I'll admit it: I'm as susceptible to celebrity as the next sentient being. When I first arrived on Tau Station and learned that the captain of the Amethyst was one of the very first clones awakened there post-Catastrophe, I was intrigued. And when I checked my CORETECHS and found he'd begun a blog--again, the first to do so--I just had to follow it. And him. Clearly this Ovid was destined for great things.
I watched Ovid's blog avidly, hoping for another update, recycling my CORETECHS every few segments lest I miss one. And recycled it again... and again... Days passed, but Ovid never said another word, preferring to remain a man of mystery. I rationalized it, reasoning that if he wanted to avenge himself on whoever set him up, he'd want to avoid leaving obvious clues in the mesh.
I never truly expected to meet Ovid in person, but even the thought of a virtual legend walking the same Tau Station corridors I did, drinking the same beer, scavenging the same ruins, was enough for me. So I was more than a little astonished when my CORETECHS flickered and identified the Baseline male coming towards me as Ovid himself! I was about to meet this legend!
Not wanting to go full "fanboy" on him, I focused on trying to appear casual. Which is why I was totally unprepared when, without a single word, Ovid whipped a nasty-looking shiv from his belt and lunged at me. I managed to sidestep his strike--barely--and automatically drew the tarnished sword hanging at my hip, shifting my stance and counterattacking almost instinctively. (Bless you, Combat nanites!)
Ovid seemed to lose his taste for fighting as soon as he was facing someone ready to fight back. (Either that, or he didn't want to risk security finding him.) He disappeared almost as quickly as he appeared, still without a word of explanation, leaving me adrenalized and thoroughly bewildered.
I'm a lot more cautious since then. Stations seem less welcoming now. I spend most of my time in a hotel room, venturing out only for specific purposes. Whenever I'm out, I try to keep close tabs on everyone else in the area with me, always wary, always poised to defend at a unit's notice.
Thank you, Ovid, for opening my eyes to the true nature of the 'verse.
Re: Star Struck Posted from Yards of Gadani (Alpha Centauri) by moritz at 197.92/42:556 GCT
I feel guilty, friend, I should have warned you. Ovid also attacked me, back when I was visiting the Sol Jump Gate for the first time.
Being much worse prepared and equipped than I am now, I lost that fight, along with about it 800c and 10 segments of my life that I had to spend recovering in the Sick Bay.
Shockingly this happened in front of two government officials who did nothing to intervene.
It seems we all had our Ovid moment...
Re: Star Struck Posted while traveling from Alpha Centauri Jump Gate (Alpha Centauri) to Tau Station (Sol) by Shadow at 197.92/91:403 GCT
Please feel no guilt, good ser. If memory serves, this unfortunate encounter was long before I met you.
...Which means, I suppose, that it is I who should feel guilty for not posting this blog entry much earlier and thereby warning you.
Sweet Revenge Posted while traveling from Sol Jump Gate (Sol) to Alpha Centauri Jump Gate (Alpha Centauri) by moritz at 198.16/43:837 GCT
Today, I was finally able to get back to Ovid.
I was minding my own business on Nouveau Limoges, when I saw him standing in the bank, discussing something with the teller.
Quickly, I smeared some black goo on the nearest surveillance cameras, and waited until he was leaving. Just outside the door, I sliced him open with my trusty sword.
After two or three strikes, Ovid attempted to flee, and while I chased him down once, he managed to duck into an alley the second time, and was gone.
Smoldering with rage, I went through the station is search of the brigand. At the hotel, two others stood, and looked at me in funny way. I'm ashamed to say that, blind with rage, I attacked them and sent them to the sick bay, and wasn't too proud to loot them before they were carried off.
Then I retired to my room, and rested for a few segments. Then I got a fresh Nanite injection at the splendid University, and planned to travel elsewhere. And at the port, guess who I saw, still limping from the wounds I inflicted earlier? Yes, it was Ovid.
I can't even remember if I bothered to deal with the cameras this time; I cornered him, and there was no running away this time.
I took fewer credits from him than he stole from me back then, but seeing him collapsed on the floor as the paramedics scrambled to keep him alive -- that was a very satisfying view. Now I feel our score is settled.
Shadow, I'm sorry to steal your platform for my own ramblings, but I feel this belonged here.
Re: Sweet Revenge Posted from Yards of Gadani (Alpha Centauri) by Shadow at 198.16/79:724 GCT
I can only hope that this dissuades Ovid--and others--from randomly attacking passers-by. Somehow, I suspect it won't.
You can only hope that the two unfortunates you attacked outside your Hotel don't in time avenge themselves against you in the very same way.
Re: Re: Sweet Revenge Posted from Paris Spatiale (Alpha Centauri) by moritz at 198.16/81:353 GCT
You are right, of course. The spiral of violence will continue, as it has for the last several thousand years of human history, and it is partly my fault. And who could blame the innocent bystanders for wanting revenge eventually?
Re: Sweet Revenge Posted from Yards of Gadani (Alpha Centauri) by Shadow at 198.17/80:833 GCT
I think you may have dealt Ovid a harsher blow than even you realized. He's now blathering on about being in some sort of "game" where he can "cheat" by making himself "invincible." Delusions of grandeur, obviously, but I'm unsure whether this mental instability will render him more or less dangerous.
Re: Re: Sweet Revenge Posted from Moissan Station (Alpha Centauri) by moritz at 198.17/81:405 GCT
Frankly, I am surprised. He was cunning, but not the best fighter. Did nobody else beat him before?
Re: Sweet Revenge Posted from Yards of Gadani (Alpha Centauri) by Shadow at 198.17/82:356 GCT
Perhaps, but not as badly. Or perhaps Ovid had always been able to flee previously, and you broke his streak (as well as his head).
I'm trying to decide whether congratulations are in order...
Re: Star Struck Posted from Nouveau Limoges (Sol) by Ovid at 198.16/87:264 GCT
Now we have a policy in place that staff shouldn't be attacking or otherwise interacting with players. Turns out many games which have done this have had accusations of "cheating" leveled against the staff. Plus, I can easily go in and make myself a "god" and pretty much invincible, even when unarmed/unarmored, so that's not really fair :)
Re: Star Struck Posted from Yards of Gadani (Alpha Centauri) by Shadow at 198.17/80:653 GCT
I'm sorry, Ovid. I didn't realize I had struck you on the head quite so hard. It appears inadvertently to have caused you to suffer from some sort of mental delusion. Games? Staff? Cheating? "God"?
May I suggest a nice, quiet rest in Sick Bay?