PmWiki | PhotonKnights / Ficlets

Example of play here. Follow along two hapless Dark Troopers as they try to kidnap a racing team so that Stra-Kuhl may win a land claim on a border planet.

And here's the ficlet that started the whole thing....

In A.R. 2101, war was beginning.

The stalwart rule of the Spiral Emperor over the Galaxy

is challenged by the Irredentist Army of the deranged Stra-Kuhl.

With a direct confrontation imminent, the elite Photon Knights are dispatched to raid

the Dark Lord's newest installation so as to discern, if not to foil, his undoubtedly dastardly plan...

The base's steel superstructure was twanging with the echoes of battle. "Stop, foul fiend!" the Photon Knight called out to the Dark Lord as the taller, caped figure began to turn tail and run.

Karen looked down from the catwalk to witness the magnificent, white-clad muscular man gallantly spare one of the underlings after disarming him with a dashing movement. On the other side of the hallway, the flourish of a dark cape and tzing of a sword being drawn let her know beyond any myopia-induced doubt that had accepted the challenge.

"Impudent fool! Thinkest thou hath me cornered?" Stra-Kuhl's deep ominous voice retorted tauntingly. Interested, Karen put down her clipboard and sat down, hugging her knees and letting her lab coat more or less cover her as she looked down; Donovan, another technician, joined her.

"Do you figure it'll be the end of it?" Donovan asked in a pleasant Southern accent. "Probably not. Showdowns are really supposed to happen in the inner sanctum." Karen's answer was. She shrugged briefly, and focused her attention downward as the first spark from the clashing plasma swords tinged the air with an ozone smell.

"We should probably get the door." Donovan commented after taking stock of the fact that Aleph Rimmerson, the Photon Knight, still had the option of retreating the way he came in. "I got it... are you guys going to stick around for a while? I have to go to the control room anyway." a third technician replied after securing his station. "Thanks." The other two nodded. Photon Knights were the Empire's best commando warriors, famous for their loyalty, chivalry and code of honor -- when they could afford it, unofficial reports would add -- as well as their utter psychopathy when in the heat of battle; Aleph Rimmerson was the best of them in every sense. To be on the safe side, Donovan and Karen figured they'd better stay on the upper catwalk.

True to form, after twenty seconds or so of lightning-quick dashes and parries exchanged with the Dark Lord, Aleph Rimmerson heard the hiss of a firewall door closing behind him. "I have thee trapped now! The only way to my fortress' core is through my blade." Aleph's finely honed senses detected a hint of fatigue in Stra-Kuhl's voice as he boasted -- perhaps...

"Then my blade will have to run through you!" he retorted wittily, redoubling his efforts and unleashing a flurry of stabs at the Dark Lord's caped form.

"So... the boss is going to have to back off through this sector and the next?" Donovan asked, stressing the 'and'. Karen nodded. "Yep, doing a lot of collateral damage in the process." "Wait a moment, aren't we supposed to be collateral damage?" Donovan got up, obviously considering leaving -- the catwalk was high up from the hallway, but he suddenly looked worried. "Aha. Hey look, he's actually gaining ground!" Karen pointed out, letting her legs dangle down.

Indeed, Stra-Kuhl -- hardly impeded by the flowing cape, or the integral helmet -- had managed to force Aleph to back off a few steps, even singing the left shoulder-pad on the hero's uniform; the hero was clearly on the defensive for a few moments.

Aleph crossbow-stepped, a textbook fencing counterattack designed to shift the momentum of a match; his dark opponent, taken by surprise, had to break his guard and fall back behind what Karen recognized as the bottom ring of one of the electanic capacitors. The cover gave the dark figure barely a moment to regain his composure before Aleph's shining blue plasma sword sliced right through it in a shower of sparks --

"Oi down there!" Karen called out right before feeling Donovan's hand trying to pull her up and away from danger. Both swordfighters stopped. "I spent a week setting that up! Do you have any idea what a pain in the neck that sort of work is? Those are made to order, we'll have to recalibrate the replacement too!"

Donovan was staring at Karen, speechless. "How did you-"

Aleph's training and superbly honed reflexed allowed him to take advantage of just about any unforeseen event during a duel, this surprised even him. A glance allowed him to determine that this couldn't possibly have been a Starstruck Science Minion Having A Change of Heart (case #1138 in the PR manual); the woman who had just spoken was just a touch too old and too pudgy for the regulation spandex outfit she wore under the lab coat, her hair was too short, and most important of all her remark had nothing to do with anything of import.

Stra-Kuhl was thus the first to catch his pace, and promptly skewered Aleph Rimmerson on his shoulder, the red plasma sword instantly cauterizing the wound. With a quick wrist movement, the Dark Lord severed his opponent's arm neatly at the root. He probably had a few seconds to gloat over his fallen foe before the space hero fainted... and found himself without any snappy retort.

"My friends.... will avenge me.... not that you know what the word friend means...." Aleph's words before he passed out were. Stra-Kuhl felt disappointed -- he should've had the last word, it was just how it was done. He looked up. "You there, minions! Summon a pair of cleaning droids and have these chunks of idealistic cur thrown into the trash compactor... Wait. What are your names?" he added after a beat.

Both Karen and Donovan straightened up in what passed for an at-attention stance (Donovan stifling a question he had for his female colleague) and answered the call. "Donovan Riordian, third class tech, sir." "Karen Cobianchi, second class tech, sir."

Stra-Kuhl took a deep breath and turned off his sword, Aleph's having flown off a few meters along with the arm holding it. "So I see. Fetch the cleaning droids; I have an interrogation to conclude." Flourishing his cape, the Dark Lord ambled away towards his inner sanctum.

The two technicians found themselves having to take the long way to the droid depot due to the mazelike configuration of corridors and hallways having been made even more byzantine due to the closed doors -- hopefully someone in the control room would remember to reset them, since most comm terminals were still down due to battle damage.

"How did you do that?" Donovan asked. "Do what?" "Well, you know, breaking the concentration of a Photon Knight during a duel just like that." "You kidding? That capacitor was delivered defective, the financial office wouldn't hear a thing about it, so I had to spend two weeks just to get it to work to spec. And Mr. Clean just cleaves through it? Wish I could kick his ass around a bit myself!" Karen gave a little shrug after answering. "Okay, but..." Donovan was at a loss to explain his point. From what he knew of men like Aleph Rimmerson, well... he had fully expected his colleague to spend the whole fight gazing at either his eyes or his pecs, not chew him out over broken equipment. "Besides, I don't really go for beefcake. I prefer the nerdy type, you know?" Karen stuck her tongue out at Donovan in a way that was probably supposed to be provocative but largely failed at it. "Well, my plan was to have to drag you to safety if you did get too enraptured..." Donovan confessed with a half-serious tone. "Want to hit the cafeteria before we get the trashbots? It's on the way anyway." she answered after looking suitably impressed for a beat. "I think we should deal with that first, today was bring your son-daughter-or-spawn to work and they may decide to resume the tour since the attack is over." "Oh, now who's Mister Practical now?" As much as Karen could have gone for a glass of water to wash her mouth with after seeing someone's arm getting cut off, she followed Donovan -- he did have a point, there.

Time was of the essence. A Photon Knight never cries in pain; however, Aleph had to admit to himself that -- besides the obvious fact that his right arm was lying on the other side of the wall -- there was little pain to stoically resist crying to: a plasma sword generally does a thorough job of cauterizing the wounds it causes and burning the nerves. Retrieving his weapon and thanking the star gods for being ambidextrous, he assessed the situation -- by now the brave soldiers who allowed him to press his attack this far had probably all either been captured or slain, and someone had to inform the Emperor of Stra-Kuhl's latest plan -- discretion was definitely the better part of valor, at least for the time. The imperial artificers could no doubt restore his body once he escaped. Now if he could only make his way to the docking bay...

The robots correctly reported disposing of "organic debris not matching any employee's biometrics", but the fact that the debris' mass was nowhere near that of a full human body was not included in the TPS report forwarded to the maintenance supervisor.

"This sort of raid usually ends up taking a whole day" Donovan commented after finishing the cheeseburger "it's kind of strange." The cafeteria was packed; one of the Level 13 janitors, after evacuation, had done a montage of the latest piece of Imperial propaganda, and it was being projected on a wall panel interspersed with comments from him and a couple of his bots. Karen was a little more distracted by the show than Donovan would have liked. "That Joel guy is really funny. Sorry... how do you mean strange?" Karen asked after returning her attention to her colleague. "Well, do you ever get the idea that we got off too easy? I know we had a few losses but..." "Easy? We'll have to do repairs for weeks! Come on, let's watch this." Karen scooted over next to Donovan, ostensibly to get a better view. "Tonight, we will do something unconventional against them. This means: not by the military. We will do something that I believe will become a pretty example for those mercenaries!" the Imperial Information Minister droned on from the screen. "Well you did send us your pretty boy, maybe the actual military would have been better!" one of the robots' silhouettes superimposed on the broadcast retorted, sparking some laughs. Donovan tried to relax, but kept thinking something was amiss.

Padisha Robertus Ibn Fuad al-Seyefa, the Spiral Emperor, was bored. His top Photon Knight had surely by now infiltrated the Dark Lord's fortress and probably caused significant damage to Stra-Kuhl's latest effort, if not dispatched the fiend entirely. So why did he have to listen to this sniveling sociologist? Right, he had to maintain a philosopher-king image. He wished that he could take a few days off to relax, but objectively the court's atmosphere required him to be on top of everything and, more importantly, look like he did. The lecturer, a little bald man, was obviously trying to pretend he was in a classroom addressing students rather than in the Emperor's private chambers addressing the privy council.

"...contended that the meme is a unit of information residing in the brain and is the mutating replicator in human cultural evolution. It is a pattern that can influence its surroundings ??? that is, it has causal agency ??? and can propagate; thus, memetics. This created great debate among..."

"It sounds like an image campaign to me." he interrupted. The sociologist bowed briefly, waited for a few seconds in case the Emperor had anything to add to the remark, then continued. "As you say, sire, it probably started off this way. However, our studies show that once a meme has taken hold, it can generate resonating effects through an entire environment, even..."

Robertus let the lecturer drone on. That the endless string of resisters to the Power of Order almost invariably were dubbed -- or dubbed themselves -- Dark Lord this or Usurper that was a testament to the strength of his culture, and a relief for Imperial propagandists; still, this last one had proven more troublesome than the rest. A small amount of dissent was tolerated and even encouraged as a backdrop for elite units such as the Photon Knights to display their valor and as a way to keep military budgets well-hydrated, certainly; however, Stra-Kuhl had broken the threshold quite a while ago; more direct measures were called for. The Emperor, taking another glance at the lecturer, decided to demand that the next one be female and half the current one's age. And the subject... bah, shmemetics. To listen to the sociologist, the world was ruled by stereotypes. As if!

"Goodbye!" Donovan was a lot less worried after accompanying Karen to her room, especially considering the hearty hug and peck on the cheek that he had absolutely not foreseen. They had talked about everything; what to do when the conflict was over (Karen was on Electanic Base for an internship while she worked on her degree, while he was probably going to remain in the electanics business afterward, anti-entropy being a promising field now that Stra-Kuhl had actually put some financial muscle behind the research effort), what life was like on their respective home planets, and a myriad of little irrelevant things. Despite Karen telling him she really wasn't dating anybody until she got her degree, Donovan got the impression that she was being flirty -- and she didn't react negatively when he finally caught on and clumsily flirted back. In short, if he had been able to whistle, he'd have walked back to his own room with a tune in his mouth -- as it was, he just kept repeating to himself the the number to Karen's room.

Ten minutes later, Karen got out of the stall shower to face a one-armed man in a red velour uniform aiming a microwave burster at her. "Take me to the docking bays! Now! .... You?" Aleph had recognized the female technician. A small part of Karen was happy she'd just gone to the restroom properly; the rest of her was just scared and speechless. "You!" "Foul wench! The damage you have wrought with your shrieks. But I must flee and report back to my Emperor! You will atone by getting me to the docking bay." "A-are you going to kill me?" Karen looked left and right, wanting to bolt but knowing she had no chance of doing so. "Hah! You deserve no less. But a Photon Knight is sworn to pure conduct... you will take me to the docking bay and come with me to be interrogated by Imperial security; resist not, and no harm will befall you."

Karen knew full well that even without an arm Aleph could have killed her without breaking a sweat. "I can't take you there in a bathrobe!" Aleph nodded gravely. "Dress hence." He motioned towards the restroom after using a foot to pick up Karen's old clothing and kick them to her in one fluid motion. Karen picked them up, took a step back into the tiny shower stall, and closed the partition door. "You're not looking at me naked, mister." "Rest assured I have no use for your naked countenance." Aleph replied icily. Karen's pager was still in her old clothing; however, any sound it would make would get her killed in moments. Coughing to hide the short beep, she she hit the "last memorized number" key and hoped.

"Okay, I'm ready." "Lead on, wench." The recent attack meant that, while security was heightened in the operations sector of the Base, the peripheral installations such as civilian housing had been left unpatrolled in order to bolster presence in the core sectors; Karen had little hope anyone would stop them until they got to the docks -- that's generally how these things went, after all.

"Why would you help such an abomination as Stra-Kuhl?" the space hero asked suddenly, in a coarse whisper. "Well, he's obviously not all there in the head, but he's actually a nice guy. If someone wants to be called Dark Lord and look demonic, whatever works for him.... actually, the health insurance plans of most people I know have improved under him." "Lies and propaganda! But do not fear, our interrogators will clear your thoughts." "Hah, you guys do brainwashing and Stra-Kuhl is supposed to be the bad guy?" "He is a terrorist and a torturer!" "Look, I know it's stupid to argue with the guy with the gun, but... do you get out much other than to go on raids? We lock our prisoners up. You people expose yours to non-interactive sitcoms for hours on end! I know, I was part of a control group for a study on it in college." Aleph's curt reply told Karen that she'd better leave it alone, and she limited her speech to explaining to Aleph where they were. The base's nonessential features suffered from a certain lack of planning, making the route from civilian housing to supply docks somewhat roundabout -- even so, Karen had been marched forward by Aleph for quite a bit without seeing anyone else. The only contact they had was with a cleaning robot that barely reacted to them other than to politely step out of the way.

The supply docks were just a couple of turns away now; with luck, Aleph could stow himself and his prisoner away on an outbound transport, then hijack it once they were at a safe distance.

"Why do you need to interrogate me anyway? Or it's just an excuse to get a hostage?" Karen had to ask; her low rank protected her from being made an example of, but she was probably looking at a long incarceration. "I am a warrior, not a mere technician. You will tell us the details of Stra-Kuhl's fiendish device!" Aleph sounded more and more confident as they walked on, and didn't notice Karen's sad smile. So, you've looked around but you have no idea what we are working on, she thought -- bet you had disposable subordinates along for that. "Oh, I can tell you right now. This entire base is basically an electanic transducer -- you know, anti-entropic radiation." "What is its purpose?" "The star we are orbiting around is unstable, and poised to transform into a red giant at any moment. Anti-entropy will allow us to delay this expansion, or channel it -- maybe even reverse it, if we're careful." Karen smiled. "I see! You will turn a star itself into an energy weapon. No doubt aimed at the core of the Empire!" Karen stopped, feeling the burster's emitter in her back, and turned around looking at the space hero like she'd look at an annoying kid brother. "Don't be an idiot. The Imperial Seat is four hundred light years from here! Do you know what light year means? What use would that be to blow up Robertus' grandchildren? For a Photon Knight you really don't know anything about how light works, do you..."

Aleph found himself at a loss for words. After taking a few seconds to recall seldom-used Academy notions, he had to agree with his captive. "Then... why bother with the effort, the expense?" The Knight was thoroughly confused. Karen sighed. "Because", she began in a somewhat exasperated tone, "there are two habitable planets in this system and both would eventually be burned to cinders if the star is allowed to expand. Imperials evacuate a system when this happens -- and when there's money for it -- but Stra-Kuhl does not control a lot of territory, so every world is important to us. Someone proposed using electanics, he put some money into it, and so far it looks like it will work, we hope. Think about it -- no evacuation, no uprooted families, no loss of culture. Here's our Dark Lord for you. He's his own kind of crazy, dresses all in black and can't ever remember anyone's name, but he does care and I think he's a better administrator than your Emperor. And here you just assume that he is a monster because he wants independence from the Empire! Think about that, space knight. Think. Your noggin probably needs the exercise. Come on, if you really want to kidnap me, the docks are right around this turn."

Karen looked away from Aleph, turned around, and moved along to the docks, fast enough that he had to run for a few steps to follow. He prodded her with the burster, making her stumble.

"Listen up, woman! I don't know where you got this attitude from, but I for one shall not stand for this. To the pits with the interrogation, those are treasonous words! In the name of-urk!"

Aleph's catlike reflexes would have allowed him to intercept the clumsy blow, even if it had taken him by surprise, and shoot the wench at the same time, if he'd had both arms. As it was, all he could manage was to wiggle his shoulder before being knocked down clean by Donovan's torque wrench, the Photon Knight's microwave burst missing and leaving a nasty-looking but superficial burn on Karen's leg as she ducked to the side.

With a deep breath, Donovan put down the blunt instrument, then thought better of it and hit the space hero once more for good measure. "Good idea telling him where you were going with your communicator on" he commented.

Karen was sitting down with her back against a bulkhead, holding her leg. She looked up and smiled. "Oh, I'm wounded! Help me up?" she called in her best damsel-in-distress voice, extending a hand towards her rescuer. Donovan approached cautiously, bent down -- and got a hearty poke in the rib for his efforts as Karen got up and hugged him tight. The following kiss didn't warrant any dramatic music, but left both of them nicely flustered.

"Guess that now someone has to guard the idiot..." Donovan said, picking up the burster. "I'll call security, it's their job. So, do you want to take a few days off after this? I get the idea we'll get some bonus vacation time." Karen replied with another little shrug, patting Donovan's shoulder.

The Gloryhammer

the gloryhammer is rumored to be either an actual hammer that contains an inertialess drive, or a single-crew (or entirely AI-crewed) micro-carrier ship, that is hammer shaped, that can win fleet engagements pretty much by itself. it is the product of one of the precursor civilizations.

in actuality, it has more in common with the former.

the gloryhammer is a molecularly constructed hammer of many materials, with a GGG (gravitic-gradient gearbox) embedded into it, allowing for fast movement using regular thrusters. it also has a liquid booster in the handle to accumulate inertia and hit with mighty power, so a single trooper using it can in fact make a hole into anything short of a space battleship and initiate a boarding action that way.

it is powered by crystalline antimatter and keeping uranium over it is enough to make plutonium. The XAM has lasted for at least 12k years and can last for another 6k.

it features a mighty electromagnetic lock and is effectively immovable if set upon a slab of iron, which is where it is; get a crew with plasma cutters. It also features an anti-theft system that squirts out just enough antimatter to scorch everyone in the vicinity.

it was in fact manufactured by Adaptive Cruiser 04 "Gloryhammer", hence the inscription, at some point when its captain found it expedient to look like a superhero to benighted natives.

If Davro, the Dark Lord's new science advisor, examines it, he will be able to tell the crew that nanoscale rapid fabrication is a thing that is possible, although he thinks it'd take 4 lifetimes for him or anyone else to duplicate it.

The Gloryhammer is a legendary weapon of immense power and significance. While its true nature has been shrouded in myth and speculation, recent discoveries shed light on its remarkable construction and capabilities.

Contrary to some popular rumors, the Gloryhammer is not a fleet-commanding spaceship but a molecularly constructed hammer embedded with advanced technology. Its design incorporates a Gravitic-Gradient Gearbox (GGG), enabling the wielder to move swiftly and effortlessly using regular thrusters. The hammer's handle contains a liquid booster that accumulates inertia, allowing for devastating strikes capable of penetrating even heavily armored targets. In the hands of a skilled trooper, the Gloryhammer can breach formidable defenses and initiate boarding actions.

The power source of the Gloryhammer is a crystalline antimatter core, granting it immense energy reserves. Additionally, the presence of uranium near the hammer allows for the production of plutonium, enhancing its destructive potential. The antimatter core, known as the XAM, has demonstrated remarkable longevity, having powered the Gloryhammer for over 12,000 years, with an estimated lifespan of another 6,000 years.

To ensure its security, the Gloryhammer possesses advanced features such as an electromagnetic lock, making it immovable when placed on an iron slab. Additionally, it incorporates an anti-theft system that releases controlled amounts of antimatter, capable of scorching anyone in close proximity who attempts unauthorized access.

Historical records suggest that the Gloryhammer was manufactured by Adaptive Cruiser 04, aptly named "Gloryhammer," during a time when its captain sought to inspire awe among local inhabitants. The inscription on the hammer signifies its origin and purpose.

Should Davro, the Dark Lord's science advisor, examine the Gloryhammer, he would recognize the possibility of nanoscale rapid fabrication, a technology that allows for precise construction on a microscopic level. However, even with his expertise, he estimates that replicating such a marvel would require multiple lifetimes of dedicated effort.

The discovery and understanding of the Gloryhammer's true nature present both a valuable asset and a potential danger. Its immense power makes it a coveted artifact, sought after by various factions. The Photon Knights, being aware of its significance, must navigate the complexities surrounding the Gloryhammer to ensure it does not fall into the wrong hands.

As the Space Nazis shifted their infiltration efforts from the Kherbit planetoids to the Swabian and Vaygr kingdoms, they deployed their agents with calculated strategies to sow discord and further their own agenda.

In Swabia, the Space Nazis dispatched their preeminent archeologist, Dr. Bellock, who assumed the guise of a court wizard and quickly gained influence in King Harlaus' court. Under the guise of introducing electricity to the kingdom, Bellock covertly worked to promote the activities of a Linear youth gang, fostering division and discontent within the society. He also orchestrated the removal of the Variant cenobiarch through a sanctioned electrokinetic duel, further disrupting the religious balance in favor of the Linears. Meanwhile, he exploited the opposition faced by King Harlaus, particularly the followers of Lady Isolla of Suno, by encouraging more violent methods to provoke violent repression. Bellock's primary objective in Swabia is to locate the Gloryhammer within the planetoids of the kingdom.

In Vaygr, the Space Nazis adopted a different approach by sending a trade delegation. They provided the Vaygrs with advanced propaganda media, far surpassing their current capabilities, showcasing technologies such as black-and-white cinema and introducing them to the concept of television. This subtle manipulation aimed to incite further militarization within Vaygr society. While King Yaroglek of the Vaygrs does not align with the ideology of the Space Nazis, he finds them useful due to the favorable prices at which they provide engines. Unbeknownst to the Vaygrs, the Space Nazis aim to make them more warlike, creating an environment conducive to recruiting disaffected individuals into their ranks.

Should it be discovered that the Gloryhammer is located on a Kherbit planetoid, Bellock has devised a plan to instigate a conflict between the other kingdoms and the Kherbits. By manipulating either the Swabians or the Vaygrs into declaring war on the Kherbits, Bellock intends to seize the opportunity to lead a contingent of explorers under the pretext of mapping enemy territory. This scheme would grant him a chance to search for the coveted artifact while perpetuating the illusion of engaging in legitimate military operations.

The Space Nazis' infiltration efforts are driven by their determination to secure the Gloryhammer and further their nefarious objectives, exploiting the vulnerabilities and conflicts present within Kalradian society. The players, as agents of Stra-Khul's Department of Stupidity, must navigate this complex web of deception, thwart the Space Nazis' plans, and protect the delicate balance of power in Kalradia.