TerroirNoir's "Cable Channel of AE!" Reviews. Part 1.

[Ankylosaur]

23 hours ago, TerroirNoir said:

Well, we're in the right place at least!

 

 

With the Mooks and the Gold Brickers working together, realizing this map could have been a home for the Golden Roller + Mooks together or something 🙂

[Darmian]

31 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Here's my take on him, FWIW.  I looked at the first strip again, and the different colored wires are only prominent in one panel.  For the rest, it's all blue.

 

 

That's Tech Wired for the chest (which is definitely what the comics are modeling—the silver bit on the upper chest and the back details give it away) with Valkyrie 2 for the shoulders.  The gloves are large Tech Sleek, which also look to me to be just what the comics are trying to do, with the blend effect.  The legs are also Tech Wired, with rocket boots.

 

I didn't work too hard on the face—you seem to have that nailed.

Ok, Taking inspiration from your one, and actually back to @Ankylosaur re the gloves - if I choose large and not flared then it pulls in enough at the elbow, then make metallic - I get this guy.  I think I'm done with him now 🙂  Thanks all.

 

 

[Ankylosaur]

And Blend on the glove of yellow and orange and maybe stealth 2 style?  Overguard for the shoulders? 🙂 (Design by committee? He already looks great.)

Edited October 29, 2022 by Ankylosaur

[Darmian]

21 minutes ago, Ankylosaur said:

And Blend on the glove of yellow and orange and maybe stealth 2 style?  Overguard for the shoulders? 🙂 (Design by committee? He already looks great.)

I've adjusted the blend on the gloves, thanks. Overguard unfortunately makes him look too too heavy given his build.

[Zhym]

Can I just say how great it is that we're obsessing over how to replicate the look of a one shot tie-in comic book character from 2002?

 

Man, I love this game.

[Darmian]

3 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Can I just say how great it is that we're obsessing over how to replicate the look of a one shot tie-in comic book character from 2002?

 

Man, I love this game.

There's life in the old dog yet!

[Zhym]

7 minutes ago, Darmian said:

There's life in the old dog yet!

Do you mean CoX, or Thunderclap?

[Darmian]

8 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Do you mean CoX, or Thunderclap?

CoX.

 

Though I may petition the Devs to put Thunderclap in as an actual NPC.  I mean why not? 😄

[cranebump]

4 minutes ago, Darmian said:

CoX.

 

Though I may petition the Devs to put Thunderclap in as an actual NPC.  I mean why not? 😄

Only if you add a bright orange codpiece (I didn't get to chime in on costume design, so this is my ever so helpful suggestion).:-)

[Darmian]

Hey, @TerroirNoir, as of now you've done 105 missions on this thread!  Well done! 

[Darmian]

Just now, cranebump said:

Only if you add a bright orange codpiece (I didn't get to chime in on costume design, so this is my ever so helpful suggestion).:-)

WORD UP!

(Let's hope people get that reference)

[Zhym]

1 minute ago, Darmian said:

Hey, @TerroirNoir, as of now you've done 105 missions on this thread!  Well done! 

Hey—weren't there AE reviews and playthroughs in this thread?

 

(We sort of took this over from @TerroirNoir, didn't we?  Sorry not sorry...)

[Darmian]

On 10/29/2022 at 4:44 AM, Zhym said:

Hey—weren't there AE reviews and playthroughs in this thread?

 

(We sort of took this over from @TerroirNoir, didn't we?  Sorry not sorry...)

Ahem.  Yah.  Sorry!

Edited August 22 by Darmian

[Zhym]

1 minute ago, Darmian said:

Ahem.  Yah.  Sorry!

(But he's also doing the Box Set thing for each so that helps too)

Frankly, I'm happy to have a thread where we aren't arguing with each other.  The tone in this thread is frankly a breath of fresh air compared to General lately...

[Darmian]

8 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Frankly, I'm happy to have a thread where we aren't arguing with each other.  The tone in this thread is frankly a breath of fresh air compared to General lately...

Sing it loud!  

 

I mean, I'm going to rashly speak for @cranebump and @Ankylosaur here, but it's great to see someone go through your stuff like this.  No offence to you, @Zhym, since I know you've played it too.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Darmian

[cranebump]

18 minutes ago, Darmian said:

Sing it loud!  

 

I mean, I'm going to rashly speak for @cranebump and @Ankylosaur here, but it's great to see someone go through your stuff like this.  No offence to you, @Zhym, since I know you've played it too.

@TerroirNoir makes them extremely entertaining by interacting with the stories. I feel like an interested spectator when he's running my own stuff (like finally seeing the forest after being lost in the trees). I also like it when @Darmian's mishes kicks ass, because I got faceplanted by that shit, too, when I ran it. 🙂

[Darmian]

19 minutes ago, cranebump said:

I also like it when @Darmian's mishes kicks ass, because I got faceplanted by that shit, too, when I ran it. 🙂

Yeah, one of those plantings was the HVAS mission, yeah? 😉

 

 

[Zhym]

46 minutes ago, Darmian said:

No offence to you, @Zhym, since I know you've played it too.

Sure, I've played them, but I haven't written damn long posts with pretty fun commentary and characterization about them.

[cranebump]

1 hour ago, Darmian said:

Yeah, one of those plantings was the HVAS mission, yeah? 😉

 

 

Oh, yeah. Poor Acrobattle went WHA? (thunk)

[Ankylosaur]

Grown quite fond of Engineria in her journey. Really enjoying it. She's in for some more EBs solo in 3.2 so a little worried for her...

 

Spoiler

(Since she's in Nerva she's running into many of Sgt. Schorr's marks, like Network and Concrete Bill who she already faced.)

 

[TerroirNoir]

25 minutes ago, Ankylosaur said:

Grown quite fond of Engineria in her journey. Really enjoying it. She's in for some more EBs solo in 3.2 so a little worried for her...

 

  Reveal hidden contents

(Since she's in Nerva she's running into many of Sgt. Schorr's marks, like Network and Concrete Bill who she already faced.)

 

She's bringing her PPD radio with her!

[TerroirNoir]

Arc 8 from our second writer on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @cranebump's Leviathan 5: Mantle.

 

Mission 1: Glow. So a couple of months have passed since we last saw Leviathan and frankly that suits me fine.  Freitag's group has been searching high and low for them, and their boss, Dis. It's a tricky thing since it involves psionics/consciousness (insert tech speak here, I'm not a squint). Engineria has been working for Citadel in the interim (amongst other things, see Wyvern and the Meteors!) 

Cue a phone call from Pep Becktrees breathlessly asking her to get over to them pronto.

 

Pronto it is! Kings Row is un uproar. A 5th Column attack. No sign of Joe. He's over in Atlas at a meeting about the task force apparently. So Becktrees is taking the lead here. So I'm needed to find out where the main thrust is coming from.  And there's some new kids on the block. No, not vills, heroes.  Sponsored too.  (I still ain't got that medal!) The Vigilant Patriots.  Great.  Amateurs.

 

So after asking some very polite questions and getting nowhere I ask some impolite ones and get a lead to the sewers.  Because of course.

Well, let's start as we mean to go on.

 

 

And two around the corner.  I hate those vampires.  But with Kinetics at least I pull some of the stuff they drain back.

Another one!  It's Univeral Studios down here!  All I need now is a Mummy. Or Abbott and Costello.

 

 

And another mesmerist and, hello.  Grail is it?  You must be one of the new kids.  Let's say hello.

 

 

Hell, you're keen.  Eagle Scout back in the day, yeah?  I bet you were.

 

 

There's one of your team, Grail.  Victory Maiden.  Let's go give her a hand, shall we?  

 

 

Be with you in a minute, VM.  Just flattening these creeps and then we can talk.  You know how it is, I'm sure.

 

 

Now, Bastion you say?  Scans you say?  Well, I reckon that's a good a plan as any.  I mean it took me several hours of polite questioning to even find this place, and you're here ahead of me.  Shows how efficient your team is. (Note to self: demand a scanner from Pep)

 

And Bastion I presume.  What's the deal my friend?  VM tells me you were scanning. You've detected NICTUS CTYSTALS?  Ah pants.  That's not good at all!  Ok, it's absolutely most definitely in the 5th Column playbook but still not good.  And Savior has gone ahead to check it out.  (Savior?  Well, there's a name with an ego).  

 

 

There he is!  

Savior, yeah?  Like the wings...mongrels?  These mongrels are bringing in automatons, robots powered by their Nictus energy.  Why am I repeating what you said?  Just making sure I heard it right, is all. (That boy needs to take his head out of his ass or we'll all get killed)

 

 

So, Nictus Crystals.  Any one of you guys see one before?  Well, now's your chance!  Over there!  See it, destroy it.  Try to not be too close when it goes up. That REALLY hurts.

 

 

And then there's a second one.  Job done.  And JEEZ LOUISE! Wait until I see Citadel!  It's gawd damn VANDAL!  How did he get out of prison?  Never mind, get him!

 

 

As per usual, Vandal is a tough sonofagun and takes a helluva beating and keeps dishing it back, even with five of us fighting him!

 

 

We take him down and ...as per usual he TPs out!  One day, oh yeah, one day....but for now it's time to get back to Pep Becktrees and report in.  Plus see what other madness he's found for me to get involved in.

 

 

Pep is...distracted. Vandal? Yeah, he'll look into that but there's something more pressing right now.  There is?  What?

 

[Mission 1 = Lovely little intro to this new team.  5th Column make a good enemy too, thematically with Leviathan. Good stuff]

 

Mission 2: Shimmer. Ok, so the more pressing thing is Freitag is AWOL. Got off at KR station after the big Task Force conference and never made it to the station. Becktrees thinks the 5th Column may have snatched him. Well, having been grabbed by Leviathan myself, that happening is no fun at all.  Sergeant Floyd did a phone trace and Freitag's last ping was in the Gish.  Looks Like Engineria is on the case.

 

And it's the sewers again!  AGH.  Though the ping of Freitag's phone can be heard!

Ah, what do we have here?  Hmm, Joe Freitag's phone.  A quick text to Pep and he responds that he figured that would be the case unfortunately. However one of the Vigilant Patriots is on scene, Savior.  Has info it seems.

 

 

Intertwined you say?  Well, appreciate the help but my goal is finding Freitag, anything else is gravy on the roast, savvy?

 

 

So Bastion had isolated 4 locations with Nictus energy signals and you guys split up to tackle one each.  Ok, that makes sense.  You help me with Joe, I help you with your signal, deal?  Ok then.

Ok, no Joe or device yet but that's frikkin Bulwark! First Vandal and now him.  We're onto some weird crap here and no mistake.  Come on, Savior (you really need a different name) let's get him!

 

 

Empowerment device?  Looks like your boy Bastion was on the money, Savior!  Time to cause these guys some psychological pain, you know, the type that if they weren't nazi criminals they could sue us for.  

 

 

And Bulwark is down! Hang on, this isn't Bulwark. It's a woman in a suit. Which makes sense because Bulwark, the REAL Bulwark, could have caved my whole head in! Ok, hold that thought!  There's Joe Freitag!  I'm a comin' Joe!

Man, I hate Gun Drones!  And I'm standing in frikkin caltrops!  OW! 

 

 

Ah, are you actually talking to me, Joe?  Or to Savior?  You sound weird. However, you may have noticed I totally avoided getting set on fire there!  Go me!

 

 

Joe says he got snatched by the fascists, and then these OTHER fascists showed up.  Yeah, that's them with the Gun Drones.  New Storm Korps.  So he's going to call in back up with their Walkies. 

 

Right. Deal's a deal, Savior.  Let's find your Nictus stuff and stomp on it.  Come on.

There's one of those things!  Get it before it powers up!

 

 

I think my traditional "throw a grenade at them" approach is warranted, don't you?  Stay back a bit, don't want to singe those lovely feathers of yours.  Say, this might be a personal question, but how the hell do you sleep?  Do you perch?  Ok ok.  I'll drop it.

 

 

Ok, that's that one.  Savior?  Oh don't sulk!  No, it's cool, he's just chasing a runner.

And Kapitan!  Well hello!  Pigs?  Ah, that's mean. 

 

 

Counter measures, huh?  What would they be?  Mass retrograde?  Hang on, I've heard that before!  Hollow Point said it once.  What does it mean?

Answer me you rocky road fascist!

 

 

Ah crap. He TP'd away. Ok, where's Savior got to and has he found the last device yet?

 

 

Ah, there he and it are.  Hold up, Savior.  Be there in a minute.

 

 

And that's your mission ended here, and mine too now Joe is back.  Even if he was talking about "Bowing to your superiors". Hmm.  Suspicions!

 

And I arrive back to talk to Pep Becktrees to find that ...I'm surplus to requirements?  The old Task Force is being disbanded.  Seems the higher ups want a more hands on approach.  So a new E-SWAT, working with the Vigilant Patriots.  Branding and visibility is important! Sure, so is being able to go home and get away from this life every now and then.  And Freitag is heading up the new version of the TF.

Huh.

 

[Mission 2: Suspicions ahoy!  Of course, there are.  Liking it though.  Good stuff indeed!]

 

Mission 3: Gloom. So this new TF Leviathan seems to be a success, at least with Ainsley Coulter, who is the new anchor on NewsAnon.  Yeah, those guys again.  Everything is patriotic and wonderful. With much mudslinging at the previous TF, or me actually.  Hmmm. Pep Becktrees is of a similar opinion.  And then he gets a text message.

He goes all conspiratorial, closes doors and whispers. They never found that mole Joe talked about, so he's being extra careful.  The text is from Hollow Point.  Seems he has found Henry Ruegad, the missing kid from earlier.

Time to investigate Hollow Point's claims then.  Off book it seems.  The TF don't want Engineria or Becktrees around.

 

The kid had turned up dead.  But Hollow Point says he isn't!  HP's coordinates lead Engineria to the Aqueduct area.

 

Into a regular looking building.  And in this job of mine I learn to look for signs.  See those circles on the ceiling?  People up there.  So, stealth up and grenades ready!

 

 

Turns out that's Hollow Point with some of our mutual friends!  I wade in and within a second I'm hit by one of those damn Gun Drones and reeling.  Don't worry, I'll shake it off and give it right back to them.

 

 

Ok, that's those guys dealt with.  Now, what's the deal, HP? huh?  Hang on, let me kick some of this scrap outta the way.  That's better.  You were saying?

 

 

So, Fawkes Brigade are here for a makeover?  Like new togs and suchlike?  And the Ruegad kid is here, along with a few others I might be interested in.  Ok then.  Looks like I'm going investigating.  You're staying here?  Oh, we're quits now?  Right right.  I'll see you around, HP.

 

Hmm, someone talking over there. Serum?  Oh, it's damn supersoldiers, isn't it?  Course it is.  Fascists love a supersoldier.

 

 

Trick or treat, fascist!  Aw, no candy?  Well, it's bad for your teeth anyway.  Then again, so is a punch in the mouth and I aim to give you a few of those, so you may as well eat you candy.  Tsk, you don't have any.  Sad.

 

 

Hmm, that temporal field that guy is generating is negating my Kinetics Repel. I'll have to remember that.  In the meantime, Mr. Someone in Charge is out cold. 

 

Ok, this guy has a datapad.  Definitely prisoners here, like Hollow Point said, but is the kid one of them?  And that makeover! Fawkes Brigade = Storm Korps.  Well I can't say I'm 100 percent surprised actually.

 

Henry Floyd. Wait a minute.  Is that Sergeant Floyd?  But he's been working with us for ages!  That must mean this is the real one and "Floyd" in the PPD is the mole!

 

 

Confirmed. Well, confirmed that "Floyd" in the PPD isn't the real one.  This one says he's been here for months!

Moving in further.  And there's Henry Ruegad, the so-called dead kid.  I wonder why his death was faked? Guarded by the Sacco-Vanzettis too.

 

 

What took so long?  Well, we normally don't keep searching AFTER we've found a body.  It's a little quirk of the system I know, but it's normally ironclad.  Might have to have another look at that rule actually, considering the current situation.

 

 

And I knew it!  Ok, I didn't know it, but I suspected it.  Joe was definitely acting weird when I rescued him from the sewer, and the fact Pep and me were left off the new task force.

 

 

Well, let's get old Mr. Grumpy out of here as fast as we can, yeah?  Yeah. Yep, good kid that Pep.  

 

 

And that sounds like a great plan, Joe.  Right behind you!  We can regroup and plan then.

 

 

Joe sets up a rendezvous with Pep at an off book safe spot.

Freitag's in a bad mood.  Can't say I blame him.  Pep thinks he knows what's actually going on though.  So Engineria and Joe wait for the, aha, Pep Talk.

It's all a bid to bring in a new version of the Might for Right Act.

Not cool.

 

[Mission 3 = The plot moves and twists and we're getting to the bottom of things, kinda.  This is possibly bigger than just chasing Leviathan.  Good stuff indeed]

 

Mission 4: Burnish Pep puts it all together.  Dis, the Leviathan boss, is controlling both sides of this equation, and that includes our new "allies", the Vigilant Patriots. So, it's time to technically commit a crime. (Yeah, doing stuff in the Rogue Isles might also count morally, but not legally) So we're off to kidnap someone, the fake Joe Freitag.  We grab him, get Positron or whoever to conduct a public test and badabing badaboom, exposed.  Except that guy spends all his time these days at the Heritage Assembly, the sponsors of Vigilant. So yeah, those guys.

This might be rough.

 

O, I'm in.  Time to redirect the CCTV. And done.  Nice place this actually.  Be a shame if anything happened to it, yeah?

 

 

And I have some company, nothing I can't currently handle though. Regular facility security it seems.  No sign of the Ubermenschen yet.  And frankly I don't want to see them for a bit.  Let's find that Fake.

 

 

Damnit. New Storm Korps are everywhere.  They know they're deaf and blind digitally so they've sent in the troops to patrol and sweep alongside the regular security guys.  Well, when I get my breath back I'll show them a thing or three!

 

 

Oh my but there's a LOT of these guys.  A helluva lot. Another patrol has passed by to the left and a further one is coming into view on the right.  I'll just let them go by I reckon and then slip further into the building.  Once at the elevator I'll head up.

 

 

Grail.  And I've seen this guy fight.  He's tough.  So, I'm taking no chances here.  There's a lot at stake.  One PPD radio and spirit amulet later and I have my needed backup (someday I'll tell Pep and Joe about these, but not today).

 

 

Now, spirit or not, that's not something this girl would ever say to frikkin STATESMAN.  I mean what now?  This guy is seriously deluded.  Let's relieve him of his delusions, boys.  I'm sure he'll appreciate that.  Well, I know I will!

 

Oh I think you'll find we can.  And we will.  And we did.  Now, who's next?

 

 

Ah, Savior.  You know, I DID say this guy had issues.  The name itself for one thing.  And that initial meeting where he talked about "mongrels". I mean who talks like that?  Ok, yes. Fascists do.  You got me.  

 

 

A thorn in your leader's side?  Well, glad to be of service.  In our modern capitalistic world you're only lucky I didn't charge you for that.  Hope Heritage Assembly has good insurance because you're going to need it.  And a lawyer.

Not as tough as your friend Grail.  Which to be fair, I'm thankful for. Getting low on grenades. Note to self: Get more grenades.

 

 

And then there's a panel.  Breaking the code doesn't take long.  It leads to a hallway. There's a sliding chute at the end.  Time to follow them and finish this. 

 

Calling Pep, he asks am I sure because they won't be able to get back up to me in time.  No choice.  They can't be allowed to escape.

 

[Mission 4 = This is part 1 of a 2 part finale.  And it bounds along in terms of action and so on.  Looking forward to the last mission. Nice]

 

Mission 5: Shine. And the chute drops Engineria into...a Rikti base?  Weird. 

What do we have here? 

 

 

Unrefined Gel, yeah?  Part of the supersoldier serum you've been developing, Dis.  Well, boom!  Burned away!

And that goes in there, yes?  Well, more boom on the way, Mr. Technician!  Heh.

 

 

There's another one of those to deal with.  And done.  Ok, what's next?  A strange spike?  Ok, that's ...odd.  No prior reference in my work for Freitag and Pep for this thing.  So a new thing.  And the troops here aren't sure what it is either it seems.

 

(@cranebump, the info on the spike reads as a snake egg. That's probably wrong.)

 

 

Ok, time to find the resequencing data.  And here it is...and of course there's a code lock.  Siege has it. An unseen member of the Vigilant Patriots perhaps?  Well, let's find them then.

 

 

And there she is.  Well, let's me and my two compadres give her exactly what she deserves.  Maybe not what she wants but who gets what they want anyway?  I still want that medal. Old history.  Never mind.

 

 

Jeez Louise!  She's tough!  Just lost half my health in one shot!  Hit her, guys!  I need to combine some inspirations because my Kinetics Heal is missing!

The master?  Hang on!  Who the hell is the master?

 

 

Right, shes's down.  Got the access to the resequencing data and opened it up.  That just leaves kidnapping the Fake Joe Freitag.  Which is why I came to Heritage Assembly in the first place!

Ah, there he is, with his fake E-SWAT.

Bye bye E-SWAT.  I see Briggs-Hughes isn't among your number.  Like me and Pep, huh?  Not in the circle.  Well, good for her.

 

 

Pep's reinforcements finally arrive and start the clean up. For now at least Dis's plan is shut down.

And then things quieten down for now in Kings Row.

But Fake Joe Freitag's warning/threat is still there.

We will be back.  

Yeah, we'll be waiting.  Bring it.

 

[Mission 5 = Part 2 of the 2 part finale and a fine one at that.  Siege was particularly strong. And while we've sealed off one tunnel, the rats' nest has more. Good stuff indeed]

 

Verdict. Deep state conspiracy theory politics meets hard working officials.  Loved this arc.  Next up on the channel is @cranebump's Mobius 1: Full Circle.

 

Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is  @Darmian's  Darkest Before Dawn: Part Two.

Edited November 5, 2022 by TerroirNoir

[Zhym]

On 10/28/2022 at 10:46 PM, Darmian said:

Ok, Taking inspiration from your one, and actually back to @Ankylosaur re the gloves - if I choose large and not flared then it pulls in enough at the elbow, then make metallic - I get this guy.  I think I'm done with him now 🙂  Thanks all.

 

 

Nice look.

 

BTW, I think you were right originally to use the "armored" costume pieces instead of "tight."  In the comics, there's definitely a bit of flare at the top of the legs, for example. So I redid my version with armor pieces instead of tight.  Here's what I ended up with:

 

 

 

I'm not sure now that the shoulder pads are necessary, either—I think the big rounded "pads" in the comics are just the artist's conception of what the normal armor shoulders look like.  But I kind of like the look of having the pads on. 

 

BTW, what are you using to get the glowy eyes?

Edited November 4, 2022 by Zhym

[TerroirNoir]

Arc 8 from our third writer on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Darmian's Darkest Before Dawn: Part Two.

 

Mission 1: Snapping the Web. Engineria arrives in the Hotel Geneva to find Bullet Streak arguing the merits of a plan with Madame Maven.  After Engineria arrives it gets revised.  So, apparently, I have to go and chat to Tessitore in prison.  We know he won't believe a word we say but we'll be watching who in Longbow is watching US. Some of Longbow is definitely compromised so that makes sense.

 

Ok, let's go see this maniac.  I mean it's not like he can run away THIS time, surely?  I've spoken too soon, haven't I?

On stepping inside I'm greeted by Tessitore. Well, I say "greeted" but he's just babbling.

 

 

Double?  Again?  Oh, they've not done this in a while.  Hang on, which side have done it? I think this is the Spectra version, since Tessitore's gang never used a double of me.  I think!  Argh, god damned clones!

Cool your jets, Mister.  I'll go look at the CCTV.  It's not that I don't believe you, I just don't trust you.  Two entirely different things.

 

 

Ok, let's bring up the CCTV footage and...yeah, there I am, bold as can be.  Just walking around in the rear of the place.  Of course they let me in.  They were either let in by their own double agents OR I'm personally trusted by Longbow.  Come to think of it that second one is less likely.

 

 

I run through the place and get to...this. Two sets of Longbow fighting each other, one side shouting "Long live Arachnos!"  Craziness.  

 

 

Oh come on!  Of course we're on to you!  And seriously, Longbow has major infiltration issues!  This double has my most up to date outfit copied!  I'll have to remedy that later.  In the meantime, time to crack heads!

 

 

Why oh why do vills keep saying stuff like that?  Insolent to who?  I'm actually rather pleasant when you get to know me.  And if you're actually really a clone of me, then you should KNOW that!

 

 

ROFLMAO.

Oh my!  Looks like this double of mine has the exact same flaw as me, getting flung across a room!  Priceless!

 

 

Some normal Longbow arrive to even the numbers and my double goes down.   

 

 

Not won the war?  What does that mean?  Ok, they're still running around out there, still have their attack planned but that seems specific.  I check the CCTV again.

Tessitore is dead!  My double was never there to kill him, just to distract me or whoever else came.  He was killed by people dressed as Longbow.

 

 

So much for our find a mole plan.  

Returning to the Hotel, Engineria listens to Madame Maven. She's convinced that none of that centered on me.  It would have happened no matter who went to see Tessitore.  The Spectra Arachnos know that Tessitore's gang aren't on board with the bombing plan, so are eliminating as many of that side as they can.

Maven says we need to pull back from Longbow. Too many unknowns there.  For now, it's wait for their next move.  She's not happy about that.

 

[Mission 1 = Well, I wasn't expecting Tessitore to die!  Another twist! And the plot thickens further. Good stuff]

 

Mission 2: Into the Breach. Engineria gets woken up in her suite at the Hotel Geneva by a loud hammering on the door. It's Axios. The Vanguard base across the street is under attack and we need to get in there and help. Number Six is waiting for us. Axios and Super Charger are going now. Engineria is to follow when dressed.

So Engineria suits up and follows, meeting Halox Von Horn along the way. HVH fills me in.  The Spectra gang have somehow hacked Vanguard's captured Warworks. (reverse engineered from the Arachnos ones they stole maybe?) Right now there's only me, Axios and Super Charger to join the fight.  The others aren't back, and Von Horn isn't confident arrows will do much damage.  Then Von Horn points at a figure on the screen.  It's Thunderclap.

He tosses Engineria an earpiece and says he'll come running if called, crap arrows or not.

 

There's Super Charger.  We dash along the side wall and collect Axios, who informs us that the Weaver faction/Spectra have gone through to the RWZ and sealed the portal behind them. But they've left a rear guard we have to get through in order to follow.

 

 

Plus if anyone can unlock the portal codes it's Number Six. So we need to find him and fast!

Things get hot almost immediately!  Suffice it to say the three of us wade into the fight alongside the nearly overwhelmed Vanguard troops.

 

 

Clearing the rooms as we go, for a moment I lose sight of Super Charger and Axios, only to see them fighting on the walkways above me!  I join in, Proton Blasting the Warworks as hard as I can!  It's a free for all in here and no prisoners being taken!

 

 

Then down into the medical area and we see Number Six!  We're a comin', Six!  Hang in there!

 

 

His guards are dropped fast and Number Six gives Enginera a code to unlock the portal, but there's a failsafe mechanical key, and one of the Victoria design Warworks has it!

 

 

Hunting for the Victoria we have a few more friends to deal with.  This place is infested!

 

 

I reach the terminal and unlock the electronics before we turn to get the physical key from the Victoria.  She's in the corridor leading down to the main portal exit to the RWZ.  Makes sense I suppose.

 

 

With the three of us we make short work of her and I retrieve the physical key for the portal's mechanism.

 

 

Now to head into the RWZ and after the rest of the Weaver/Spectra Arachnos!

 

 

Stepping through there's flames and dust, and going over the top is too dangerous.  So along the underground tunnels to Little Round Top. Engineria is on her own!  Moments later Super Charger's voice comes through on the earpiece. 

 

 

I'm on my own.

 

[Mission 2 = WHOO!  That was a rush.  Great great mission. Constant moving.  I had it on a low difficulty, lord knows what a 4/8 of that would look like. Great stuff indeed!]

 

Mission 3: Facing Fearful Odds. Engineria travels through the tunnels, listening to Axios and Super Charger.  They've informed Halox and he's joining me, but he has to go the long way round since the Atlas Portal is locked. Thunderclap is out there though, so teaming with him will help.  I have to find Richter. He's been seen on drone footage. And there will be a detonator for the bomb, so he'll probably have that. Watch out for Rikti, obviously.  And Malta!

 

Malta!  Oh fiddlesticks.

When they say "war zone", they really mean it.

Where the hell is Thunderclap in all this chaos?

 

 

Ah!  Found you, my electrical buddy!  Let's get you out of that thing, shall we?

 

 

And that's those guys down, though I'm a little groggy from the last blast I got from a Rikti Mentalist.  Gimme a sec, Thunderclap.

 

 

Sensor Booster to hide the bomb you say?  So like that thing over there?  And there's what, 5 of them to take out before the cloaking drops and we can see the bomb?

 

It has a LOT of guards.  I mean a lot of guards.  Oh well  here we go. I think that PPD radio is getting used.  At least he's armored up and can take a few hits as well as hand them out.

 

 

Because it looks like we'll need to be doing that!  A lot.  Oh my!  

And that's the first Sensor Booster gone!  Just need to fight our way clear and find the others.  Hey, PPD guy, where are you going?

 

 

OH!  Thunderclap!  Malta attacking from the rear!  Get over here!

Oh this place is DANGEROUS.  There should be warning sign or something.  Health and Safety, you know?

 

 

Ok, having survived Malta we move on to the next Sensor Booster.  Survived, she says.  (Fortunately the old utility belt/email is loaded with spare inspirations.  Well it was.)

 

 

Another rough fight later, and it was rough.  Mass psi can really muss your hair up.  On to number 3.  Ah, just across the plain there.  See that, T-Clap?

 

 

We lay into them and take out the device.  Again, we need to fight our way out, but we manage it.  

 

 

Two more follow and then the cloak is down.  Now to find that damn bomb!

OH, WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?!

The bomb is Statue 1 of 2!!  I was wondering what that was for.  But in a city filled with statues of heroes, who is going to look twice at a truck with another one on it?  Out here though? That must have been tricky.

 

 

The fight around the Statue/Bomb is weird.  Temporal fields around it, powers recharging slowly. Beam rifles cutting through Engineria and Thunderclap's armor. Getting flung through the air SLOWLY.  But we prevail!  Now, now to find Lord Richter!

 

 

Oh hell!  Found him, Thunderclap!  Come over here and help me not die!  FERGAWDSAKE NOW!

 

 

Thunderclap arrives and gives me enough time to summon a spirit Statesman, because I think we will need him.  Battery is dead on the old PPD radio sadly.  I'll get new ones later if I live through this!

 

 

Oh no!  That fight has dragged the Warwork into it!  As if it wasn't bad enough already!  AH!! And Thunderclap is going full ELECTRIC again!  

 

 

But finally, finally.  Richter is down and crawling across the ground.  His surrounding troops defeated and the Warwork destroyed.  What the hell is he talking about?

 

 

AH FFS!  It's not him!!  It's not even a clone or a double, just some jerk in a suit!  The real one has made his escape!

Time to meet Halox Von Horn!  He's complaining that the traffic getting here was bad.  LOL.

He's made some new friends I see.  Come on, T-Clap, let's introduce ourselves.  There may be canapes!

 

 

Do Rikti eat?  I assume they do.  I mean...anyway, hit them!

 

 

Oh, those damn Mentalists!  Again with the mind flaying and the grogginess. 

 

 

So, the three of us make a run for the tunnels, Halox leading the way.

There's a few people to deal with along the way, such as infiltrated members of Vanguard.  Weaver/Spectra have been thorough in getting spies everywhere it seems.

 

 

And then we're leaving Thunderclap behind.  Halox goes ahead of me to scout and I follow into the darkness.

 

 

Halox is moving fast.  He radios me and tells me Richter is travelling through the old tunnels that the Vanguard trenches were built over, a leftover from the old White Plains PTS power company or something. His comms break up and I can't hear him any more.  I retrace my steps to regain a signal and get Axios instead.  After explanations that the bomb is dealt with (cheers from behind Axios!) 

And now after Halox who is pursuing Richter.

 

[Mission 3= JEEZ LOUISE!  That was insane.  GREAT STUFF.  But mainly insane.  I'll have to think some more about it but whew!]

 

(@Darmianmessaged me to put that last one on times 8, to fill up the battlefield.  And hooboy.  It was -1/8 and STILL crazy)

 

Mission 4: Down, Down, Deeper & Down.  (Continuing down the old White Plains PTS tunnels, Engineria finds a derelict office with a miraculously working old rotary phone. A call to the Hotel Geneva gets Axios. He calls Bullet Streak. Shortly after that Bullet Streak returns from City Hall with plans of the old PTS system.  Kip Cantorum owes the Meteors a favor. Bullet Streak gives some advice based on where the guys think I am.  However I can still only just continue after Von Horn.

 

So I do.

 

 

Moving through the tunnels Engineria tackles fleeing Spectra/Weaver Arachnos and lays them out as she goes.  It's a twisting and winding place, going down and down.  Occasionally she hears the Arachnos speaking.  Ha!  These guys are from the 1960s.  They have no idea about the Rikti!

 

 

And then I find a body.  Is it Halox Von Horn?  Thankfully not, but it IS dressed like him.  So Von Horn has disguised himself as one of them, has he?  I'd better not shoot him accidentally.

 

 

What's that?  Well, it's easy to talk about sacrifice when you're sacrificing others to your deluded cause, isn't it?  Let's take you down a peg or two, shall we?  Yes, that sounds like a plan to this girl!

 

 

You don't know why?  You literally just tried to BLOW UP MY CITY!  I mean I've heard zealots are blind to reason but this is something else!

 

 

What part of YOU JUST TRIED TO BLOW UP MY CITY are you not understanding?  

Anyway, from the look of you you ain't got much time left on this world anyway.  Looks like you were one of the Steel Canyon trippers, yes?

 

 

I get him down and retrieve a weirdly shaped key from him.  It's for the escape hatch that Richter and the others (and Von Horn too I bet!) vanished into.  Time to find the opening mechanism.

There we go!  And it's open.

 

 

Engineria heads into the lower darkness.  Somewhere ahead is Halox Von Horn.  Two to stop Richter and no one else capable of reaching us.

 

[Mission 4 = A shorter, much shorter mission.  Needed after the intensity of the previous two.  It's building to a close on this arc.  Good Stuff!]

 

Mission 5: The Man in the Iron Mask. No sign of Halox Von Horn...ah, there he is.  Chatting to his new "friends", or rather I think slowing them down.

 

 

Ok, Halox, what have you found out on your scouting? An escape vehicle of some kind?  Down here?  Weird.  It's not one of those Nemesis mole machines is it?

 

 

Ok, on we go.  Picking off Richter's stragglers as we do.  I think this may be the last of the Spectra/Weaver Arachnos.  They had a lot of men in the field in the RWZ and they're gone now.  

 

Did I bring your clothes?  No, I left them on a corpse.  Of course I brought them, but you know, focus!  Things to do!

 

 

Ah. Unlikely to be a Nemesis mole machine then.  This is Arachnos tech.  But how do these guys know this place is down here? Or has it been here since the 60s?  Ok, carry on.

 

 

Well, lookee here.  It's a submarine bay!  No sign of a submarine though.  Just dead Arachnos guys.  Well, let's make our way around and find Richter.

 

 

Up there, Halox!  Right in front of their favorite person too.  That must sting a bit!  Let's go pay our respects.

 

 

Looks like it DOES sting!  LOL.  Ok, move around here.  I'll call up my spirit Statesman, got one wish left on this amulet thing, and the old PPD radio has new batteries.  I'm taking no chances with this guy now we have him cornered.

 

 

Hate to break it to you, Richter baby, you already failed.  Your chronal bomb thing is over and done with.  Just you and us now.

 

 

Release the drones?  What in the blue blazes are drones?

 

 

Oh gawd damnit.  This guy is worse than Tessitore!  No wonder there was no submarine in the base.  They weren't waiting for it, it has already gone.  One more decoy to throw us off!  

 

 

Oh DRONES!  And this time ALL of us are blown up and thrown across the room.

(see under Statesman's head for an example of another drone that nearly killed us when it hit after the first one had already done a lot of damage)

 

 

We dust ourselves off and clear the room.  Then there's the long trip back out and making our way to the Vanguard base.  It's reopened now.  Across the street to the Hotel Geneva to be met by Axios and Madame Maven. 

 

(I'll let them finish this as they say it better than me)

 

 

[Mission 5 = Tense final pursuit of what we think is the primary villain, only to be foiled again!  And with a 30 minute timer!  And the drones!  Ah!  A good epilogue to the previous missions and a set up for the next and final arc.  Great stuff]

 

Verdict.  I loved this arc.  It went from 0 to 60 in seconds and didn't let up.  Like @Darmian managed to fit a Task Force inside a story arc.  Kudos. Next up is Darkest Before Dawn: Part Three.

 

Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Ankylosaur's  All that Glitters 3.3: Calamity in Kallisti Wharf.

Edited November 5, 2022 by TerroirNoir

[Darmian]

2 hours ago, TerroirNoir said:

put that last one on times 8, to fill up the battlefield

Well, from your pics it looks like it really did fill up the battlefield!  LOL. Hope it wasn't too insane!