Tomarrow he'd... He'd what? [b]Allen-[/b] "..." What did he have to do? He knew his crew, even felt quite comfortable with them. Helena in particular. She reminded him of his sister. The three of them (Van, Helena, and himself) had talked for close to five hours, relaying their different histories, Van and Allen mostly telling theirs to Helena. They talked of their careers. They talked about their lives. And most imortantly, they talked of the prior mission. How they had gotten to the Event Horizon and found nothing but horror and death. How Satell had saved them all and gave her life for theirs. How the Event Horizon had exploded, apparently tearing a hole in their dimension. And how Allen had lost his ship to the demons of the other dimension. He rolled over in his bed, unable to shut his mind down dispite the vodka in his system. His mind was drowning in thoughts of the upcomming mission. Fears. Hopes. Possibilities. Thousands upon thousands of outcomes. He rolled over again, hugging the pillow with both hands and letting his mind drift back to his old ship, the Bladerunner. He missed it. It was a great ship. Many missions were succesfully completed in that ship. He wished he had it now... [b]Allen-[/b] "That what I'll do... I'll tour my new ship." He smiled slightly. If that slimey Wylde wasn't lying, they should have a pretty good hunk of metal to cruise in. "Yeah... Tomarrows just a day away..." He drifted off to sleep, images of his sleek new ship trying to compose themselfes in his minds eye.[/color][/size]

[quote name='hell_slave']yes, but i am a very well trained martial artist/swordsgirl, i was kind of new at the school, and i rarely spoke at all infront of people i didn't know.Well, now i've got one or two close friends, but within my first week or so i still had no friends so people made fun of me, but after making fun of me i'd use some of my martial arts on them and they left me alone ever since, they also leave my friends alone otherwise they'll probably come to school the next day with a few bumps, bruises, black eyes, or cuts.[/quote] [size=1][color=#2F4F4F]You're a part of the problem if you actually do things like this. Someone called you a name. You kick the crap out of them? What is your problem? You're just as bad as the 'dumb jocks'. Your attacks aren't provoked nor are they justified. 'They were picking on my friends.' So you use a sharp, and possibly lethal, weapon on them? You must either be trying to make a name for yourself with lies, or you're just plain idiotic. As for group attacks, I find them to be extremely loathesome. Someone has to be pretty insecure to surround themselves with others and go after a weaker person. It certainly is fun to watch which person is the leader of the pack. It's usually no the one you'd expect.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]To lava lamp: What probably happened was that one of her friends saw it, they told on of their friends, then they told on of their friends and so on and so on until it got to someone that was ignorant enough to make a big deal about it. Like everyone's been saying, you should talk to her first. The only place you're going to get the correct story is from her. Rumors are usually just that, rumors. As for the racist statements, they were made in a fit of rage. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on something that was obviously a wrong choice, and was done when she was probably a little out of it.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]He set his second glass aside, munching on the rather long pickle wedge impaled on a small red sword. The back of his neck tingled slightly, the hair standing on end. He shot a quick glance into the mirror behind the bar, seeing the back of a rather tall man where he felt the stare had came from. He ate the rest of his pickle and swivelled on the barstool, facing directly toward the tall man. He looked slightly aggravated. He continually shifted from foot to foot, and never turned around. Allen chuckled. He was trying to pick up a girl, and it certainly didn't seem to be going well. He swiveled to his right, putting his good ear toward the mans direction, trying to pick up a segment of his conversation. [b]Man-[/b] "...little numbers. Just seven little numbers. That's all I want." He shifted to his right foot, leaning on the table with both hands. The woman in front of him said something Allen couldn't quite pick up. "What?" He stood straight up. "You little *****." Allen sighed and stood up. [b]Allen-[/b] "Yo, David." He walked down with a smile on his face. "You have a problem." He looked at Allen confusedly for a second then saw the man on the other side of the room. [b]David-[/b] "Dammit..." He set his glass down and pulled up a walkietalkie from under the bar. "Hey Adam, get in here. Jarvis is here again." A mountain of a man came into the bar from a side entrance and quickly made his way to the man David called Jarvis. "He's been in here since we opened. And he's always caused trouble, trying to force women into coming home with him. We flagged his DNA in the computer, but there are ways to get around it." Jarvis was thrown from the bar by Security Guard Adam. Allen turned his head back to the woman he had thought stared at him. "Thanks Adam." His walkietalkie crackled. [b]Adam-[/b] "No prob boss." He switched the walkietalkie off and stowed it under the bar again. Allen stared at the woman, taking only a brief moment to call up her name, and walked over. [b]Allen-[/b] "Well, Ms. Bahbem, may I join you?"[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Allen strolled through the downtown of New Madison, an exceptionally clean place compared to most inner city places he had been. There was no floating trash debris. There were no prostitues on the street, though he figured they were there somewhere. There weren't even stray animals. He smiled to himself. His last few hours on Earth couldn't have been spent somewhere better. The sun had just went down, the temperature dropping slightly. He slipped into a small Irish Pub and sat down on a barstool, not letting anyone get a good look at his face. The bartender, a rough Irish man, stepped in front of him steriotypically cleaning a glass. [b]Bartender-[/b] "The name's O'Conner, David O'Conner. What can I get for you Mr. Chubbs?" Allen looked up, bewildered out of keeping his face hidden. [b]Allen-[/b] "How do you know me?" David made a 'harumph' sound deep in the back of his throat. [b]David-[/b] "How long has it been since you've been in a bar Mr. Chubbs?" Allen thought about it. [b]Allen-[/b] "At least twelve years... Maybe thirteen or fourteen, why?" He pointed to a small oval sphere just inside of the doorway. [b]David-[/b] "That is a DNA 'reader'. It sucks up a bit of your dead skin cells and logs that you've been here. It also brings you up on this screen right here." He pulled a small computer screen from under the bartop. He touched a small button on the side and Allen's profile came up. Picture, information, weight, height, even blood type and eye color. [b]Allen-[/b] "Amazing..." The bartended nodded. [b]David-[/b] "Cost me a pretty penny too, but it's nice to know who's in here. If someone comes in with a warrant out for their arrest, the system automatically calls the police. It's great. I haven't had a major fight in here for almost two months." Allen nodded. "So what can I get you?" Allen looked over the bottles of alcohol in back. [b]Allen-[/b] "How about a Bloody Mary. Celery, olives, and two pickles. Three shots of vodka. Spicy." The man nodded and quickly made the drink, he set it down in front of Allen. [b]David-[/b] "Anything else?" Allen shook his head while biting into the celery stalk. "I'm just a call away if you need another." He walked down to the other end of the bar. Allen took a long swig of his drink and grimaced at the immediate heartburn that rose in his chest. He swallowed two heartburn pills that David had so generously provided and downed the rest of his drink. He though it over for a bit, letting the small amount of vodka creep into his system, and ordered another.[/size][/color]

[quote name='Shinken']Personally, I'm against the whole 'spread-the-faith' thing, because 1) It's their choice to worship whatever they want, and 2) Who says we're right in doing so? That's just my opinion, and I'm a Christian. I have no problem with discussing it, but telling them that it's the one and only way, etc... It rubs me the wrong way.[/quote] [size=1][color=#2F4F4F]This in no way meant to offend, but this... [list][i]but telling them that it's the one and only way, etc... It rubs me the wrong way.[/i][/list] ...proves you aren't a [i]devout[/i] Christian. If you were, once again not meaning to offend, then Christianity would be [i]The Only Way[/i]. Not being a religous person my self, I find what he did pretty wrong. He needs to fly the plane, not preach. In all honesty, I feel he should be fired. If someone has more thought assigned to their religion than they do their job, unless their job happens to be religion, there is something wrong.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F][b]Contains Spoilers[/b] I recently found a copy of this wonderful, wonderful game after years of searching for one in good condition. However, I'm stuck. For the past day I've been attempting to pass a specific point in the game. Fei has already won the Kislev battle tourny and Rico had been sentenced to fight the Rankar R. Fei has stolen Weltall back and just saved Rico from the Rankar R. The HP 30% Mechanism is equipped with one Armor+2 and one Armor+3. Weltall has 3000HP when it's full and 1500fuel when full. After the Rankar R battle Weltall is at about 2500-2700 HP and has 1300-1350 fuel. Ether is full. My problem? [list][i]Key:[/i] X= X Button S= Square Button T= Trianlge Button O= Circle Button.[/list] I can't get past the second little Gear battle in the air. Fei blasts off and is confronted by the Ageisknight R. I can get through there relatively fine, but can't get past the Swordknight R. [b]Strategy1:[/b] Hit Ageis with two X attacks, Weltall taking about 600 damage. Use the level two S+X deathblow. Repeat. End battle w/Weltall at about 1200-1400HP and 900-1000 fuel. Ether is full unless I opted to restore the defence Ageis took away. Enter Sword battle. Recover 900 HP with SpecialAbility, -200 fuel. Swordknight hits me with two attacks in a row taking me out. [b]Strategy 2:[/b] Hit Ageis with two X attacks, Weltall taking about 600 damage. Use the level two S+X deathblow. Two X attacks. Heal 900 HP, -200 fuel. End battle w/Weltall at about 1500-2000HP and 700-950 fuel. Ether is full unless I opted to restore the defence Ageis took away. Enter Sword battle. Swordknight mows me down within three turns. .. ... .... .....help me please...[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=#2F4F4F]Allen scanned the room, glancing distractedly at a personel sheet he had been given. Everyone was here... Except for one Adam Faulkner. He looked around again, making completely sure he wasn't in the shadows as Rahl had been. [b]Allen-[/b] "Mr. Faulkner?" A few looked around. "Adam Faulkner?" The door opened and a man stepped in. "Adam Faulkner I presume." The man nodded and took a seat, a small blush kreeping up his face. "Ok, we're all here." A knock sounded at the door. Allen sighed. "What!?" A man in a suit came in. It was... "Nicholas... Why is it I expected you here?" He smiled his smug smile. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "I have as much right to be here as any of these people. You see, Mr. Chubbs, I'm accompanying you on this mission." He handed Allen a piece of paper with a few paragraphs on it. He read it slowly, letting each word sink in, glancing up at the smug man every few seconds to reiterate the fact he was standing there. [b]Allen-[/b] "This is bulshit." He crumpled up the paper and tossed it at the man. It hit him in the right shoulder and bounced off, onto the floor. "You're not coming with." He picked up the paper and carefully distributed it into the wastecan. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "I am, Mr. Chubbs. And unless you don't want to go, you have no choice." He sat in the last remaining chair and leaned back, extremely pleased with himself. Allen glared at him for a minute longer before turning back to his crew. [b]Allen-[/b] "Ok, introductions all around. I am Captain Allen Chubbs." Trini shifted a bit. [b]Trini-[/b] "Trini Angelos, Medical Assistant." [b]Van-[/b] "Van Ambrose, Physician." [b]Lilia-[/b] "Lilia Sethen, Communications." [b]Helena-[/b] "Helena Bahbem, Strategist." [b]Nathan-[/b] "Nathan Rahl, Security." [b]Adam-[/b] "Adam Faulkner, Engineer. I'm sorry for being late." Allen nodded. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "I am Nicholas Wylde, a repres-" [b]Allen-[/b] "I do not care who you are. Neither does my crew. You are here against my will and therefore a nuisance to this mission. If you say another word, I will shut you up." Nicholas' smile faultered momentarily before regaining it's smug composure. He look out at his crew. "This is not a rescue mission. This is a mission to cure a good friend of mine. His name is Sam Tiller, for those of you that do not know him. He's been 'infected' by a disease from another dimension. I'd go into detail, but we have none. All we know is that he is spawning creatures from the other dimension.... And we cannot kill him. Nicholas held out a manilla folder to Allen. He snatched it and passed out the photographs inside. "This is what seems to be a gateway to the other dimension. It is in the exact same spot where the Event Horizon was destroyed fifteen years ago." He watched Van and Trini visibly shiver. Sam screamed down the hall. "This little piece of pond scum sent a ship to investigate, but they believe it was sucked in. Nothing is coming out, so we assume it's a one way. We also believe that it might be Sam's only hope of being saved. The Red Party, who he works for, has people that have senced this. Psychics. I've never known a psychic to lie, so I do trust them." He cleared his throat and looked at Nicholas. "If you've lied to me I will kill you." THe man nodded submissively. Allen turned back to the others. "We are to go there and attempt to draw out the 'disease'. Perhaps make it go back home. It won't be easy and the risks are high. If anyone doesn't want to go through with it then speak now and we will get you a plane back to your home." No one moved. They just sat silently. [b]Allen-[/b] "Ok. Our ship is docked in the New Madison Spaceport. We'll be leaving in two days at 0600 hours. That gives you just under 48 hours to get everything ready to go. Rest up, and have fun. It might be the last time for a while." Allen stood up and walked from the room.[/color][/size]

[color=#003333][size=1][i]Got you covered Baron.[/i] --- Allens eyes shot wide open. He gripped the metal table hard enough to make several of his digits pop with age and stress. His face drained of color and his heartbeat tripled. Lilia turned to Trini. [b]Lilia-[/b] "What?" [b]Allen-[/b] "No..." He sprang up and threw the plexiglass door open. It struck the wall on its hinges and spiderwebbed from the inside out. Allen bolted down the hall just as the alarm began to sound. Everything was moving too slowly. The pulse of the red lights seemed ages apart. The pounding of his feet on the cold metal floor seemed too far apart and weighed down, almost like running beneath the water. Several armed men sprinted into the hall that Allen was in, nearly knocking him over. They ran in front of Allen for what seemed like minutes before turning down another hallway. Allen turned with them, entering a portion of the complex with no windows and a dark metallic blue sheen to the walls. [b]???-[/b] "Delta team, move in!" Half of the armed men sprinted forward and ran into an open door. Screams followed along with a sheet of crimson blood exiting the door. "Bravo team, load explosive shells! Move in!" The remaining men ran into the room. Several explosions were heard beside several screams. An inhuman growl rose up, making the hair on Allens neck stand up. Someone grabbed his shoulder, making him yelp with surprise. He turned quickly, finding Trini there and the others running down the hall behind her. The growl sounded again, making him turn quickly, eyes alight with fear. One long, insect-like leg stepped out of the room. Then another. They made clicking sounds against the metal floor. [b]Allen-[/b] "Oh God..." The rest of the monster stepped out of the room. It's rather small body was supported on six long, and extremely strong looking, legs. It's body was the shape of an overstuffed backpack. Three beady eyes looked out from the 'face' of the creature, filled with pure malice. It growled, four long, serated appendages extending from a gaping opening in it's 'face'. "No..." The monster looked at him, seeming to calculate his danger, and advanced. [b]Trini-[/b] "Allen! Run!" He heard Trini pounding down the hallway. He tried to move his legs. but they wouldn't budge. It was like his joints had been filled with fast-dry cement. His eyes remained fixed on the creatures eyes. It stopped less than a foot in front of him, a gleam in it's un-natural eyes. Small drips of yellow saliva hung from it's mouth. It let out another growl. Allen shut his eyes, the only thing he seemed able to do. A loud bang sounded, making Allen jump, his joints magically unfroze. He stumbled backwards, landing on his ***, and snapping his eyes open. The creature was crushed under a large metal bookshelf, blue blood leaked across the floor and splattered on the walls. A beast of a man stood on the opposite side of the monsters corpse. [b]???-[/b] "Mr. Chubbs?" Allen nodded, shocked. "I'm Nathan Rahl, your security officer." He extended his hand to help Allen up. He took it and stood on shaky legs. He tried to compose his face, eyes darting back to the creature every so often. [b]Allen-[/b] "Ahem... Well, Mr. Rahl... I'd say you're doing an excellent job." He almost fell over and was steadied by Nathan. Several armed people were coming into the hallways. "Let's go back to the meeting room, shall we?" He threw his arm over Nathans shoulders so as not to fall again, and slowly guided him back to the room.[/size][/color]

[color=003333][size=1][b]Allen-[/b] "Just go away. i don't want to have to yell at you, so just leave." The man stood, holding out a pen and a slip of paper with a frown on his face. Until Allen had spoke, the man had been filled with glee. "I don't do autographs." He pushed by, exiting the airport and walking out into the cloudless California weather. A breeze ruffled his hair slightly, making him smile and inhale the sweet air. He turned his head in the direction of New Madison's downtown, looking at the skyscrapers of titanium and blue glass. Located but a few dozen miles from Silicon Valley, New Madison was one of the technological majors in the world. It constantly was creating new programs and new technologies. As he watched, a pillar of metal rose out of a scyscraper. It looked to be about twohundred feet tall and no more than six or seven feet across. It stopped suddenly and let out one long beam of red light directly into space. [b]???-[/b] "That's the information center for Saturn Mining corporation. That info burst will get there in about three or four days. It's amazing what we have now-a-days." The beam stopped suddenly and the piller decended back into the building. Allen turned to see who had spoken to him. It was the man in the suit. [b]Allen-[/b] "What do you want." He began to walk away. The man followed, still smiling that same smug smile. [b]???-[/b] "My name, for I think it's long overdue I introduce myself, is Nicholas Wylde. I work for The Red Party. We're-" [b]Allen-[/b] "I know who you are. You're the people the government call when they don't want to take the risk of such a dangerous mission. I've already figured that out. Tell me what you want and what you're doing here, or I'm getting in this cab and leaving your ass." The mand stopped next to the yellow cab and smiled at Allen. [b]Nicholas-[/b] "I'm here to escort you to Mission Control. There you'll meet up with your team. One is already there." The cabbie pulled away, obviously flustered at the bullshit wavedown. A black Buick pulled up. "Coming?" He opened the door and motioned in.[/size][/color]

[color=003333][size=1][b]Ei'Riet-[/b] "A traveller." He walked around the man. He was far smaller than himself, and seemingly afraid. His body reeked the sour yellow smell of fear. "Broken from your machine?" The man nodded, shivering a little. "Truely?" He stopped back in front of the man, eyes still pulsing. [b]Gi'Uen-[/b] "Yes, I swear..." Ei'Riet moved with breakneck speed, un-harnessing his hammer and swinging it through the air causing it to crackle with friction. The hammer stopped mere centimeters from his face, a rush of hot air pushing the mans hair around his head. He stumbled backward, falling on his bottom, the hammer already in front of his face for almost a full second before he had registered its arrival. "I swear!!" Ei'Riet re-clipped his hammer, and walked to the fallen man. [b]Ei'Riet-[/b] "And what is it you wish again?" He extended a three digited hand toward the man and helped him to his feet. [b]Gi'Uen-[/b] "I would like your help." He motioned for the new arrival to follow him into the bloodstained saltflats. [b]Ei'Riet-[/b] "And why should I help you. Enlighten me and I might lend my aid." His eyes turned a pale blue as he began walking with the man.[/size][/color]

[color=003333][size=1][i]Well I do hope that is me, and I'm sorry for not getting on sooner. I've had a busy few days.[/i] --- The man had appeared suddenly. Had he not just breated a bloodbath, the man would not have stood out. He did, for he was the only living thing other than himself in Cierno'Fal. He wiped the blunts of his hammer off slowly and delicately, watching the man stuble acros the unknown terrain. He tried to will him away. He had heard rumors of small incidents of the subconcious mind manifesting itself in ones world. He had heard, but never thought it would happen to him. Ei'Riet clipped the hammer onto his back and ran at the man, closing the gap in seconds. [b]Ei'Riet-[/b] "What trickery is this?" His eyes pulsed a deep mencaing red. "Who are you and what buisiness do you have in my world?" He gripped the handle of his hammer with one hand, preparing for a fight if neccesary.[/size][/color]