EVENT ★ MOTHERSHIP II

[futurologists]

TIME TO MOVE The alarms throughout the Mothership continue to blare, the warning about intruders repeating every thirty seconds: you've been found out. It's only a matter of time before Zymandis locates the intruders among them (that's you!), so it's crunch time to finish the mission objectives before everything goes straight to hell. It won't be easy -- Zymandis guards (robotic and humanoid alike) patrol the ship now, asking to see everyone's identification. They can be avoided if you're lucky enough to time a distraction, but otherwise you'll have to talk -- or fight -- your way out of it. Of course, the more violence that happens, the more Zymandis will be alerted of Audentes's location . . . which comes along with its own problem. Once the tension reaches a fever pitch and chaos descends upon the Mothership, Zymandis will begin to take drastic measures. In order to cover their escape to panic rooms and escape pods, they release the vicious, alien monsters used for pit fighting; these creatures are dangerous and enraged to the point where they will slaughter indiscriminately -- even Zymandis agents. Beyond escaping and fighting the monsters, there is the possibility that they'll react positively to kindness, never having experienced it from their Zymandis captors. In addition to setting the creatures loose, Zymandis scientists have also released chemicals into the ventilation system in attempts to control Audentes's movements. The chemicals release vapors into the air that can cause uncontrollable emotional responses such as rage, terror, confusion, or sorrow. Unfortunately for them, they neglected to account for the chemicals' effects on Zymandis agents as well, so be cautious as you move through the corridors. THE OBJECTIVES In order to complete the mission, Audentes will need to complete the following: COMMANDEER THE MOTHERSHIP. The area outside the bridge is heavily guarded and the only entrances to it are hermetically sealed; the locks will need to be electronically overridden or the doors broken down. Or if you’re feeling really crafty, you can try to talk your way in there -- there is an intercom, after all. Either way, once ALASTAIR breaches the bridge, the captain will be nowhere to be found. It appears they’ve taken one of the only functional escape pods. Those left in the bridge aren’t skilled fighters, but that won’t necessarily stop them from trying. About 3/4ths will surrender, but a small amount will put up a fight; luckily, they can be put down non-lethally with relative ease, if that’s your aim. Once everyone within the bridge is taken care of, it’s time to look at the controls. There are a lot of them, none of them similar to any other ship’s. Essentially, the team is going in blind. Unfortunately, this will be trial and error. Some of the possible button combinations could: DECREASE OXYGEN: The settings for oxygen output will be greatly lowered, causing a deficit in oxygen. Although it will not be noticeable at first, there will soon begin to be symptoms of hypoxia throughout the ship. Symptoms include discoordination, fatigue, nausea, disorientation, hallucinations, and breathlessness. Once you realize something’s wrong, well, you’d better go fix it, quick. ENGAGE HYPERSPEED: The ship will suddenly start barrelling towards whatever’s in its way at incredible speeds, so fast that people who don’t brace themselves will find themselves knocked back by the sheer force. Yeah, you’re gonna want to turn that off. TURN ON SPRINKLERS: Yep, that’s right. Even space stations need sprinklers sometimes! They are -- unfortunately -- everywhere, and will get just about anyone soaking wet if they aren’t careful to avoid them. However, there is one upside: turning on these sprinklers will neutralize any chemical vapors released by the Zymandis scientists. UNLOCK PRISON DOORS: Zymandis has holding cells downstairs filled with hundreds of angry inmates, and one wrong press of a button will let them all out. They won’t waste a moment, immediately running upstairs, causing havoc and attempting to commandeer the ship for themselves. Luckily for Audentes, they’re not big fans of Zymandis. Unluckily for Audentes, they’re dressed exactly like Zymandis agents and happen to be controlling a Zymandis ship. So . . . good luck. TURN OFF SHIELDS: The ship is equipped with the most advanced shields available, and for good reason. It turns out that space is full of danger! Immediately after the shields are turned off, the ship will be hit by an asteroid and go tumbling, sending everyone in it flying. Oops. Here comes another one! DECREASE/INCREASE GRAVITY: The artificial gravity on the Mothership is very finicky. One wrong button and everyone will float -- or maybe fall to the ground, suddenly incapable of supporting their own weight. OTHER: Turn on the radio and blast some mariachi music, send the ship hurtling towards the nearest planet, make those incessant seatbelt lights blink. The sky’s the limit. DETAIN ZYMANDIS AGENTS. There are a lot of them -- nearly a thousand -- and not many of you. You'll have to work fast, hard, and together in order to get out of this safely and with as few casualties as possible. Remember the nonlethal security measures your false Zymandis uniforms have been outfitted with (three electromagnetic pulse grenades, a tazing device, and an auditory stun), but if you're cornered, no one will blame you for taking a life. Probably. While many of the Zymandis agents on board are field agents, equipped with weapons and battle abilities, the majority are noncombatants: personnel staff, scientists, doctors, engineers, etc. They'll put up a fight as well as they can, but will chiefly be relying on guards (robotic and organic) to protect them. Take out the guards and combatants first, and the rest should be easy enough to round up. Now that the creature fighting pit has been cleared, it might serve as a fine enough place to hold your new captives . . . if only it weren't so small. You can likely jam a few hundred in there, but that leaves the rest with nowhere to stay, and unless you want to put the Zymandis agents in with their own prisoners, you'd better come up with a solution. CAPTURE AND DETAIN TARAXA HOSTS. The Taraxa agents can be found in any manner of host, from human to monstrous. The only way to identify them is by viewing the inside of their heads -- through X-ray or some other means. This of course makes things a little complicated, but luckily (or not so luckily), the Mother has been located, which should make it a little easier. [ The Mother's ultimate fate will be decided by the winner of the plot slot roll on 5 October, but she will be cut off from her hive in some way. ] Cut off from the psychic "eyes" of their Mother, the Taraxa fall into unpredictability. Some of them are confused and malleable, easily guided into custody. Others are violently frenzied and will not stop fighting until they are somehow rendered immobile. Still others will be actively reckless, as if they no longer value their lives. Ideally, the Taraxa will all be subdued so they can be safely brought to Oska and extracted from their hosts. Sometimes there is no choice in the matter, but still -- try to stay your hand. THE AFTERMATH After the ship is captured, it's time to explore the spoils of battle and make sure there are no hidden Zymandis agents squirreled away in corners and panic rooms. It will take a few weeks before the ship reaches Oska, so spend the time however you like -- raiding the shops, playing in the unguarded armory, using the advanced laboratories, etc. The Mothership belongs to ALASTAIR now, so its facilities all belong to you. Interestingly enough, though, there is no sign of the TIMELINE.exe onboard. The Leader, too, appears to have never been on the Mothership. Although Zymandis's home base has been captured, the head of the snake still needs to be found. OOC NOTES The action portion of this log will take place over two IC hours. It will then take the Mothership two weeks IC to arrive at Oska. 1 October marks Futurology's second anniversary! Upon their return to Oska on 15 October, all current characters will receive a surprise to celebrate. If you have questions about this log, please go to the dossier. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.