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DATA LOSS // LOG 06.5: ALTERNATE TIMELINE // The Ruthless Gamble
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Rewinding the log data! My telemetry streams got crossed, and we're flashing back to the moment Grafton stood over us in the Subsurface Junction. Forget the clean trade—Janse is desperate, bleeding out, and choice is a luxury for people who aren't dying. Let's see what happens when we play completely reckless.]
ROOM 1: THE SUBSURFACE JUNCTION (THE RE-TAKE)
Grafton stands over me, hand resting on his slug-thrower, demanding payment for his medical kit. My mind is fractured from the crystal blowout, and my leg is a bloody ruin. I have one SOUL chip and a can of Repair Gel. I need the medical kit, but I'll damned if I leave myself entirely bankrupt and weaponless in the dark.
I pull out the canister of corporate Repair Gel with my left hand, holding it up like a peace offering. "Take the gel, scavenger," I wheeze, putting on my best wry smirk despite the agony. "Industrial grade. Fixes whatever junk you're hauling."
Grafton blinks, looking down at the canister. "The gel? You think I'm stupid, clone? That ain't worth a damn Medic8 pack—"
While his eyes are locked onto the canister, I execute the real play. I shove past the agonizing white noise in my head, bypass all safety protocols on my TK implant, and unleash a reckless telekinetic spike straight at his vest. I'm not just lifting the medical kit—I'm ripping it right out of its tactical webbing with raw willpower, gambling everything that I can catch it and inject it before he paints the tunnel with my brains.
Janse is executing a high-stakes, violent telekinetic theft while severely compromised. This relies on the Will skillset (Base: d8).
However, Janse is currently injured and hindered by the shrapnel wound, which drops the die down to a d6.
BUT, the rules state that if you are helped by a risky stunt (pushing hard, hindering your next roll), you get to roll an extra d6 and use the highest result. Janse is absolutely redlining his implant here.
Rolling 2d6 (taking the highest)... Results: 1 and 4. Highest Die: 4 (Setback!)
The GM Renders the Verdict: A 4 is a Setback. You get partial success—you grab the prize, but the risk catches up to you instantly.
My TK implant screeches in my skull like hot iron. A localized gravitational pocket snaps the Medic8 pack clean off Grafton's vest and launches it directly into my outstretched right hand. Before he can even process the theft, I slam the cylinder into my mangled thigh. The nanites dump into my bloodstream, instantly knitting my flesh back together. I am no longer injured.
But a Setback means paying the price. Grafton is an old-school survivor, and his reflexes are lethal. The second the kit leaves his chest, his slug-thrower clears its holster. He doesn't hesitate. *BANG.*
The heavy projectile slams directly into my shoulder. The impact spins me around, throwing me hard against the cave wall. Because I just pushed my TK implant past its safety threshold, the mental feedback combined with the bullet wound leaves me completely dazed, coughing up blood, and heavily hindered for whatever comes next.
A STALEMATE IN THE SMOKE
I am standing on two healed legs, but my shoulder is a smoking ruin, my Arcwire Tool is still completely broken from the crystal discharge, and I am staring down the barrel of an incredibly pissed-off salvager who realizes he just got mugged by a fresh clone.
"You crazy piece of corporate meat!" Grafton spits, racking the slide on his pistol to chamber another round. "You want to play it like that? Let's see how many backups you got left!"
I'm backed into a corner. I still have the 1 SOUL Chip, the Repair Gel in my hand, and my raw TK abilities, but my next action is heavily hindered. Grafton is ready to kill.
If you're interested in playing 2400 Data Loss, you can find it here.
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