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| 41- The Jelly Rovers | |
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Suddenly the
commando is counterattacked by a shower of needles, and rapidly
withdraws: Zymachi have modified several Jellyfish in a humanoid
configuration, moving upstream. They have needle guns that pierce
mantles and armours alike, and bear the ensigns suggested by Proteena,
so each one is slightly different and recognizable. Idiot Zymachi is
still towed around.
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| 42- Diggers of the Free Machine. | |
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Commando leader is immobilized, one of the Zymachi frees Proteena, she's ok. The nano machine points out her scar, but she nods no, she wants to stay Mermaid. |
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The commando leader is pressed, and speaks out effortlessly: there are thousands of commandos like them, searching the Mine for Free Machines, like the one they stand on. They look for the most promising, feed them as babies. They've understood that empowering Free Machines may be the way to overturn the regime of the Jellyfish, so that Cycledwellers can rule over the Mine. |
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"Hermitokratos
himself has set his headquarters inside a giant Free Machine. There, he
and his army are safe from the Jellyfish. We, the Soldiers..." "Soldiers?" interrupts the Zero Zymachi, "Never heard of a Soldier mating with a Mermaid..." The commando leader takes off his helmet, completely transmutated into a Thief. Suddenly he springs away, and vanishes in the dark. Zymachi let him go, they have other priorities. |
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They surround the so called Free Machine, that strange, fuzzy outgrowth. Piercing the skin, they inoculate some short strings into it's core. After a while, we see luminescent buoys make their way from the inside, peeking through the surface, attracting hungry Jellyfish. The Free Machine collapses. |
| 43- Promoting Self Destruction. | |

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