AUGUST TDM.

[ximilian]

● ● ● T D M . 0 3

// PART I. all that glitters  

… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?

The words, when they die out, leave you in emptiness — despairing, all-consuming, the kind that invites only the worst thoughts. What have you done? What have you agreed to do?

But then, from the emptiness, a golden light shines, and as you reach for it —

you wake up.

1.0   Perhaps it was less the golden light in your dream and more the insistent feeling of something metallic poking your side repeatedly, making beeping noises… wait, beeping noises?

When you look down, you’ll see a small robot staring at you and looking less than happy (maybe it has something to do with your disheveled state, maybe it's still mad about having to clean up after a certain pizza-induced mess). When you get up, it unleashes a series of beeps — and then furiously starts to scrub the floor.

Yes, the floor — instead of waking up in a bed, you find yourself lying on a hallway, white walls and white floor surrounding you. You don’t have long to stare at the minimalistic look of everything around you before the little bot starts poking you again, the word MOVE blinking across its visor.

So better get out of its way! Perhaps you’re on the hallway on your own and leave on your own… or perhaps there’s someone else, sleeping near you. Maybe do them the courtesy of waking them up before this little angry bot does! Or perhaps you’re the poor soul still sleeping and needing a rescue before the beeps make it to you.

2.0   If you need a visit to the infirmary, the situation may be more dire — perhaps there’s blood on the wall that you wake up against, your clothes may be dirty or ragged… whatever it is that has happened to you before waking here and has left you injured, it sure doesn’t create a reassuring sight. Best get to the infirmary as soon as possible.... with some assistance, perhaps.

Once upright, you may notice there’s something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.

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// PART II. the new staycation  

So what else is there to do but to explore? Best get to know what is now your new home.

3.0   The most pressing question that you might ask yourself is: but where will I stay? The question is answered once you walk through the winding white corridors to the common area. Behind it, there are three types of rooms: those with one bed, two beds and four beds. The rooms are clinical yet clean, and sparsely-furnished — and most importantly, most are occupied. So be prepared to get some roomies!

4.0   You may find your way to the armory, where you can try to work the machine there to make yourself a weapon — perhaps to replace one that didn’t come with you to the station… or maybe you want to be prepared for the future. The recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.

And speaking of weapons: to put it to good use, head to the training room, where the entire purpose is to provide you with a space to spar and train to your heart’s content!

5.0   After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which… seems to be filled with a lot of leftovers: takeout boxes with an assorted collection of pizza slices, kung pao chicken, lamb curry... not to mention the entire tray of chocolate brownies. Feel free to eat your fill — or if takeout isn’t your cup of tea, open one of the large fridges to pick fresh ingredients and make your own lunch.

6.0   A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. A new addition is a flower garden where there once was a meadow — now, roses, camellias, lilies and dozens of other flowers sway in the wind, all varieties in their own flower beds, with a winding path of stones leading through them. The path leads to where a bridge rises over a sparkling, babbling brook.

Here, it is easy to forget you are in space at all. Perhaps that gives you comfort, or just makes you miss the real nature all the more.

7.0   If you’d rather choose tinkering over nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes containing assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging, and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to make!

8.0   If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.

// VIVECA.AI

Hi everyone, just letting you know there’s a new supply drop. It should be a little more… well, organised than before. If you made requests for items earlier, you should find them in a separate pile near the platform.

Indeed, the platform near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on it. There’s clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books… even a couple of CDs, and a few cute stuffed animals. So sort through what there is and grab what you want, before someone else does!

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// PART III. bright young things  

(CW: POTENTIAL BODY MODIFICATION)

Whether you’re a quick study and you’ve become settled into life on the station, or you want to get the full lay of the land (in a manner of speaking) first, if you decide to explore the hall past the control room, you’ll eventually come across the simulation room.

Step past the threshold and the doors will slide shut with a quiet woosh. Nothing suspicious; nothing to worry about. But before you can really get a sense of your environment (a grey, large-ish empty room, no furniture, no discernable objects to provide markers), the room goes dark, and then … there’s really no other way to describe it: the room transforms.

You find yourself in a club. The music is upbeat, loud, but not too loud. Down a short flight of steps flanking the bar and seating is the open floor with more tables and booths bathed in a warm, dim glow of light, and at the very end of the room is a stage with its bright spotlight showcasing its performers — though, at the moment, the stage is empty.

9.0   When you take a step forward, you’ll feel a presence gently push at your chest or your shoulder — a tall and jovial man resembling a well-dressed bartender from the top up (the rest of him appears to move along wheels) approaches with a tall flute glass in hand. Its contents are sparkly and blue.

“Hello, there. Care for a drink? I’m afraid you won’t be allowed to continue until you do, and I assure you this is entirely safe. All effects you might experience remain only so long as you participate in this simulation.

Will you proceed? Please respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”

There’s something a little strange about his voice, a cadence that doesn’t sound quite natural even when the simulation is so realistic otherwise. Once you’ve given your consent, the bartender continues.

“One thing you should know: there is an orb within this club. This drink will aid in your ultimate retrieval of the orb. To better blend in with our patrons, you may experience temporary changes within your body. Good luck.”

10.0   It seems the bartender wasn’t lying. Once you’ve allowed the drink (tasty, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, effervescent, with light notes of your fondest childhood memory) to settle in your stomach you might experience a myriad of effects on your body, ranging from a change in skin colour (pink? green? blue with spots?), an additional limb or two (or three), a tail or wings, or cybernetic parts such as lie-detecting eyes or a tongue that can uncover truths and lies in others. If you happen to find another Orber within the room and both of you have consumed the offered drink, you might find yourself experiencing a full bodyswap.

None of the changes are painful; if anything, they might not even be noticeable until you look into a mirror, look down at your limb-in-question, or your companion points it out.

11.0   The moment you approach the stage, a performer will appear as if out of thin air and begin to sing, her voice strong and smoky and melodic. Her enthralling performance could put you into a trance, but you have an orb to find and a personal task to accomplish, so it’s time to put your best foot forward and do a little investigating.

Talking to some of the patrons might prove fruitful as some of them are convinced that the stage has never sounded or looked so good, like there’s something giving performers that extra oomph that no one can explain. It might be wise to wait until that last performance before you sneak up there — or maybe you want to do a little snooping around now, you know, while everyone’s distracted. Strategize with your fellow Orbers and uncover the location of this hidden orb.

● ● ●

N O T E:   The effects of the drink and the level of changes your character experiences is entirely up to you. Patrons of this fine club won’t bat an eye if you look a little like them.

Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.

A   If you’ve been given a particular body change that might aid you in this mission, do not use it to your advantage.

B   Team up with a fellow Orber to uncover the hidden location.

C   Get up on stage and put on a performance during the simulation. Your song choice will determine the outcome of success in your investigation.

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F Y I

• TDM threads can be considered game canon so long as all parties involved agree to it.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open August 27.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.

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FOR SOME FUN:

Have a listen for some clues about the second mission.
(Hint: there are four clues in total.)

▶ NAV

Comments

Kaidan Alenko | Mass Effect Trilogy

[majorbiotic]

New Staycation

Exploring his new environment was the first thing on his mind. Kaidan wanted to get a lay of the land, so to speak, and take stock of the people who would be here. The Citadel this was not-- no Avira to speak with if he needed directions anywhere. Though in a way this did remind him of the Citadel, or at the very least the feeling of being overwhelmed by the size and unfamiliarity of the place.

He stood for a long time in the armory thinking over what he should do in terms of weaponry. Could he just request anything? Were there regulations? Did his Spectre status mean anything here? That last one he very much doubted.

Kaidan was a little bemused by the kitchen. He got a little too used to military rations, so all the takeout boxes surprised him. Were those actual chocolate brownies? He picked one up and nibbled on a corner. Unbelievable. Well, now he had to check the fridge to see what fresh food was here. His head spun a little.

But the lab was where he got the most excited. Not the chemistry side as much as all the tools and gadgets. He wasn't as good as Tali at cobbling things together, but he didn't want to completely rely on his omni-tool in this place. And if he could somehow combine that with his biotics, all the better. He started looking through the boxes for pieces that might work.


Bright Young Things

Accepting an unfamiliar drink from a bartender was usually not a smart thing to do. Kaidan stared at it dubiously trying to judge the best move before finally drinking it and going on inside. So far he didn't feel any different. On to the mission: looking for the orb. What he hadn't noticed yet was that the drink had caused antennae to sprout from his head. They twitched a bit when he was listening to a conversation but so far not enough to catch his attention.


[Will match style if you prefer brackets. Also wildcard?? IDK Kaidan will be lost on how roommates work because he's always just been assigned those. Might also pop him in the training room or wherever. PM me if you want to plot a thing]

kitchen

[hikae]

Majima could swear he started to see new faces around the station, so where he just so happened to walk on Kaidan eating a brownie he— moved past him, to rummage through the leftover boxes. Quickly resigning himself to pizza slice. That's when he passed near Kaidan again, pizza slice on a plate, ready to be heated, and he pointed at the brownie.

"Get'em while they're still here. Turns out it's a rare treat in space"

[majorbiotic]

He paused with the brownie still in his mouth and turned toward the new face. Kaidan probably had an expression similar to a kid who got caught with their hand in a cookie jar. He didn't think to make sure these brownies didn't belong to anyone before helping himself. He swallowed his bite and let out a sheepish laugh.

"Yeah. I can't remember the last time I tasted real chocolate. Or seen pizza, come to think of it. Where did all this food come from?"

[hikae]

"Aw, really? That's a rare treat— wherever you come from?" Majima scrunches his nose and gestures widely around the 'wherever' word. "Now I'm curious"

But first, he puts the pizza into the microwave. It's never as good re-heated, but beggars can't be choosers and he's hungry. And simultaneously too uninspired to put any effort into making something out of base ingredients.

"All these junk-food treasures are a gift. A 'mission well-done' reward" he turns to Kaidan, arms crossed. "They told us to not expect that every time"

[majorbiotic]

"Military," he explained with a shrug. He didn't want to go into the war right now. "Having a steak sandwich for lunch was a treat." Though that leftover lamb curry was tempting. He might just heat that up once the other man's pizza was done.

"Quite the reward," Kaidan remarked with a little smile. He tried to imagine how the Normandy crew would react to something like this when they completed a mission. Spread like this might as well be a party. "Certainly motivating for those who can eat this kind of food."

[hikae]

So a soldier, huh?

"Seriously? One could think they'd fed better. Guess it ain't much different over here. But there's always somethin' in the fridge." Granted, Majima never had much experience with the military. Not really the crowd to visit the cabaret or patron a club. Though there were few names with history to run really far away from (or towards, if you're into living dangerous life) mentioned on the streets, in the underground. Soldiers know how to fight. Means Kaidan knows how to fight— train of thought interrupted by the sudden ping of the microwave. And there it is.

Majima took the pizza out but before taking the first bite he repeated Kaidan's words, mimicking his cadence without thinking.

"—those who can eat this kind of food" A beat. "Ya got allergies or somethin'?"

[majorbiotic]

The moment he heard the machine go off to signal the man's food being done, Kaidan grabbed the lamb curry. A treat like that couldn't be ignored.

"No, not allergies." Gene therapy took care of that sort of thing-- except in cases like Specialist Traynor. "I mean like other species." Granted, he hadn't come across any other species on the station yet, but surely there were some here? "There can't just be humans living here," he went on, phrasing it almost like a question.

[hikae]

"They're... not." Majima tentatively agreed as it dawned to him what kind of 'species' Kaidan probably was talking about. "There's a guy who looks like a skeleton, a short furry one with flappy ears— also a floating mechanical somethin' "

Maybe if he joined that sci-fi movie marathon that the rest of Sunshine peeps were organizing, he'd knew more proper wording to use. He got plenty up to speed with the space vocabulary, but it still was lacking in place.

"For what it's worth, they get to order what they needed the most too. Banana-cream pie extraordinaire—" Time to bite into the pizza and not speak with a full mouth, he's civilized!

[majorbiotic]

A skeleton. That was... different. And he could only guess what the furry one with the flappy ears could be. Sounded like Kaidan needed to do some more exploring around the station once he finished eating.

"That's good. We're all working together." He waited for his curry to heat up. Maybe he could tinker with that machine a little to help it heat food a little quicker. Probably should ask permission before doing something like that. "How long have you been on the station?" he asked.

[hikae]

What kind of military this man was part of? Sometimes the most familiar concepts were turned over their head here, and it was confusing—— as much as it was just damn fascinating.

"Over a week, total. Maybe closer to over two. Been longer on the ground, the mission lasted over a month" It's all borrowed time anyway, so Majima didn't really stick to counting time passage. "Day and night down there made for easier trackin' of time"

Well, time to shoot something in the dark.

"Ya seem quite used to these concepts, ya know?" Species. Space stations. He doesn't specify, keeping the question general. Or maybe it's just the calm trained into soldiers.

[majorbiotic]

He nodded, absorbing the information. He would definitely have to learn more about this station on his own. For now he would just ask around and learn what he could from the people who lived here. The man's comment also made Kaidan realize how foreign this place really was. A human in uniform would automatically be assumed as Alliance back home.

"I'm in the Alliance navy," he explained. "We've operated in space for decades. Humans are newer to galactic politics, but I've had the privilege of working with several different species in my career. The ship I currently serve on has four other species on-board, other than humans. Ah, maybe five?"

He wasn't exactly sure how to categorize EDI. She was the ship's AI but she had her own personality; she was sentient.

[hikae]

Galactic politics here. Alien attacks somewhere else. Maybe if he took notes he could form this all into a cohesive timeline. Ice-breaker game where instead of placing yourself on the map, you put yourself on the year. Majima chuckled at these thoughts.

"The future sure is goin' to be excitin' for Earth— There's a guy named Newt who mentioned war with aliens as his current reality. Or rather just after that got solved. Good to know some of 'em can be buddies"

Kaidan must be further in the future than Newt tho, that nerd never said anything about being in space for decades and (especially) friendly cooperation. Still, it's probably good to know who might be closer to your times, than who's not, and that kind of information he can offer freely. Either way, they're all had their own baggage, and reason to be here. Buying another chance for services. May it work well this time.

Majima's expression darkened briefly, but he took that chance to inhale what was left of his pizza slice. He buttoned up the loose two upper buttons of his shirt and straightened the collar.

"Me, I was merely a cabaret manager back in 1988—" And that's where Majima's informal way of speech dropped, suddenly changing into a professional and suave cadence followed by an overly theatrical bow. "Name's Goro Majima. A pleasure to meet you sir"

And then— it's all gone, as he relaxes back to his previous stance.

[majorbiotic]

Newt. He filed the name away for future investigation. Meeting someone from another time wasn't too strange for him, but from so recent in the past as the First Contact War was very different than the fifty-thousand year gap that Javik boasted. Not that Kaidan wanted to assume it was that war or even his known reality, but definitely worth looking into.

"We're trying to cooperate," Kaidan amended. "Our crew is pretty unusual, to be honest." An extreme understatement, to be sure. "But we've all known each other for years and have been through a lot together. I think that helps."

When he heard the year Goro was from, both of Kaidan's eyebrows shot up. "That's two centuries ago," he gaped. Again, not as long ago as Javik, but even so. He cleared his throat. "Ah, right. Major Kaidan Alenko, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Or just Kaidan is fine."

wildcard? training room? y/n?

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

Zhao had a few weapons brought with him when he arrived so didn't take much interest in the armory but he did find the training room intriguing. He liked to watch the people spar or practice various styles of training. It was interesting to see what all different types there were in this strange gathering of people from all over.

When he spotted Kaiden entering the room and offered a small nod of acknowledgement. "Hey," he said in simple greeting. "Interested in this sort of stuff?" He said as he gestured to two people sparring on the floor. Or maybe Kaiden was just checking out all the rooms in the station? It was a lot to take in for a new person. Zhao new the feeling well, he was new here also.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan gave a polite nod of return to the stranger. The training room certainly was an interesting place to meet new people. He glanced over to the sparring.

"If you're asking if I'd like to spar, sure. I could probably use the practice; I don't do much hand-to-hand combat." He probably could have asked James if he was interested. It'd be a little less embarrassing if this stranger kicked his ass, though.

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

"Oh? That so? Ah, then that sounds perfect for me. What say you and I dance for a little bit? I'm probably a bit rusty myself."

He absolutely was not rusty in the least. But his new sparring partner didn't need to know that. He'd go gentle on the fellow, he promised himself. Probably. Maybe.

His inner thoughts didn't show in his relaxed posture or his easy-going smile as he pushed off the wall. In fact his clothing from home probably didn't look very conductive to any overt movement at a glance. Yet he headed over towards an occupied sparring ring and hopped in anyway, hoping the other man would follow.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan let out a little laugh. Dancing, huh? He followed the other man over to the ring, judging that his uniform would be suitable enough for this.

"Before we get started, maybe a ground rule?" Kaidan suggested. "Just our hands and feet. Nothing else in play." He didn't know this man or his strengths, so taking out biotics seemed fair. "And let's try not to break anything. No risking serious injury and putting ourselves off the next mission."

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

Zhao nodded in agreement. Those rules were probably smart given the circumstances. Also, it gave him the distinct advantage as he knew several forms of unarmed kung fu styles.

Sorry, Kaiden, no one ever said a gangster played fair.

"No problem. That sounds good."

After a brief touch of hands together and--was that a small bow?--the Chinese man entered what could only be described as a loose fighting stance that looked like someone mimicking what they saw on an action tv flick of dubious validity. That or someone was already drunk as he swayed slightly in position.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan's stance was much more straightforward: one foot slightly in front of the other, fists curled and arms up ready to block. He took a quick measure of his opponent. He knew the unarmed fighting styles of turians and krogan but not so much with humans that fell outside the Alliance's training. He could only guess what he was about to be in for.

That stance had to be deceiving, he judged. Still, he didn't want to come off as too cautious, so he took a step forward without immediately attacking.

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

Basic stance, not bad but also no style to it. If Zhao had to guess based on all he already picked up from the guy (from his speech to the way he conducted himself and now the basic fighting stance) he would go with formally trained in the basics of unarmed combat without much practice after-the-fact; so military most likely. He had no idea beyond that though as accent was lost to the translator and he hadn't picked up anything else familiar enough for placement.

He didn't really need the in-depth analysis to fight though. It wasn't really his style to do that sort of thing. It just happened sometimes with his over active mind. He ignored it and watched the other move.

The step forward was met with a staggering cross step to the side that pitched the Chinese man awkwardly. However, when nothing more was forthcoming, Zhao's hands rose. First was a lazy feint with his right hand and then a follow-up strike with his left that was also deceptively weak and awkward looking. Though if it landed Kaiden would learn that there was more force behind it than looked accurate to the movement. If that didn't hit though perhaps the barely noticeable leg sweep that came as Zhao 'tripped' from the missing attacks would work.

[majorbiotic]

This was the strangest sort of fighting he'd ever seen. It was very deceptive, making him think the man was uncoordinated or clumsy. Of course Kaidan knew better than to actually believe that, so he tried to concentrate and keep his guard up. Defaulting into a defensive position since this man's fighting style was unfamiliar and he had no idea what to expect.

He managed to block the first blow, but hadn't seen the leg sweep and for what it was and had to fight to not react with any biotics.

"Good one," he praised. Kaidan had a feeling his training would make any offensive moves read like an open book by comparison, but he would give it a try anyway. He could pull off a feint too, acting like he was swinging for Zhao's head only to twist at the last moment and kick out toward his knee instead.

The guy was a good dance partner, no question, making Kaidan think of different steps. He liked the challenge.

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

Zhao nodded slightly at the praise but kept quiet while he was in the zone. What Kaiden didn't know was that it was actually quiet hard for Zhao to stay this quiet while in a fight. He was usually a loud talker in a brawl. Of course, the fights he usually got into were with punks and enemies so he felt no qualms in trash-talking them. This friendly spar was a little different.

Even if he had been deceptive about it. He might apologize for that later. Or he might not.

The feint was met with a twist of Zhao's body to avoid it but his eyes caught sight of the real attack, too, as it began and he switched tactics accordingly. The dodge turned into a block as he brought up his leg to prevent the blow from hitting his knee and took it on his shin instead. He didn't flinch. Despite the vulnerable strike area the Chinese man barely felt a thing, his body hardened from training in styles that conditioned the body to take strong hits.

In a sudden change of tactics, Zhao's movements quickly changed and an attack very much like that of a striking snake flew at Kaiden with the speed of lightning. At the end of it, Zhao dropped back down into the swaying, drunken pose as before as if nothing had happened.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan wouldn't necessarily mind if Zhao talked while they sparred. He might not be too chatty personally, but he fought alongside people who were and it didn't bother him. But he didn't know he should be encouraging this guy to trash-talk, and Kaidan didn't know him well enough to fire off his own comments. At the moment he was too busy focusing on what he was doing to think much about trash-talk, anyway.

This guy's fighting style was unlike any Kaidan had ever seen before. He was liking the challenge of it even as he was getting soundly shown up. The last strike was so quick Kaidan reacted on instinct, throwing up his biotic barrier to soften the blow. He held up a hand to pause their fight so he could step back and take a breath. He lowered his barrier again.

"Sorry, you caught me by surprise. But damn, your moves are impressive. I can see them coming in handy for covert missions."

[essenceofdeadlybeasts]

Zhao took a step back as Kaiden held up his hand for a break. Perhaps he wouldn't normally have given to such politeness but the barrier had gotten his attention. It wasn't quite like the normal Heat of Battle aura he was accustomed to. It wasn't too dissimilar though that he would have stopped the fight upon seeing it himself. If anything, it may have just caused him to use some of his own Heat abilities.

"Well, you could say that's what Drunken Fist is all about. Deceiving the enemy, appearing weaker than you are. It's also about moving like water and going with the flow. Got a little hasty though, switched it up there for a moment. I'm sorry, did I forget to mention I'm a Kung Fu master of several styles?"

He said it so obnoxiously it was almost cute sounding. He had a charisma that he didn't always try to throw in people's faces but came naturally. Didn't work on everyone of course, and often annoyed people who didn't like a good joke. He smiled sweetly and, just for kindness sake, added:

"Nah, don't worry about it. Sorry for throwing you under the bus. Nice block though. That's a handy aura you've got there."

[majorbiotic]

Drunken Fist... That was a fitting name, Kaidan reflected, as the guy had looked like he was drunk. A lot of what he said could apply to lectures Kaidan gave his Spec-Ops students, though admittedly he hadn't trained any of them to fight like this. Still, he smiled the more the man spoke. The way Zhao spoke put him at ease; he was used to people joking around, and it helped remind him that he could probably joke a little more himself.

"I didn't exactly tell you that I'm a biotic, either," Kaidan pointed out with a shrug. "Yeah, the barrier's pretty handy. It was just instinct to throw it up." He wasn't all that bothered that he lost this match. If anything, he saw it as an opportunity to learn something new.

"Can't say I know much about kung fu styles," he went on thoughtfully. "I think maybe I saw a vid once as a kid? Definitely not something they taught us in the Alliance."