EVENT ★ COWBOYS VS. ALIENS

[futurologists]

STATE OF THE PLANET Efforts in convincing the Qorral to stop drilling have been tentatively successful. Longterm solutions have been brought to them and, perhaps most importantly for the immediate, the fracking fields have been destroyed. The entire field has collapsed in on itself, taking mining equipment with it and creating a barren wasteland. In effect, the Qorral can no longer drill for argecite here, which means they will be leaving earlier than expected now that there is no use for the mining colony. It also means that the planet has been saved from being hollowed out completely. On the other hand, attempts at dealing with the Deemers have been a little shaky. By now, it's known that Miz Poppy is host to the Mother, the queen of this Taraxa hive. She remains elusive, slipping through the fingers of any who manage to find or capture her. Meanwhile, the infested Qorral have been dealt with in many ways: some opting for wholesale slaughter, some hoping to extract the Taraxa in the field, and some sending both extracted Taraxa and infested hosts back to Oska to be examined. As varied as the Deemer solutions have been, they have all resulted in the Deemer population being decimated. The numbers have dwindled as their camps are hunted down by ALASTAIR recruits, and attacks on the town of Perdition's Rest halt. But the Mother is still out there and free, and that's a problem . . . THE INVASION (DAY 1) In the morning, the ships come. Visible from the ground are massive spaceships in the upper atmosphere, gently drifting clouds sometimes blocking them from view. The Qorral don't recognize the ships; they're neither from their homeworld nor from any species they know, friendly or otherwise. For a few hours, the ships just hang in space like looming, silent buzzards, waiting. And then -- sparkling, metal objects start falling to the planet. It's difficult to tell what they are, as their scale is minuscule compared to the gigantic warships above, and their descent is strangely beautiful. But as the objects come closer to the surface, the details become clear: individual spacecraft. They're gleaming in gold and white metal, a triangle sigil painted on the sides, and cannons mounted on the bottom. These are Zymandis fighter craft. And they are not here to make nice. The fighter craft swoop down close and send a barrage of lasers down on Perdition's Rest, causing the local Qorral to scatter. But their fear doesn't last long: many immediately take up arms to fire back at the ships when they're low enough, including Sheriff Holladay, who shouts commands to anyone who will listen, Qorral and ALASTAIR alike: take cover, give 'em hell, and for sun's sake, don't be a hero. (Those who have been officially deputized may access the sheriff's armory, which includes all sorts of fun toys of the shooty variety.) But some Qorral have something else in mind. A small pack of locals rides out to the farm of Amos Zephyr -- and if you're suspicious enough to follow, it'll pay off. Beneath Zephyr's farm is a hidden defense platform: earth slowly moves aside as a metal platform raises up, home to mounted anti-aircraft cannons and fighter craft of their own. The Qorral fighter craft are intuitively designed, and the Qorral will also quickly give any curious ALASTAIR recruit a run-down on how to operate them. They're short-handed since so many of their number joined the Deemers, so they're very eager to allow anyone to try their hand at flying the two-man ships, which have their own mounted cannons and, of course, escape parachutes. The fighter craft are not meant for high altitudes, though, so your dreams of space travel will have to wait for another time. Those who do not wish to take flight and aren't comfortable with projectile weapons may find luck searching the desert for prey: namely, Taraxa agents attempting to flee in Zymandis escape pods. It seems as though the fighter craft are a distraction from the real goal of Zymandis helping its agents flee the planet. The Zymandis agents who are not Taraxa are variously humanoid, all equipped with laser weapons (spears, rifles, whips) that they will not hesitate to use against any who interrupt their attempts at escape. For those who aren't battle inclined, there are civilians who need to be ushered to safety, and quick repairs to weapons, equipment, horses, or even the Qorral fighter craft will be needed. This fight is going to be a long one. THE AFTERMATH (DAY 2) It's peaceful now. The Zymandis warships have fled into space with the surviving Taraxa agents in tow, the Mother presumably among them. The combined efforts of team Audentes and the Perdition's Rest colonists have successfully staved off the attack. The destruction wrought by Zymandis (and, perhaps, by overeager recruits themselves) is visible across the planet: deep fissures and scars from the laser cannons, fighter craft wreckage from both sides, burned buildings and trees, perhaps a fire still raging in the scrub grass somewhere. The Qorral aren't quite sure what that was all about, but they're more concerned with ALASTAIR's efforts in helping than in pointing fingers. Q-65 is no longer a suitable home, so the locals begin to pack up in preparation for the arrival of their homeworld's ships in the next few days. An old man puts his chess pieces away; a little girl clutches her robot pony doll, unwilling to put it in her suitcase; the stable owner and the blacksmith stand close together and talk in hushed, affectionate tones. Sheriff Holladay lets her deputies know they've served the colony well. It's bittersweet, but the Qorral always knew this settlement was never permanent. The mission complete, Audentes should expect to arrive back at Oska shortly. Use the time to say goodbye and finish up your business. Or, if you'd like, drink some of the booze that someone just found in the cellar beneath the burned-out saloon. It doesn't keep during interstellar travel, and no one will begrudge you a little celebration. OOC NOTES This log wraps up the Perdition's Rest mission! The log will last two IC days, after which characters will immediately return to Oska via dimensional rift (on 21 December in OOC time). Mission epilogue details will go up at a later date, but for now, Audentes can rest easy knowing that the mission has been a success. We will be posting an OOC post-mission assessment on 14 December so we can discuss how the mission went and talk about the state of the game in general. There is a new bounty on the Oska Bounty Board! Perdition's Rest bounties remain open until 21 December, at which point you will no longer be able to turn them in. You can also request bounty missions at any time. Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ. To submit a player plot or future mission idea, please go to the Suggestions post.

Comments

[assent]

[ Sonia's eyes have started to cloud over a little, as though she's letting her conscious sink back and let something more... instinctive take over. It's easier to do something like this while doing this, anyway. ]

That is curious, if we are all so crazy... why did you wish to join us to begin with?

[ Those running away had been hiding with them after all, but she isn't sure she has all the questions that Urahara might want to ask, she isn't aware of everything. She rolls her foot slightly, testing the weight a little. ]

I have always wondered if this heel would be sharp enough with the right pressure to severely do damage. What do you think?

[ Her head cants to the side. ] It has become rather worn after my time here.

[predomination]

[Urahara takes his cue, dropping his arm so that his blade falls at his side- causing the other men on the ground to flinch. from the back of his head, the other princess in this alley gives an amused chuckle. it's almost like they're bowing.

Urahara ignores her and steps up beside Sonia again.] You were observing us- sending word back to your friends in the Deemer camps. That's how they knew when to go after us in Graveyard Junction.

[the man writhes in agony as her heel digs deeper. "You seem like you know all the answers, you freaky bastard." He spits on the ground. "I don't have to tell y'all nothin' else."

Urahara tsks lightly, his own expression (and tone) going equally cold- they're both calling back old monsters hidden deep within themselves. later, he'll wonder what a sweet looking thing like her had to endure to acquire so many. but that's later, and she'll be wondering how a pleasant looking man in a stupid hat could be so cold and merciless at the same time, probably.] That's too bad. I think my friend here would be very content to leave you to bleed to death, slowly, with a few more puncture wounds.

[The man whimpers again, before steeling himself. "Maybe, but while you two are fuckin' around with us, hopin' to get some answers, the rest of our group is gonna meet up with the extraction team." He wheezes out a laugh. "And I'll give you that one, no problem, 'cause neither of you are gonna be fast enough to stop 'em."]

[assent]

[ In all honesty, she isn't thinking much on it at the moment--that will come later. Right now, she has to cut off her growth, her desperate attempt to forget while here all the things she'd done while brainwashed while Junko. She's done worse than this, mostly because they were so in love with despair they would enjoy (or at least seem to) giving and taking despair to others and even themselves. Blood starts to pool around where the sharp edge of her heel digs into skin, and if Urahara actually looks at her face he'll notice her eyes are starting to fade a little.

It's different this time because it's almost like she's on the side of the future foundation instead of the ones destroying the world, but it... doesn't make this anymore pleasant. ]

Will you be fast enough to catch up with them?

[ She knows she won't be, not without the right transport but after the things she saw him accomplish earlier it might be possible for him. ]

[predomination]

[he observes her carefully, daring to tear his eyes away from the matter at hand to see the way she's reacting to all this- how much of herself she seems to be losing. it's a stark reminder of everything he tries to beat back, and he narrows his eyes, reaching out as if he intends to grab her shoulder to pull her back.

but he hesitates when she speaks, accepting it as permission he didn't need, because he was debating on whether or not to lurch forward and leave her to deal with this miscreants- none of them can put up a fight, and even less of them can stand. she won't be bothered.

he takes a step back, dropping his hand and tightening his grip on his sword.] I doubt they can keep up with me. Do try to stay safe, while I take care of their allies.

[he pivots on his heels to face the end of the alley and he's gone in a literal flash.]