Forums of the Megaverse®

taalismn wrote:

SAMASzero wrote:

DhAkael wrote:

taalismn wrote:Lancer: " That worries me. The only extant texts in High Ancient that might bind themselves to a person's subconscious like that are strategic level grimoires. Real wipe-your-mind before and after reading. The sort that can have a profound effect on the reader. If Annie's got one of those imprinted on her, she needs somebody to keep an eye on her. "

MEEP!

Sounds like an unholy cross between Luna Lovegood and Nanoha Takamachi...

"Rand, don't bother with that poison ivy lotion for Annie. Allergic rashes don't form cabalistic rune patterns on the skin. You rubbed the wrong pattern, we'd have to look for your parts across several different elemental planes. And that's just from casual contact."
"...ah...do we have to worry about stellar alignments?"
"Only if we're going near nexi or old holy places."

DhAkael wrote:

taalismn wrote:

SAMASzero wrote:

DhAkael wrote:

taalismn wrote:Lancer: " That worries me. The only extant texts in High Ancient that might bind themselves to a person's subconscious like that are strategic level grimoires. Real wipe-your-mind before and after reading. The sort that can have a profound effect on the reader. If Annie's got one of those imprinted on her, she needs somebody to keep an eye on her. "

MEEP!

Sounds like an unholy cross between Luna Lovegood and Nanoha Takamachi...

"Rand, don't bother with that poison ivy lotion for Annie. Allergic rashes don't form cabalistic rune patterns on the skin. You rubbed the wrong pattern, we'd have to look for your parts across several different elemental planes. And that's just from casual contact."
"...ah...do we have to worry about stellar alignments?"
"Only if we're going near nexi or old holy places."

Rook Bartley quietly and calmly stuffs the dark-brown (not) cow-leather bound book with the weirdly twisted tooled leather cover back into her ride-panier.
The stars STILL were not right and the king in Yellow had yet to reveal himself.
Too bad Yellow-Dancer wasn't Nyralthotep just having a cruel joke on one of the few 'true belivers' left; it would have been his / its style.

SRoss wrote:

taalismn wrote:

Gryphon wrote:Lets just hope that the next clone gets tinkered with a bit, and comes out MDC...or at least the hair does, at a bare minimum...

"MDC hairspray? You're SERIOUS?"
"Nope. Quick-set polymer gel. Sets and protects like a helmet."
"Where the hell do you GET this stuff?!"
"Little shop in Tokyo-3. I think they get the stuff from Australia...Label sez this spray is drop bear proof."

Dana stepped out of the shower humming tunelessly. Reaching over, she applies hair spray and starts to fluff her hair with her hands when suddenly...

Dana: "Ummm Bowie! My hands are stuck again..."

Bowie: (Sigh) "I'll get Louie."

Louie enters carrying an armor cutting tool. As he approaches, Dana's towel drops, causing him to collapse with a major nose bleed.

Dana: "Not again." (Sigh)

SRoss wrote:Alternate Robotech Setting(Gerry Anderson's UFO)

Kim, Sammy and Vanessa looked oddly doll-like in their silver body suits and purple wigs. They really didn't know what to think. "It could be worse girls" Claudia said as she and Lisa entered the bridge wearing what appeared to be beige fish-net body suits. However the girls had little time to consider this universe's concept of uniforms before Captain Gloval arrived wearing a cream coloured Nauru Jacket. "Report" he said as he lit a cigaret.

"No Smoking on the Bri..." Sammy started to say when Claudia interrupted her. "Sammy. You know perfectly well smoking's allowed on the bridge in this universe." The Captain made his way to a panel on the wall and pushed the button for Vodka. *Yep,* he thought, *I'm going to like this universe.*

Just a look in on one of our married couples.

"Morning, Dana!"
"Morning, Angie! What brings you around this early?"
"Didn't mean to wake you, ma'am, we can come back later if-"
"Nope, you're here, I'm up, what's up?"
"Well, Gnea and me were heading on up to the lake and we thought you and-"
"ggnnneeerrrrgggggg"
"Good GOD!"
"....nnnarrrggglllleeee....."
"GNEA! Quick! Get the Specials out of the car! Hurry! LT! You got any guns in the house?!"
"Yeah...whatever for?"
"...garffff...."
"Dana! Slide over this way! WE can retreat to my car! Gnea will have the guns ready! Maybe we can take it out on the lawn!"
"....snarghhhhfff..."
"Angie...what's gotten into you?"
"Quiet, Dana! WE can lure this thing out, then circle back to get Zor! Then we can call in an air strike!"
"'...circle back to get Zor?' Ah, Angie...that IS Zor!"
"*pfhurrrrr......"
"What?!"
"I said THAT IS ZOR!!"
"ghaerrff?"
"THAT?! That can't be Zor! That doesn't even look remotely human!"
"marrhjjjkkk!!!"
"It IS Zor. He's a little grumpy in the morning until he gets his first cup of coffee."
"DANA! What if it's some sort of bioweapon sent to kill you!? A miniature Godzilla!!!"
"...zhort..."
"Here, honey, fresh made."
"...merggghhh...."
#sssiiiipppppp#
GLUG
"Good morning, Angelo! What brings you by this morning?"
"...damn....."
"Zor, Gnea and Angelo came by to see if we're interested in joining them up at the lake. Is that what you had in mind, Angie?"
"...um, yes,...ah...Dana...you went to bed with him looking like that?...."
"ANGIE! I got the bazookas! Ready to go! Ah, where did that thing go..?!."
"Apparently that thing was Zor."
"WHAT?! Are you mad?! That thing looked like it crawled from the darkest deepest Genesis Pit!!!"
"A-HEM! THat IS my husband and father of my children you're talking about!"
"Whatever are you all talking about?"
"Zor, honey, you had your morning face on when they came in."
"Oh...My 'morning face'?"

taalismn wrote:Just a look in on one of our married couples.

"Morning, Dana!"
"Morning, Angie! What brings you around this early?"
"Didn't mean to wake you, ma'am, we can come back later if-"
"Nope, you're here, I'm up, what's up?"
"Well, Gnea and me were heading on up to the lake and we thought you and-"
"ggnnneeerrrrgggggg"
"Good GOD!"
"....nnnarrrggglllleeee....."
"GNEA! Quick! Get the Specials out of the car! Hurry! LT! You got any guns in the house?!"
"Yeah...whatever for?"
"...garffff...."
"Dana! Slide over this way! WE can retreat to my car! Gnea will have the guns ready! Maybe we can take it out on the lawn!"
"....snarghhhhfff..."
"Angie...what's gotten into you?"
"Quiet, Dana! WE can lure this thing out, then circle back to get Zor! Then we can call in an air strike!"
"'...circle back to get Zor?' Ah, Angie...that IS Zor!"
"*pfhurrrrr......"
"What?!"
"I said THAT IS ZOR!!"
"ghaerrff?"
"THAT?! That can't be Zor! That doesn't even look remotely human!"
"marrhjjjkkk!!!"
"It IS Zor. He's a little grumpy in the morning until he gets his first cup of coffee."
"DANA! What if it's some sort of bioweapon sent to kill you!? A miniature Godzilla!!!"
"...zhort..."
"Here, honey, fresh made."
"...merggghhh...."
#sssiiiipppppp#
GLUG
"Good morning, Angelo! What brings you by this morning?"
"...damn....."
"Zor, Gnea and Angelo came by to see if we're interested in joining them up at the lake. Is that what you had in mind, Angie?"
"...um, yes,...ah...Dana...you went to bed with him looking like that?...."
"ANGIE! I got the bazookas! Ready to go! Ah, where did that thing go..?!."
"Apparently that thing was Zor."
"WHAT?! Are you mad?! That thing looked like it crawled from the darkest deepest Genesis Pit!!!"
"A-HEM! THat IS my husband and father of my children you're talking about!"
"Whatever are you all talking about?"
"Zor, honey, you had your morning face on when they came in."
"Oh...My 'morning face'?"

SRoss wrote:Alternate Robotech Setting(Gerry Anderson's UFO)

Kim, Sammy and Vanessa looked oddly doll-like in their silver body suits and purple wigs. They really didn't know what to think. "It could be worse girls" Claudia said as she and Lisa entered the bridge wearing what appeared to be beige fish-net body suits. However the girls had little time to consider this universe's concept of uniforms before Captain Gloval arrived wearing a cream coloured Nauru Jacket. "Report" he said as he lit a cigaret.

"No Smoking on the Bri..." Sammy started to say when Claudia interrupted her. "Sammy. You know perfectly well smoking's allowed on the bridge in this universe." The Captain made his way to a panel on the wall and pushed the button for Vodka. *Yep,* he thought, *I'm going to like this universe.*

Yeh gods, but I remember that show....
The invaders would have been THANGORMIZED by any of the canon UEDFs....
"Ewww!(looking at the SID plot for dozens of incoming alien saucers) SKEET!"

taalismn wrote:

SRoss wrote:Alternate Robotech Setting(Gerry Anderson's UFO)

Kim, Sammy and Vanessa looked oddly doll-like in their silver body suits and purple wigs. They really didn't know what to think. "It could be worse girls" Claudia said as she and Lisa entered the bridge wearing what appeared to be beige fish-net body suits. However the girls had little time to consider this universe's concept of uniforms before Captain Gloval arrived wearing a cream coloured Nauru Jacket. "Report" he said as he lit a cigaret.

"No Smoking on the Bri..." Sammy started to say when Claudia interrupted her. "Sammy. You know perfectly well smoking's allowed on the bridge in this universe." The Captain made his way to a panel on the wall and pushed the button for Vodka. *Yep,* he thought, *I'm going to like this universe.*

Yeh gods, but I remember that show....
The invaders would have been THANGORMIZED by any of the canon UEDFs....
"Ewww!(looking at the SID plot for dozens of incoming alien saucers) SKEET!"

Admittedly a SHADO Interceptor carries a nuclear warhead for a missile, but that's because like the 'Genie' AAM, it was figured a nuke made up for lack of accuracy. Robotech conventional munitions, on the other hand, are MUCH more accurate, and considering that the UFOs can be shot down with conventional rockets and cannon(as shown by encounters with the Skydiver aircraft), an Alpha Fighter with a full payload would be more than up to the task of wiping out a squadron of the invaders. Even more of curbstomp with Alpha-Beta combos.
Factor in capital ships, and ...yeah, it's the UFO Turkey Shoot.

Interestingly, Anderson wrote it so that the warhead was a cluster munition, but they couldn't come up with a visual effect for it. I also seem to remember that one of the space fighters in the Robotech movie (Megazone 23) had a suspiciously similar load out.

SRoss wrote:Interestingly, Anderson wrote it so that the warhead was a cluster munition, but they couldn't come up with a visual effect for it. I also seem to remember that one of the space fighters in the Robotech movie (Megazone 23) had a suspiciously similar load out.

Didn't know that...I always assumed they used nukes. Or maybe they used cluster tac-nukes?
Another interesting tidbit was that Space 1999 was originally supposed to be an extension of the UFO franchise, but this would not be touched upon in the show that was ultimately filmed. However, it came out in fan materials and published background info(such as Starlog Magazine) that such designs as the pre-Eagle 'Hawk' warships were originally meant as replacements for SHADO's Interceptors, and that Moonbase Alpha was to be the new base of the expanded Earth defenses, but that by the time the Hawks entered service and construction of MA was started, the alien threat had disappeared, so the former were shelved after short careers and Moonbase Alpha was quietly shifted to a more public effort at scientific lunar colonization(and nuclear waste disposal).

taalismn wrote:Admittedly a SHADO Interceptor carries a nuclear warhead for a missile, but that's because like the 'Genie' AAM, it was figured a nuke made up for lack of accuracy. Robotech conventional munitions, on the other hand, are MUCH more accurate, and considering that the UFOs can be shot down with conventional rockets and cannon(as shown by encounters with the Skydiver aircraft), an Alpha Fighter with a full payload would be more than up to the task of wiping out a squadron of the invaders. Even more of curbstomp with Alpha-Beta combos.
Factor in capital ships, and ...yeah, it's the UFO Turkey Shoot.

But I love onesidedness for the good guy!

(after the 'Mysterious Martian Women' Date Incident)

"THAT DOES IT NOVA! ZOR! SNEAKING BEHIND MY BACK! ON A DATE!"
"And what business is it of yours how we spend our time together, Dana?"
"BECAUSE I ASKED YOU OUT FIRST! YOU ---CHEAT! THAT MAKES ME SO...ANNNGGGRRYYY!!!"
"Whow, Sterling, calm do...Dana, when did you start dying your hair green?"
"YYYARRRGGGHHH!!!"
"...and why's your skin...turning...green....?!"
*RRRIIIPPPPP*#POP!#POP!#TEAR#
"NNNAAARRGGGHHH!!!"


"SHE-HULK SMASH LITTLE UNFAITHFUL BASTARD-MAN!"
----
#WHAM-DING!#
"Karno! Report! What just happened?!"
"Masters, we have suffered a high speed impact event to the flagship! Damage reports are coming in! Ah...it would appear Zor Prime has been returned to us!"
"Zor Prime? He was supposed to be on Earth! Explain!"
"Masters...he would appear to be embedded headfirst in the upper floor of one of the inner community structures..."
-----
"Louie, what are you working on there?"
"A suit of power armor. Hand me that hammer, Angelo? Ahm, something smaller? And where the hell did you get THAT thing?!"
"THis? MY mom sent it to me for my birthday."
"Your mother sends you a sledgehammer for a birthday present?"
"Traditional ethnic gift."
"...Your name is Angelo Dante..."
"Mom's Norweigan."
"Oh..."
"Hey, Bowie, where you going?"
"Down to the garage to practice with those new shields they're issuing. More coverage. Stronger material."
"Yeah, but they hardly fit in a cockpit!"
"Well, nothing else, we can sled on them in winter."
"Yeah, whatever. Okay, Sean, I can understand Bowie with the shield, but what are you doing with the bow and arrow? Don't tell me it's new equipment issuance!"
"Nah, I'm practicing. I used to be pretty good at this back in college. Great exercise. Figure I'll send Marie a message up to her window with a love note on it, and I don't want to nail somebody through the chest by accident. Just call me Cupid, the Archer of Love!"
"Sean...that is the DUMBEST thi-( #BWHOOOMPPPBWHOOOMMPPHHHBHWOOOOMMMMPP!# ) An ALARM!"
"Sounds like some kind of commotion downtown! GMP's calling in heavy support! That means us because we're closest!"
"ATACS ASSEMBLE!"

taalismn wrote:(after the 'Mysterious Martian Women' Date Incident)

"THAT DOES IT NOVA! ZOR! SNEAKING BEHIND MY BACK! ON A DATE!"
"And what business is it of yours how we spend our time together, Dana?"
"BECAUSE I ASKED YOU OUT FIRST! YOU ---CHEAT! THAT MAKES ME SO...ANNNGGGRRYYY!!!"
"Whow, Sterling, calm do...Dana, when did you start dying your hair green?"
"YYYARRRGGGHHH!!!"
"...and why's your skin...turning...green....?!"
*RRRIIIPPPPP*#POP!#POP!#TEAR#
"NNNAAARRGGGHHH!!!"


"SHE-HULK SMASH LITTLE UNFAITHFUL BASTARD-MAN!"
----
#WHAM-DING!#
"Karno! Report! What just happened?!"
"Masters, we have suffered a high speed impact event to the flagship! Damage reports are coming in! Ah...it would appear Zor Prime has been returned to us!"
"Zor Prime? He was supposed to be on Earth! Explain!"
"Masters...he would appear to be embedded headfirst in the upper floor of one of the inner community structures..."
-----
"Louie, what are you working on there?"
"A suit of power armor. Hand me that hammer, Angelo? Ahm, something smaller? And where the hell did you get THAT thing?!"
"THis? MY mom sent it to me for my birthday."
"Your mother sends you a sledgehammer for a birthday present?"
"Traditional ethnic gift."
"...Your name is Angelo Dante..."
"Mom's Norweigan."
"Oh..."
"Hey, Bowie, where you going?"
"Down to the garage to practice with those new shields they're issuing. More coverage. Stronger material."
"Yeah, but they hardly fit in a cockpit!"
"Well, nothing else, we can sled on them in winter."
"Yeah, whatever. Okay, Sean, I can understand Bowie with the shield, but what are you doing with the bow and arrow? Don't tell me it's new equipment issuance!"
"Nah, I'm practicing. I used to be pretty good at this back in college. Great exercise. Figure I'll send Marie a message up to her window with a love note on it, and I don't want to nail somebody through the chest by accident. Just call me Cupid, the Archer of Love!"
"Sean...that is the DUMBEST thi-( #BWHOOOMPPPBWHOOOMMPPHHHBHWOOOOMMMMPP!# ) An ALARM!"
"Sounds like some kind of commotion downtown! GMP's calling in heavy support! That means us because we're closest!"
"ATACS ASSEMBLE!"

For the first part and for the second.

"Okay, so what's the situation that you're calling in Hovertanks to deal with a domestic security issue."
"Well, at about none PM local, after leaving your company, Lieutenant Sterling sought out Lieutenant Satori to confront her-"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"

"HOLY! What the HELL IS -THAT-?"
"That, Corporal Philllips, is Lieutanent Sterling."
"Geez..I've never seen her like THAT!"
"I don't think any of us have, Sean."
"Actually...I have."
"Bowie? Something you're not telling us?"
"Long time ago. She used to throw temper tantrums. But we thought she had it under control. Can't say much more about it."
"Okay, so we've established that's Dana out there."
"What gave it away? The puff hair, or the dress that's now a loincloth?"
"And she was going to confront Zor for standing her up..."
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
"...so where's Zor?"
"Orbit, we think. Witnesses saw her THROW something straight up."
"Zor and Mister Zeggy."
"Bowie?"
"It was a doll she had..."
"I'm going to get the story out of you later. Okay, so that accounts for Zor Prime. What about Lieutenant Satori?"
"We think she's somewhere in that car."
"SOMEWHERE in the car?"
"She's not in any of the seats as far as we can tell. She's either been stuffed into the glove compartment...or hiding in the trunk."
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"Okay, so why are we here?"
"We're kinda hoping you could calm her down?"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
"You're serious?"
"Courtmartial serious."
"Her or us?"
"Who do you think?"

"Okay, guys, we need a plan..."
"Chocolate, we start with chocolate..."
"Bowie?"
"Trust me on this."

Sometime later:

Nova: "All calm now Dana?"

Dana: "Yah, sorry about stuffing you in the glove compartment. What's with the black bodysuit and the red wig?"

Nova: "This? Oh, I'm going on an undercover mission. How does it look?"

As Nova spins to show off, Captain Koda walks in...

*THUD* SPURT!!!

Dana: "Sean we need a mop in the lounge, again..."

taalismn wrote:"Okay, so what's the situation that you're calling in Hovertanks to deal with a domestic security issue."
"Well, at about none PM local, after leaving your company, Lieutenant Sterling sought out Lieutenant Satori to confront her-"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"

"HOLY! What the HELL IS -THAT-?"
"That, Corporal Philllips, is Lieutanent Sterling."
"Geez..I've never seen her like THAT!"
"I don't think any of us have, Sean."
"Actually...I have."
"Bowie? Something you're not telling us?"
"Long time ago. She used to throw temper tantrums. But we thought she had it under control. Can't say much more about it."
"Okay, so we've established that's Dana out there."
"What gave it away? The puff hair, or the dress that's now a loincloth?"
"And she was going to confront Zor for standing her up..."
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
"...so where's Zor?"
"Orbit, we think. Witnesses saw her THROW something straight up."
"Zor and Mister Zeggy."
"Bowie?"
"It was a doll she had..."
"I'm going to get the story out of you later. Okay, so that accounts for Zor Prime. What about Lieutenant Satori?"
"We think she's somewhere in that car."
"SOMEWHERE in the car?"
"She's not in any of the seats as far as we can tell. She's either been stuffed into the glove compartment...or hiding in the trunk."
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"Okay, so why are we here?"
"We're kinda hoping you could calm her down?"
#WUNCH!WUNCHWUNCH!"
"SHE-HULK SMASH!"
"You're serious?"
"Courtmartial serious."
"Her or us?"
"Who do you think?"

"Okay, guys, we need a plan..."
"Chocolate, we start with chocolate..."
"Bowie?"
"Trust me on this."

SRoss wrote:Sometime later:

Nova: "All calm now Dana?"

Dana: "Yah, sorry about stuffing you in the glove compartment. What's with the black bodysuit and the red wig?"

Nova: "This? Oh, I'm going on an undercover mission. How does it look?"

As Nova spins to show off, Captain Koda walks in...

*THUD* SPURT!!!

Dana: "Sean we need a mop in the lounge, again..."

SRoss wrote:Sometime later:

Nova: "All calm now Dana?"

Dana: "Yah, sorry about stuffing you in the glove compartment. What's with the black bodysuit and the red wig?"

Nova: "This? Oh, I'm going on an undercover mission. How does it look?"

As Nova spins to show off, Captain Koda walks in...

*THUD* SPURT!!!

Dana: "Sean we need a mop in the lounge, again..."

"I can see that you really got in shape for the role, Nova!"
"Yeah, flexibility training. Came in handy when you stuffed me in that glove compartment! Combination martial arts and yoga training. Trains the spine and joints. Why, I could probably get both my knees up behind my head-"
"-*ghrk!*-"
"...and Komodo's down again."
"Honestly, what is this guy? The two-hundred pound thirty-five year-old virgin?"

taalismn wrote:"I can see that you really got in shape for the role, Nova!"
"Yeah, flexibility training. Came in handy when you stuffed me in that glove compartment! Combination martial arts and yoga training. Trains the spine and joints. Why, I could probably get both my knees up behind my head-"
"-*ghrk!*-"
"...and Komodo's down again."
"Honestly, what is this guy? The two-hundred pound thirty-five year-old virgin?"

The dude went to Dana for relationship help! What do you think!!!

"....nghhh..."
"...hello?...Captain Komodo, can you hear me? I'm Sean Phillips....blink once if you understand."
(blink)"...hngf...?"
"Good! Now, how fingers am I holding up?"'
"...fghf?"
"-You really CAN squeeze yourself into a glove compartment? Damn, I wish I'd seen that, but that whole last half hour's sort of a green blank to me."
"Heh! I can demonstrate, Dana! Before I couldn't high-kick like THIS!"
"That's...impressive, Nova, but...that move...that outfit...kinda obvious you're commando under that skintight suit."
"... *blorgch*! ..."
"Oh, for crying out loud! Louie, you have a portable defibrilator in that first aid kit?!We need something stronger than smelling salts for this guy!"
"Nope, going to have to rig one up, Sean. Where's an electric socket?"

Gryphon wrote:"Not really necessary, come here Dana..."

*Vigorously rubs a towel on her head for thirty seconds...*

"CLEAR..."

*FIFTY THOUSAND VOLTS OF RAW NAKED POWER*

"Please...Komodo's problem seems to be with the 'naked' part."

taalismn wrote:"I can see that you really got in shape for the role, Nova!"
"Yeah, flexibility training. Came in handy when you stuffed me in that glove compartment! Combination martial arts and yoga training. Trains the spine and joints. Why, I could probably get both my knees up behind my head-"
"-*ghrk!*-"
"...and Komodo's down again."
"Honestly, what is this guy? The two-hundred pound thirty-five year-old virgin?"

SRoss wrote:

taalismn wrote:"I can see that you really got in shape for the role, Nova!"
"Yeah, flexibility training. Came in handy when you stuffed me in that glove compartment! Combination martial arts and yoga training. Trains the spine and joints. Why, I could probably get both my knees up behind my head-"
"-*ghrk!*-"
"...and Komodo's down again."
"Honestly, what is this guy? The two-hundred pound thirty-five year-old virgin?"

The dude went to Dana for relationship help! What do you think!!!

So true.

taalismn wrote:"....nghhh..."
"...hello?...Captain Komodo, can you hear me? I'm Sean Phillips....blink once if you understand."
(blink)"...hngf...?"
"Good! Now, how fingers am I holding up?"'
"...fghf?"
"-You really CAN squeeze yourself into a glove compartment? Damn, I wish I'd seen that, but that whole last half hour's sort of a green blank to me."
"Heh! I can demonstrate, Dana! Before I couldn't high-kick like THIS!"
"That's...impressive, Nova, but...that move...that outfit...kinda obvious you're commando under that skintight suit."
"... *blorgch*! ..."
"Oh, for crying out loud! Louie, you have a portable defibrilator in that first aid kit?!We need something stronger than smelling salts for this guy!"
"Nope, going to have to rig one up, Sean. Where's an electric socket?"

Gryphon wrote:"Not really necessary, come here Dana..."

*Vigorously rubs a towel on her head for thirty seconds...*

"CLEAR..."

taalismn wrote:

Gryphon wrote:"Not really necessary, come here Dana..."

*Vigorously rubs a towel on her head for thirty seconds...*

"CLEAR..."

*FIFTY THOUSAND VOLTS OF RAW NAKED POWER*

"Please...Komodo's problem seems to be with the 'naked' part."

Robotech Masters:(breaking into FM Leonard's communications) "Micronians! You have three days to turn over the Tessera-The PROTOCULTURE! Ahem, you have three days to turn the Protoculture over to us! Then evacuate your planet!"
Field Marshal Leonard: "The what, or the what?"
RM: "Never mind that! Just give it to us!"
(blinks out)
FM Leonard:(to aide) "What was THAT all about? The 'Tessara'?"

taalismn wrote:Robotech Masters:(breaking into FM Leonard's communications) "Micronians! You have three days to turn over the Tessera-The PROTOCULTURE! Ahem, you have three days to turn the Protoculture over to us! Then evacuate your planet!"
Field Marshal Leonard: "The what, or the what?"
RM: "Never mind that! Just give it to us!"
(blinks out)
FM Leonard:(to aide) "What was THAT all about? The 'Tessara'?"

Maistrof: "All in all, Admiral Gloval, the aftermath of Khyron's attack on the city could have been FAR worse; we discovered a series of bombs had been placed, set to be detonated by a Zentraedi agent in place. Guy was disguised as Santa Claus."
Gloval: "How did you catch him?"
Maistrof: "We DIDN'T! Found him dangling upside down from a light pole in front of the base security bloc, with a dismantled remote detonator and a listing of all the sites where the bombs had been placed pinned to him! When we got to them we found the bombs defused and partially dismantled. All the prisoner kept babbling about a 'bat'!"
Gloval: "A bat?"
Maistrof: "Yes sir, he claims a bat worked him over. A micronian demon -bat-."
Gloval: "Most curious...Yes, Claudia?"
Claudia: "The representative from Wayne Enterprises is here to discuss the reconstruction project, sir!"
Gloval: "Very well, send him in. Maistroff, keep investigating the..whatever it is."
Maistrof: "The bat, right."

Lisa, Claudia and the Bridge Bunnies: "Oh Gawd!!!"

The girls looked in horror at the translucent silk and the metal collars they were wearing.

Lisa: "QUICK GIRLS THE WEAPONS!!!"

In a practiced move, Kim, Sammy and Vanessa grabbed the nearby spears, immediately corralling EVERY man on the bridge and kept them from approaching the controls.

Lisa: "CLAUDIA! EMERGENCY RE-FOLD NOW!!! BEFORE THE MEN RALLY!"

Outside, the Macross folded off the surface of GOR and out of yet another universe.

Claudia: " Whew, that was almost as bad as the whole Fencer of Minerva incident last week."

Meanwhile, in another section of the battlefortress, Lynn Kyle throws down his branding iron and stomps away, angry he missed his chance again.

Lyn Minmay: (Still strapped to the rack) "HEEEELLLLLLOOOO, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE LET ME DOWN?"

SRoss wrote:Lisa, Claudia and the Bridge Bunnies: "Oh Gawd!!!"

The girls looked in horror at the translucent silk and the metal collars they were wearing.

Lisa: "QUICK GIRLS THE WEAPONS!!!"

In a practiced move, Kim, Sammy and Vanessa grabbed the nearby spears, immediately corralling EVERY man on the bridge and kept them from approaching the controls.

Lisa: "CLAUDIA! EMERGENCY RE-FOLD NOW!!! BEFORE THE MEN RALLY!"

Outside, the Macross folded off the surface of GOR and out of yet another universe.

Claudia: " Whew, that was almost as bad as the whole Fencer of Minerva incident last week."

Meanwhile, in another section of the battlefortress, Lynn Kyle throws down his branding iron and stomps away, angry he missed his chance again.

Lyn Minmay: (Still strapped to the rack) "HEEEELLLLLLOOOO, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE LET ME DOWN?"

Swat the Priest-Kings, Shave the Kurii, Invade Gor.
Been there, Done That, Snapped the Sirik.

taalismn wrote:Swat the Priest-Kings, Shave the Kurii, Invade Gor.
Been there, Done That, Snapped the Sirik.

Well I originally thought of making this longer, having Kyle actually brand Minmay, Miyra turn Taluna and capture Max, etc. Besides, I think the Kur and Kyron would get along just fine.

SRoss wrote:

taalismn wrote:Swat the Priest-Kings, Shave the Kurii, Invade Gor.
Been there, Done That, Snapped the Sirik.

Well I originally thought of making this longer, having Kyle actually brand Minmay, Miyra turn Taluna and capture Max, etc. Besides, I think the Kur and Kyron would get along just fine.

Nah....just in case Ming the Merciless's rockey armada is still following them, the Mongoans can be sicced on the Goreans.

taalismn wrote:Maistrof: "All in all, Admiral Gloval, the aftermath of Khyron's attack on the city could have been FAR worse; we discovered a series of bombs had been placed, set to be detonated by a Zentraedi agent in place. Guy was disguised as Santa Claus."
Gloval: "How did you catch him?"
Maistrof: "We DIDN'T! Found him dangling upside down from a light pole in front of the base security bloc, with a dismantled remote detonator and a listing of all the sites where the bombs had been placed pinned to him! When we got to them we found the bombs defused and partially dismantled. All the prisoner kept babbling about a 'bat'!"
Gloval: "A bat?"
Maistrof: "Yes sir, he claims a bat worked him over. A micronian demon -bat-."
Gloval: "Most curious...Yes, Claudia?"
Claudia: "The representative from Wayne Enterprises is here to discuss the reconstruction project, sir!"
Gloval: "Very well, send him in. Maistroff, keep investigating the..whatever it is."
Maistrof: "The bat, right."

Ya, I could see Batman surviving the Rain of Death.

SRoss wrote:Lisa, Claudia and the Bridge Bunnies: "Oh Gawd!!!"

The girls looked in horror at the translucent silk and the metal collars they were wearing.

Lisa: "QUICK GIRLS THE WEAPONS!!!"

In a practiced move, Kim, Sammy and Vanessa grabbed the nearby spears, immediately corralling EVERY man on the bridge and kept them from approaching the controls.

Lisa: "CLAUDIA! EMERGENCY RE-FOLD NOW!!! BEFORE THE MEN RALLY!"

Outside, the Macross folded off the surface of GOR and out of yet another universe.

Claudia: " Whew, that was almost as bad as the whole Fencer of Minerva incident last week."

Meanwhile, in another section of the battlefortress, Lynn Kyle throws down his branding iron and stomps away, angry he missed his chance again.

Lyn Minmay: (Still strapped to the rack) "HEEEELLLLLLOOOO, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE LET ME DOWN?"

Don't think I've seen that show.

Alpha 11 wrote: Don't think I've seen that show.

Book series by John Norman. It postulates a counter-Earth on the other side of the Sun, populated by a largely sword-and-fantasy society, overseen by shadowy high-tech Priest Kings. It's obviously inspired by John Carter of Mars(the main protagonist is a transplanted Earthman), but it goes off the skids in that the culture is dominated by slavery, particularly slavery of women, including women abducted from Earth(whose natives are regarded by the Real Men of Gor as whimpy henpecked wusses or willfully arrogant and repressed harridans; 'barbarians' as Earthpeople are often called). The early books actually have a fairly good intrigue story, aside from the breaks so the hero can engage in BDSM escapades, but the later books are little more than misogynistic rants about the proper roles of men and women and evolution. The whole series has a cult following among the domination-submission crowd, but most serious sci-fi/fantasy readers avoid them. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese hentai-crowd didn't take a shine to them as well; several H-anime series I'm aware of have plots lifted straight out of John Norman country.

taalismn wrote:

Alpha 11 wrote: Don't think I've seen that show.

Book series by John Norman. It postulates a counter-Earth on the other side of the Sun, populated by a largely sword-and-fantasy society, overseen by shadowy high-tech Priest Kings. It's obviously inspired by John Carter of Mars(the main protagonist is a transplanted Earthman), but it goes off the skids in that the culture is dominated by slavery, particularly slavery of women, including women abducted from Earth(whose natives are regarded by the Real Men of Gor as whimpy henpecked wusses or willfully arrogant and repressed harridans; 'barbarians' as Earthpeople are often called). The early books actually have a fairly good intrigue story, aside from the breaks so the hero can engage in BDSM escapades, but the later books are little more than misogynistic rants about the proper roles of men and women and evolution. The whole series has a cult following among the domination-submission crowd, but most serious sci-fi/fantasy readers avoid them. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese hentai-crowd didn't take a shine to them as well; several H-anime series I'm aware of have plots lifted straight out of John Norman country.

Doesn't sound like something I would read.

Gryphon wrote:Doesn't sound like anything anyone would read, but some do. I have read some of it...and that both embarrasses me and to a degree annoys me at the same time. Its borderline fetish (goes over that border in some cases) being passed of as "legitimate" Science Fantasy really.

Confusingly, the series following is largely female.

Of course I've started reading Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and I'm starting to understand Norman more.

SRoss wrote:

Gryphon wrote:Doesn't sound like anything anyone would read, but some do. I have read some of it...and that both embarrasses me and to a degree annoys me at the same time. Its borderline fetish (goes over that border in some cases) being passed of as "legitimate" Science Fantasy really.

Confusingly, the series following is largely female.

.

Possibly so they can go out afterwards and kick random guys in the crotch...

Gryphon wrote:Doesn't sound like anything anyone would read, but some do. I have read some of it...and that both embarrasses me and to a degree annoys me at the same time. Its borderline fetish (goes over that border in some cases) being passed of as "legitimate" Science Fantasy really.

I reiterate the need for a meshed 15th ATAC/Avengers image at some point though...it's too epic not to at least try...

And a good mix it is.

Gryphon wrote:I reiterate the need for a meshed 15th ATAC/Avengers image at some point though...it's too epic not to at least try...

(On board the Masters' mothership, when the 15th is trying to hide)
SWHISH
Tirolian Guard:"Hah! Micronian! You missed with your blunt weapon!"
WHAM!
Angelo 'Thor' Dante: "Nope, just got you on the return boomerang."

taalismn wrote:

Gryphon wrote:I reiterate the need for a meshed 15th ATAC/Avengers image at some point though...it's too epic not to at least try...

(On board the Masters' mothership, when the 15th is trying to hide)
SWHISH
Tirolian Guard:"Hah! Micronian! You missed with your blunt weapon!"
WHAM!
Angelo 'Thor' Dante: "Nope, just got you on the return boomerang."

"You're mad, Edwards! Insane!"
"Why, yes, Hunter! I killed Lynn Kyle and I have Minmei hostage! That puts me in a most agreeable bargaining position!"
"You have Minmei?"
"Knows he not, Rick, position of bargaining he is not in, to plead for his life, especially, the ignorant one."
"What is your wife babbling about, Hunter?!"
"The apprentice you have slain, but not the master. Greatest jeopardy you are in; the manipulated truly is the manipulator."
"Oh, and you call ME demented?! What gar- (/VREEEETTTT!/ sounds of screaming in the background)...What the HELL..>!? What?!! WHERE'D SHE GET THAT THIN---( /VREEETSKROWWWW!!! / )"
"...I almost feel sorry for him..."
"Not I, Rick, not I. The Sithspawn now, while we have the chance, to be blasting out of existence with the main guns!"

The Macross materializes on a dusty plane.

The girls notice they're still practically naked, but at least the silk and chains were gone...

Kim: "Oh my Captain! It looks like we've landed on Mars, but it's somewhat different."

Gloval: "Hmmm... I must think on this." (Puts pipe to mouth)

Sammy: "Oh my Captain! No smoking on the bridge!"

Vannessa: "Oh my Captain! There are several unidentified ships approaching!"

Meanwhile on another part of the ship.

Minnay: "Oh my pilot! You must save me from my cousin!!!

Aboard the approaching ships...

Grel: "Sir, you've changed somewhat..."

Kyron: "Not one more word Grel, or I swear I'll use my extra arms to throttle you!"

taalismn wrote:"You're mad, Edwards! Insane!"
"Why, yes, Hunter! I killed Lynn Kyle and I have Minmei hostage! That puts me in a most agreeable bargaining position!"
"You have Minmei?"
"Knows he not, Rick, position of bargaining he is not in, to plead for his life, especially, the ignorant one."
"What is your wife babbling about, Hunter?!"
"The apprentice you have slain, but not the master. Greatest jeopardy you are in; the manipulated truly is the manipulator."
"Oh, and you call ME demented?! What gar- (/VREEEETTTT!/ sounds of screaming in the background)...What the HELL..>!? What?!! WHERE'D SHE GET THAT THIN---( /VREEETSKROWWWW!!! / )"
"...I almost feel sorry for him..."
"Not I, Rick, not I. The Sithspawn now, while we have the chance, to be blasting out of existence with the main guns!"

SRoss wrote:The Macross materializes on a dusty plane.

The girls notice they're still practically naked, but at least the silk and chains were gone...

Kim: "Oh my Captain! It looks like we've landed on Mars, but it's somewhat different."

Gloval: "Hmmm... I must think on this." (Puts pipe to mouth)

Sammy: "Oh my Captain! No smoking on the bridge!"

Vannessa: "Oh my Captain! There are several unidentified ships approaching!"

Meanwhile on another part of the ship.

Minnay: "Oh my pilot! You must save me from my cousin!!!

Aboard the approaching ships...

Grel: "Sir, you've changed somewhat..."

Kyron: "Not one more word Grel, or I swear I'll use my extra arms to throttle you!"

So what show was the last one?

Mars Base Sara, 2011.

“Checking in, Sparks, seeing anything?”
“Negative on sensor sweeps...minimal EM activity from the base; mostly just our guys....sweeping, sweeping, wait a minute...”
“What?”
“Wait a moment...okay, it’s back...just a glitch...that’s funny.”
“WHAT?!”
“Just for a moment the sensor reads shimmered, but they’re back just fine.”
“Enemy?”
“Doesn’t seem that way. Too general. Not picking up anything else. Probably just sand-static.”
“Right. Probably nothing. Keep an eye for anything funny, though.”
#SDF-1, Alpha Team checking in. We just had a sensor flicker out here! What gives?!”#
“SDF-1 to Alpha Team, we got the same here. Looks like sandstorm static discharging.”
#”Then why are all our sensors reporting that the atmospheric pressure just TRIPLED?!”#
“WHAT?!”

(Elsewhere)
Commander Lisa Hayes was making her way down one of the halls of the deserted base, her mind on things other than the chatter from the supply teams outside. But something DID penetrate her clouded thoughts:
(thudthump)
What was that?
Noise?
That’s funny....I didn’t notice that before...sand in the halls?
Are those...foot prints?
(THUMP)
Definitely something! Something moving up ahead!
(thumpCRASH!)
Definitely coming from that section over there!
Survivors?!
Culd it be...maybe..Karl?!
“Hello? Is anybody there?”
(thudthud)
Behind that door! Someone’s here!
“HELLO! I’m Commander Lisa Hayes with the UEDF! The SDF-1! Show yourself!”
(SLAM!)
#"GRAAAWWGHHH!!!"#
The massive white shape that launched itself through the door at Lisa Hayes was NOT what she was expecting.

(And another elsewhere)
“The micronians suspect nothing! Hold position!”
“We attack now, Lord Khyron?”
“HOLD your position! Attack at my command, not a moment sooner!”
“Micronian aircraft approaching!”
“HOLD POSITION! Don’t let them see us!”
“Motion behind us, Lord Khyron! Multiple contacts!”
“BEHIND US?! MICRONIAN TRICK!”
Khyron whirled his Glaug around in time to see the first of the green wave of Warhoon warriors fall upon his strike force in the canyon.

(And yet another elsewhere..)
“CAPTAIN GLOVAL! WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”
“THUNDERING ASTEROIDS! THE ZENTRAEDI!”
“No, sir! The ground teams report they’re under attack, not by mecha, but...cavalry?!”
“Multiple reports! Some sort of animals! And swords! Reports of gunfire! It’s not making any sense!”
Screens began lighting up on the SDF-1’s bridge, showing scenes of violence taking place, as spacesuited technicians were being swamped by hordes of multi-legged creatures, some small and fast, others large and elephantine...Gloval caught a glimpse of something tall, green, and spindle-armed, and a glimpse of a spearhead as it flashed in the camera’s field of view, before that screen went blank in static.
Another camera-view showed a Spartan destroid whirling about, chest cannon cluster cleared for action and spitting fire as multiple large forms charged its legs, Sparks and small explosions showered from its armor, showing that it was taking fire in return.
“Captain! CAP is reporting weapons fire in the hills just outside the base! -Zentraedi- weapons signatures! Multiple contacts! But...it’s not directed at us!”
“New contacts! Airborne, sixty klicks and closing! At least three! Unknown signatures! Big mothers!”
Gloval spared a moment from the screens to glance at the apparently deserted UN base in the near distance. Already he could see a cloud of dust rising above it. And beyond that, he thought he could see flashes of light..explosions...in the distant hills.
What the hell was going on? It was definitely an ambush, but something just didn’t seem right about it.
“Claudia, contact Lisa and recall her immediately!”
“I’ve been trying to, Captain, but she’s not responding!”
“DAMNATION!”

(....)
Lisa Hayes was trying not to throw up in her helmet, the dull ache in her stomach only aggravated by the constant bucking motion that she was being subjected to in a most awkward and uncomfortable position.
She’d been almost torn apart limb from limb by the massive slavering beast that had surprised her in Mars Base Sara...she could still see the spit spatted in her helmet from those massively fanged jaws that were just inches from crushing her head, when the thing had been slammed aside by the impact of a SPEAR into the side of its head. And what sounded like gunshots!
She’d turned in shock from the writhing mass of muscle and fur thrashing on the deck floor to catch a glimpse of silhouetted human(?!) forms in the hallway, and had thought for a moment that she had indeed found other human survivors...was about to thank her unexpected rescuers when instead they’d hit her, punching her hard in the gut with what felt like the pommel of aforementioned spear. Then something else had slammed into her helmet, knocking her the rest of the way down.
She came to the belated realization that she was NOT either the rescuer or the rescuee when she found herself thrown over the back of some sort of animal, her arms and legs bound, and carried out of Mars Base Sara with increasing speed. She still hadn’t gotten a good look at her current captors, but she was wondering at how far she could trust her senses; she’d caught a glimpse of lots of exposed skin, straps, and leather, and ...they weren’t wearing any sort of spacesuits or environmental protection, were they?
Was it nausea clouding her senses? Because from where she was currently, it seemed like the animal she was had a lot more than four legs. Then it all became a blur as the creature sped up and the dust and motion combined to make everything a mess as the commander just focused on not drowning in motion sickness.

(....)
“They want me to what?”
”Listen up, Rick! Bridge has lost contact with Commander Hayes! They want you to go check out the part of the base she was last seen at and find her! It’s urgent!”
“More urgent than THIS?!”
Rick Hunter fired another burst of gunpod fire at the charging mass of multi-legged cavalry that was threatening to overwhelm the ground crews evacuating from the base warehouses. Tall green multi-armed forms spilled from the mess, running for cover among the buildings. Then Rick ducked back as a barrage of small arms fire spackled the building he was hiding behind. Then he rolled out of the way as shrapnel rained down from the Zentraedi missile that exploded overhead, one of a volley that seemed to almost casually wander over the base from the three-way fight that was shaping up on the plains in the distance. Fighters and mecha and some sort of smaller craft danced in the air above, trading gun fire, missiles, and some sort of lightning-like rays.
“Follow your orders, Rick! That’s an order!”
‘Aye-aye, Roy! One rescue coming up.”
“Don’t get cocky!”
Fog of War, in Mars’ backyard. Gotta expect it.

Gryphon wrote:John Carpenter on Mars I think, the book, not the movie.

John Carter.
John Carpenter's the horror movie director.

Gods of Mars was the first (adult) fantasy book I ever remember seriously reading, so yes, I'm into the original.
Don't know how different the new editions are...though I am aware of several comic projects(Dark Horse mainly) to do various new stories set in the same Barsoom timeframe.

And, with regards to Mars Base Sara...it's never entirely clear what happened to it...the anime hints the base was depopulated by the humans themselves, perhaps as a side casualty of left-over tensions of the GCW and the anti-AUEG. Later fan sources argue MBS was murdered with biological or neutron weaponry, while others have tried to argue that a terrorist threat resulted in an evacuation, followed by the evac ships being sabotaged or destroyed by a hijacked Oberth-class destroyer. Some of the comic sources try to retcon in a Zentraedi scout force killing MBS by discreet means.
O'm leaning here towards a combination...whatever doesn't kill off all the MBS crew, unexpected interactions between alien tech being tested at MBS and a Thern, possibly Uvarian, dimensional experiment result in Mars Base Sara drifting in and out of phase between 'our' Mars and Barsoom, with what survivors wandering off on Barsoom or being picked off by the Barsoomians. The Greens and the Reds have been taking to treating the Base like another abandoned city, alternately fighting over it and looting it.
Now the SDF-1 and Khyron's little taskforce have been pulled over to the Barsoom side, and the Barsoomians are happily beating up on both. Sure, the Terrans/Zentraedi have technology and better strength(being raised in one-gee) but they lack numbers, and Barsoomian technology is still new to them...and Barsoomians are VERY good with melee weapons, so the SDF-1's ground crew is getting beaten up pretty much. And Green Martian marksmanship is still good enough to annoy the Zentraedi.
Lisa, damsel in distress? Yep. She was distracted enough that they surprised her, so she's going to need a rescue, though she's going to be mortified by being treated as a prize and by who gets sent to save her...

taalismn wrote:Mars Base Sara, 2011.

“Checking in, Sparks, seeing anything?”
“Negative on sensor sweeps...minimal EM activity from the base; mostly just our guys....sweeping, sweeping, wait a minute...”
“What?”
“Wait a moment...okay, it’s back...just a glitch...that’s funny.”
“WHAT?!”
“Just for a moment the sensor reads shimmered, but they’re back just fine.”
“Enemy?”
“Doesn’t seem that way. Too general. Not picking up anything else. Probably just sand-static.”
“Right. Probably nothing. Keep an eye for anything funny, though.”
#SDF-1, Alpha Team checking in. We just had a sensor flicker out here! What gives?!”#
“SDF-1 to Alpha Team, we got the same here. Looks like sandstorm static discharging.”
#”Then why are all our sensors reporting that the atmospheric pressure just TRIPLED?!”#
“WHAT?!”

(Elsewhere)
Commander Lisa Hayes was making her way down one of the halls of the deserted base, her mind on things other than the chatter from the supply teams outside. But something DID penetrate her clouded thoughts:
(thudthump)
What was that?
Noise?
That’s funny....I didn’t notice that before...sand in the halls?
Are those...foot prints?
(THUMP)
Definitely something! Something moving up ahead!
(thumpCRASH!)
Definitely coming from that section over there!
Survivors?!
Culd it be...maybe..Karl?!
“Hello? Is anybody there?”
(thudthud)
Behind that door! Someone’s here!
“HELLO! I’m Commander Lisa Hayes with the UEDF! The SDF-1! Show yourself!”
(SLAM!)
#"GRAAAWWGHHH!!!"#
The massive white shape that launched itself through the door at Lisa Hayes was NOT what she was expecting.

(And another elsewhere)
“The micronians suspect nothing! Hold position!”
“We attack now, Lord Khyron?”
“HOLD your position! Attack at my command, not a moment sooner!”
“Micronian aircraft approaching!”
“HOLD POSITION! Don’t let them see us!”
“Motion behind us, Lord Khyron! Multiple contacts!”
“BEHIND US?! MICRONIAN TRICK!”
Khyron whirled his Glaug around in time to see the first of the green wave of Warhoon warriors fall upon his strike force in the canyon.

(And yet another elsewhere..)
“CAPTAIN GLOVAL! WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”
“THUNDERING ASTEROIDS! THE ZENTRAEDI!”
“No, sir! The ground teams report they’re under attack, not by mecha, but...cavalry?!”
“Multiple reports! Some sort of animals! And swords! Reports of gunfire! It’s not making any sense!”
Screens began lighting up on the SDF-1’s bridge, showing scenes of violence taking place, as spacesuited technicians were being swamped by hordes of multi-legged creatures, some small and fast, others large and elephantine...Gloval caught a glimpse of something tall, green, and spindle-armed, and a glimpse of a spearhead as it flashed in the camera’s field of view, before that screen went blank in static.
Another camera-view showed a Spartan destroid whirling about, chest cannon cluster cleared for action and spitting fire as multiple large forms charged its legs, Sparks and small explosions showered from its armor, showing that it was taking fire in return.
“Captain! CAP is reporting weapons fire in the hills just outside the base! -Zentraedi- weapons signatures! Multiple contacts! But...it’s not directed at us!”
“New contacts! Airborne, sixty klicks and closing! At least three! Unknown signatures! Big mothers!”
Gloval spared a moment from the screens to glance at the apparently deserted UN base in the near distance. Already he could see a cloud of dust rising above it. And beyond that, he thought he could see flashes of light..explosions...in the distant hills.
What the hell was going on? It was definitely an ambush, but something just didn’t seem right about it.
“Claudia, contact Lisa and recall her immediately!”
“I’ve been trying to, Captain, but she’s not responding!”
“DAMNATION!”

(....)
Lisa Hayes was trying not to throw up in her helmet, the dull ache in her stomach only aggravated by the constant bucking motion that she was being subjected to in a most awkward and uncomfortable position.
She’d been almost torn apart limb from limb by the massive slavering beast that had surprised her in Mars Base Sara...she could still see the spit spatted in her helmet from those massively fanged jaws that were just inches from crushing her head, when the thing had been slammed aside by the impact of a SPEAR into the side of its head. And what sounded like gunshots!
She’d turned in shock from the writhing mass of muscle and fur thrashing on the deck floor to catch a glimpse of silhouetted human(?!) forms in the hallway, and had thought for a moment that she had indeed found other human survivors...was about to thank her unexpected rescuers when instead they’d hit her, punching her hard in the gut with what felt like the pommel of aforementioned spear. Then something else had slammed into her helmet, knocking her the rest of the way down.
She came to the belated realization that she was NOT either the rescuer or the rescuee when she found herself thrown over the back of some sort of animal, her arms and legs bound, and carried out of Mars Base Sara with increasing speed. She still hadn’t gotten a good look at her current captors, but she was wondering at how far she could trust her senses; she’d caught a glimpse of lots of exposed skin, straps, and leather, and ...they weren’t wearing any sort of spacesuits or environmental protection, were they?
Was it nausea clouding her senses? Because from where she was currently, it seemed like the animal she was had a lot more than four legs. Then it all became a blur as the creature sped up and the dust and motion combined to make everything a mess as the commander just focused on not drowning in motion sickness.

(....)
“They want me to what?”
”Listen up, Rick! Bridge has lost contact with Commander Hayes! They want you to go check out the part of the base she was last seen at and find her! It’s urgent!”
“More urgent than THIS?!”
Rick Hunter fired another burst of gunpod fire at the charging mass of multi-legged cavalry that was threatening to overwhelm the ground crews evacuating from the base warehouses. Tall green multi-armed forms spilled from the mess, running for cover among the buildings. Then Rick ducked back as a barrage of small arms fire spackled the building he was hiding behind. Then he rolled out of the way as shrapnel rained down from the Zentraedi missile that exploded overhead, one of a volley that seemed to almost casually wander over the base from the three-way fight that was shaping up on the plains in the distance. Fighters and mecha and some sort of smaller craft danced in the air above, trading gun fire, missiles, and some sort of lightning-like rays.
“Follow your orders, Rick! That’s an order!”
‘Aye-aye, Roy! One rescue coming up.”
“Don’t get cocky!”
Fog of War, in Mars’ backyard. Gotta expect it.

Nice.

taalismn wrote:Gods of Mars was the first (adult) fantasy book I ever remember seriously reading, so yes, I'm into the original.
Don't know how different the new editions are...though I am aware of several comic projects(Dark Horse mainly) to do various new stories set in the same Barsoom timeframe.

And, with regards to Mars Base Sara...it's never entirely clear what happened to it...the anime hints the base was depopulated by the humans themselves, perhaps as a side casualty of left-over tensions of the GCW and the anti-AUEG. Later fan sources argue MBS was murdered with biological or neutron weaponry, while others have tried to argue that a terrorist threat resulted in an evacuation, followed by the evac ships being sabotaged or destroyed by a hijacked Oberth-class destroyer. Some of the comic sources try to retcon in a Zentraedi scout force killing MBS by discreet means.
O'm leaning here towards a combination...whatever doesn't kill off all the MBS crew, unexpected interactions between alien tech being tested at MBS and a Thern, possibly Uvarian, dimensional experiment result in Mars Base Sara drifting in and out of phase between 'our' Mars and Barsoom, with what survivors wandering off on Barsoom or being picked off by the Barsoomians. The Greens and the Reds have been taking to treating the Base like another abandoned city, alternately fighting over it and looting it.
Now the SDF-1 and Khyron's little taskforce have been pulled over to the Barsoom side, and the Barsoomians are happily beating up on both. Sure, the Terrans/Zentraedi have technology and better strength(being raised in one-gee) but they lack numbers, and Barsoomian technology is still new to them...and Barsoomians are VERY good with melee weapons, so the SDF-1's ground crew is getting beaten up pretty much. And Green Martian marksmanship is still good enough to annoy the Zentraedi.
Lisa, damsel in distress? Yep. She was distracted enough that they surprised her, so she's going to need a rescue, though she's going to be mortified by being treated as a prize and by who gets sent to save her...

And interesting.

You have to figure that Martian warships are armed like the warships of the time....1910-1920's warships, only they FLY, and are powered by what sound suspiciously like zero-point energy perpetual motion engines, although the 'eighth ray' that levitates them is held in reservoirs, making the Martian warships more like dirigibles in that respect. And Martian guns fire explosive shells containing photo-sensitive radium-based explosives....which must make embedded bullet wound sheer madness for the surgeons to deal with...don't remove the bullet fast enough, the victim suffers radium poisoning. Remove the bullet in anything other than total darkness, and the round explodes.

Go by the books, and you see the Barsoomians are fiendishly clever about arcane technology; we see in the course of the books disintegrator rays, drone missiles, compasses that can lock onto individuals across planetary distances, brain transplants, cloning, genetic manipulation, telepathically-programmed AI systems, jet packs, terraforming, extraplanetary surveillance, and other gizmos. And then there's Barsoomian mental powers, and the odd tribes with divergent evolution, including telepathic illusion casting, so powerful that the illusions become convinced they're real and become self-sustaining.

Introducing Robotech and the Macross arc factions into it is NOT going to be a curbstomp for the Earthlings OR the Zentraedi..

But I picture Lisa Hayes being spirited away to face interrogation by one of the 'human' (Reds, Blacks, Yellow, or Thern) Martian factions, then, in true period style, being groomed as an unwilling wife or concubine for some appropriately devilishly handsome and degenerate prince, while Rick Hunter, shot down after straying out of range of support by the SDF-1, is forced to live off the land, and ends up still going after Commander Hayes, instead of trekking back to Mars Base Sara, which by now is effectively a noman's land claimed by various warring tribes of Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Blacks, plus the Zentraedi. The SDF-1 is forced to relocate in a hurry, but discovers that the Earth in this solar system is NOT the same one they left, a discovery Khyron also discovers when he tries to call in reinforcements, only to learn that the anomaly surrounding MBS is fickle to say the least and Zentraedi ships can only dribble through(meanwhile, Breetai considers what to do in the wake of the rather scrambled communiques coming from Mars).
After a lot of problems, Lang can discover that the area around MSB is the gateway back to their home universe, which leads Gloval to agonize; should he try to run the gauntlet to return to his Earth(making things more difficult might have Fokker run a mission to transmit a message to R-Earth UEG High Command, advising them of the situation, and then getting a return message telling the SDF-1 to stay there, since as long as the SDF-1 stays on the Barsoom side, the aliens are drawn to Mars, and leaving Earth alone....this also negates having to admit to the Earth public that the Macross Island civilians are still alive)? Or stay on this strnage version of Mars and try to survive, hoping that the Zentraedi don;t eventually get enough ships and forces through to hunt the SDF-1 down.
I could see Khyron SO threatening to blow up the Martian atmosphere plant...
And what if John Carter, Warlord of Mars and Gentleman of Virginia IS around? Can the forces of Helium and Thark stand up to the might of the Zentraedi?
And what effect does MInmei's singing have on the White Apes of Barsoom?

Lisa: I don't know what your problem is but hanging around women's underwear with a pervert is bad.
Minmai:That's PERVECT! Lady! and I was trying on some things.

“Ariel?”
“Yes, milord?”
“When I told you to conjure up a storm to blow a ship onto the island, THIS isn’t what I had in mind...”
The sorceror and the spirit looked down at the beach and then up at the giant Super Dimensional Fortress embedded by its sheer weight in it.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“.....”
“Seen that brute Caliban?”
“No...wait, I think that’s his arm and leg sticking out from under it down there.”
“Well, should we go down and say hello to the new neighbors?”
“Verily, milord Prospero.”

Prof. Lang studied the phenomenon that had appeared during the last fold. It looked like shards of broken glass swirling in light.

Lang: "Fascinating! I must study this fur... GWAAAAA!!!

Suddenly the Gorgonopsia that just came through leaped at him.

SRoss wrote:Prof. Lang studied the phenomenon that had appeared during the last fold. It looked like shards of broken glass swirling in light.

Lang: "[i]Fascinating! I must study this fur... GWAAAAA!!!

Suddenly the Gorgonopsia that just came through leaped at him.

Things I learned from that: NEVER use London indoor swimming pools alone after closing hours.

taalismn wrote:You have to figure that Martian warships are armed like the warships of the time....1910-1920's warships, only they FLY, and are powered by what sound suspiciously like zero-point energy perpetual motion engines, although the 'eighth ray' that levitates them is held in reservoirs, making the Martian warships more like dirigibles in that respect. And Martian guns fire explosive shells containing photo-sensitive radium-based explosives....which must make embedded bullet wound sheer madness for the surgeons to deal with...don't remove the bullet fast enough, the victim suffers radium poisoning. Remove the bullet in anything other than total darkness, and the round explodes.

Go by the books, and you see the Barsoomians are fiendishly clever about arcane technology; we see in the course of the books disintegrator rays, drone missiles, compasses that can lock onto individuals across planetary distances, brain transplants, cloning, genetic manipulation, telepathically-programmed AI systems, jet packs, terraforming, extraplanetary surveillance, and other gizmos. And then there's Barsoomian mental powers, and the odd tribes with divergent evolution, including telepathic illusion casting, so powerful that the illusions become convinced they're real and become self-sustaining.

Introducing Robotech and the Macross arc factions into it is NOT going to be a curbstomp for the Earthlings OR the Zentraedi..

But I picture Lisa Hayes being spirited away to face interrogation by one of the 'human' (Reds, Blacks, Yellow, or Thern) Martian factions, then, in true period style, being groomed as an unwilling wife or concubine for some appropriately devilishly handsome and degenerate prince, while Rick Hunter, shot down after straying out of range of support by the SDF-1, is forced to live off the land, and ends up still going after Commander Hayes, instead of trekking back to Mars Base Sara, which by now is effectively a noman's land claimed by various warring tribes of Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Blacks, plus the Zentraedi. The SDF-1 is forced to relocate in a hurry, but discovers that the Earth in this solar system is NOT the same one they left, a discovery Khyron also discovers when he tries to call in reinforcements, only to learn that the anomaly surrounding MBS is fickle to say the least and Zentraedi ships can only dribble through(meanwhile, Breetai considers what to do in the wake of the rather scrambled communiques coming from Mars).
After a lot of problems, Lang can discover that the area around MSB is the gateway back to their home universe, which leads Gloval to agonize; should he try to run the gauntlet to return to his Earth(making things more difficult might have Fokker run a mission to transmit a message to R-Earth UEG High Command, advising them of the situation, and then getting a return message telling the SDF-1 to stay there, since as long as the SDF-1 stays on the Barsoom side, the aliens are drawn to Mars, and leaving Earth alone....this also negates having to admit to the Earth public that the Macross Island civilians are still alive)? Or stay on this strnage version of Mars and try to survive, hoping that the Zentraedi don;t eventually get enough ships and forces through to hunt the SDF-1 down.
I could see Khyron SO threatening to blow up the Martian atmosphere plant...
And what if John Carter, Warlord of Mars and Gentleman of Virginia IS around? Can the forces of Helium and Thark stand up to the might of the Zentraedi?
And what effect does MInmei's singing have on the White Apes of Barsoom?

Wow.

batlchip wrote:Lisa: I don't know what your problem is but hanging around women's underwear with a pervert is bad.
Minmai:That's PERVECT! Lady! and I was trying on some things.

taalismn wrote:“Ariel?”
“Yes, milord?”
“When I told you to conjure up a storm to blow a ship onto the island, THIS isn’t what I had in mind...”
The sorceror and the spirit looked down at the beach and then up at the giant Super Dimensional Fortress embedded by its sheer weight in it.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“.....”
“Seen that brute Caliban?”
“No...wait, I think that’s his arm and leg sticking out from under it down there.”
“Well, should we go down and say hello to the new neighbors?”
“Verily, milord Prospero.”

SRoss wrote:Prof. Lang studied the phenomenon that had appeared during the last fold. It looked like shards of broken glass swirling in light.

Lang: "[i]Fascinating! I must study this fur... GWAAAAA!!!

Suddenly the Gorgonopsia that just came through leaped at him.

Don't know what that is.

taalismn wrote:

SRoss wrote:Prof. Lang studied the phenomenon that had appeared during the last fold. It looked like shards of broken glass swirling in light.

Lang: "[i]Fascinating! I must study this fur... GWAAAAA!!!

Suddenly the Gorgonopsia that just came through leaped at him.

Things I learned from that: NEVER use London indoor swimming pools alone after closing hours.

How bad?

Alpha 11 wrote:[Things I learned from that: NEVER use London indoor swimming pools alone after closing hours.

How bad?[/quote]

As in 'high-dive down the throat of a giant predatory aquatic dinosaur that wasn't there a moment ago' bad.

Alpha 11 wrote:

SRoss wrote:Prof. Lang studied the phenomenon that had appeared during the last fold. It looked like shards of broken glass swirling in light.

Lang: "Fascinating! I must study this fur... GWAAAAA!!!

Suddenly the Gorgonopsia that just came through leaped at him.

Don't know what that is.

It refers to the Primeval TV series.