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.

Comments

Sieglinde Sullivan ⚗ OTA

[grunehexe]

01 ⚗ SHIP CORRIDORS ⚗ CHEMICAL RESPONSE

[Sieglinde may not be able to move quickly, though she cannot begrudge her toddling and unsteady gait when compared to what she had been capable of in the past. She keeps to the shadows where she can, tries to avoid being noticed and dodge confrontation... but her path towards her goal is arrested by the sight of a gaseous substance leaking from the vents.

Scrambling, she digs in the pouch attached to her chatelaine, (it's bigger on the inside), coming out with a brown leather mask that she hastily begins to fasten over her face as she rushes past, holding her breath- Until she encounters other ALASTAIR members.]

Quick- !

[She points back down the hall, at the substance she cannot help but assume may be deadly at worst, debilitating at best, cursing the Zymandis science department she has spent the last days in. To think they would do something so indiscriminate- !]

This section needs to be evacuated now!

02 ⚗ THE BRIDGE ⚗ BUTTON MASHING

[As a scientist herself, perhaps she feels responsible for that aspect most keenly. It's what she knows, it's been her entire life since she was old enough to think. And it's what brings her to the bridge after it has been taken by ALASTAIR, busting in as well as a barely four foot tall girl can, pulling off her gas mask.]

Who here has control of the ship's ventilation system?

[Not knowing yet that the controls on this thing were hard to decipher, she casts about for someone to answer her, panting softly in exertion from her rush to the bridge.]

We need to purge the air ducts immediately! Someone has introduced gases that are diving people mad-

03 ⚗ SCIENCE WING ⚗ TARAXA SCANNING

Those available, please bring any suspected Taraxa hosts to medical as soon as possible. Bound or unconscious, please.

[Once things begin to... settle down, (not that anything ever really settled, with ALASTAIR), Sieglinde dedicates herself to doing what she can about the Taraxa problem, sending out the call over the network.

The medical wing of Zymandis' ship is similar to that at Oska, and she has poked about their machines as much as she was allowed, and interrogated some of the captive medical staff. Enough to know well now how to operate the x-ray scanners.]

Hold it down, please- !

[But the frenzied, lost-hive Taraxa weren't exactly fans of having their head examined, and Sieglinde leans around the device to speak to her current assistant, gesturing at the field agent strapped to and struggling on the medical table.]

04 ⚗ WILDCARD

[If there's already 2+ hits on each prompt I would really appreciate if you hit me up for a custom starter, so that we can do something a bit more original instead of repeating scenarios! Please feel free to PM, plurk, or even just comment here! Would be glad to supply you with different battle scenarios, aftermaths, or etc.]

FOR URAHARA ⚗ TO RID THE WORLD

[grunehexe]

[It's chaos out there. Zymandis had detected their presence. The sirens are blaring. The agents are scrambling. The lab techs are hastily moving to lock down experiments, to shred files, to evacuate-

But Sieglinde can only think of one thing.

Her gaze moves across the lab, and then she is moving- to Urahara, dodging other scientists, her expression almost... eerily blank. And then she's at his side, and her hand reaches out to grab his lab coat pocket. The tiny witch doesn't say anything out loud... but she doesn't think she has to.

Dr. Mills.

They had sat through his lecture. He was a frail, wheelchair-bound old man. Physically, he was of no threat to anyone. But his brain...

She understood now, how Hilde and the others had felt when they tried to kill her.]

[predomination]

[Maybe under normal circumstances, Urahara would feel a twinge of guilt about this, as he had about arresting and detaining numerous "potential threats" to the Seireitei. They have no actual listing of Dr. Mills' successes, no bodies to show for his word, but his zealotry and his words are enough to prove that like Percy, he would use his mind and his skills and the men and women loyal to him to turn whole planets into plague zones. This is not a madness that be put to use- it's a madness that will simply find a new conduit. You don't doubt a man's mind even when his body is frail.

So there's no remorse- they aren't going to drag this out or torture the man. They're only going to make sure he doesn't leave this ship. Nobody else needs to know.

Sieglinde grabbing onto his pocket serves as a signal of sorts. Out of nowhere, he grabs a hold of the nearest tech, gray eyes wide with anxiety.] Dr. Mills- He isn't safe. We need to move him before the intruders find him.

[It's an extremely convincing lie, and despite his persona here being a bit bumbling, he's always come off as kind. The answer comes easily enough- an exact location and even a route to a lesser known hall on the ship that won't be crowded with combatants. Lovely... For him and Sieglinde to use to make their escape. The good doctor won't be needing it.

He releases the man and allows him to return to his work, turning now to Sieglinde.] Are you ready, then?

[grunehexe]

[She's ready. Even if she thinks perhaps she shouldn't be.

But despite the similarity of their brains, the potential there, the fate that faced him that had once been one she also had to confront... they aren't the same. She clings to that. When that woman who claimed to be her mother told her what she had created, Sieglinde had been horrified. Had wanted to die, if it meant she could run from the truth of having done so horrible thing.

This man had himself wheeled in to a lecture hall full of subordinates so that he could excitedly tell others of his findings, his work to cover unsuspecting worlds in plague and rotting corpses. Maybe once he could have been like her... but that would have been long ago, if it had ever been at all.

So she nods, leads the way unsteadily through the evacuating scientists, through the doors- and raises her arms to be picked up.]

Let us move quickly.

[His fast steps would get them there not only more expediently... but she doubted anyone could stop them for questioning at that speed.]

[predomination]

[Urahara leans down and scoops her up in one arm, using the other to guide himself through rushing bodies. Flash-stepping is all but impossible in these cramped halls, but he's still nimble and if a few Zymandis scientists get shoved a bit too pointedly into each other, that surely isn't tactical evasion at work. He's just a man carrying a small girl out of danger, hoping to rescue an old man.

Most of the higher ranking scientists have abandoned their offices, but one has the door shut tight, though mercifully not locked. Urahara uses his free hand to get it open and stares down at their enemy, still seated at his desk as if he were avoiding participating in a fire drill. Somehow even that is enough to set Urahara to task- the man doesn't even seem all that worried, as if he's somehow untouchable.

He sets Sieglinde down on the ground.] We've come to collect you. It's getting to be quite a madhouse out there.

[grunehexe]

[Even without the flash step, this way is still faster than what she was capable of. Sieglinde sits up stiffly in the crook of his elbow, fingers digging in to his lab coat at the shoulders, eyes narrowed and lips thinned.

And then her feet touch the ground, and she transfers her hold to the door frame, white knuckled.

Not in fear for the wailing sound of emergency.]

Dr. Mills, we cannot risk your genius on the offchance this is a real threat.

[Her voice is steady, sure, despite the fluttering in her ribcage. He might have seen them at his lecture, and perhaps that would give them a degree of credibility, but if he questioned why it was not someone he was more familiar with who came to collect him...

She'd prefer to do this quietly.]

[predomination]

["And where would we go?" For such a frail old man, he looks at them both with such an air of contempt, he might as well be royalty and they just dirty peasants mucking up the palace floors. "You're going to wheel me out into that chaos and lock me away in some other location where myself and my genius can just stare at a wall while this is resolved?"

He gives them both an appraising look and seems to find them wanting. "And, furthermore, a little girl and a buffoon are hardly adequate protection."

Urahara looks down at Sieglinde, and somberly he moves to exit, though all he's really doing is shutting the door.] I suppose that's true...

[grunehexe]

[A little girl and a buffoon.

Her expression twists a bit wryly, a bit darkly, even as she continues the act- for now.]

Sir, there are protocols...

[Just a research assistant who wanted to play by the rules. Who respected this man, and his intellect, and what he could stand for in the future of Zymandis. ... A research assistant who is reaching subtly into her lab coat pocket.]

What if it turns out to be something of substance... ?

[Like the gaseous substance in the vial in her pocket.]

[predomination]

["Then I imagine they'll send someone with actual clout."

Urahara hits the catch on the lock. Dr. Mills finally notices. "What the hell are you doing? I hope you two aren't planning to keep me company in here? I have work to do, and it doesn't require two technicians with delusions of-"

And Urahara cuts him off, voice very cold.] Please stop talking.

[The door muffles the sound of the battle outside- appropriate because with all the technicians chattering outside on a normal day, a man as important as Dr. Mills would want his peace and quiet.]

FOR ASHER ⚗ CONFESSIONS

[grunehexe]

[The Green Witch had done her best. She had tried to avoid the escaped prisoners, tried to dodge the rampaging creatures, tried to avoid detection by the Zymandis agents looking for traitors in their midst, tried to find her allies- those that could keep her safe. In the process, she had used her magic far more than she had wanted. A shield there, healing the injured here, an illusion to hide herself there...

But Sieglinde hadn't expected to be here. Hadn't expected to find herself crumpled against a back hallway, blood dribbling slowly down her chin, the back of her skull throbbing with pain.

She had been inspecting one of the vents, she remembered that. Remembered the sound of something howling, screaming down the halls, a beast that clawed and-

Hand trembling, she presses it to her stomach, lifting it back up to stare vacantly at the red stain across her palm.

Healing... she had a spell for this... she did...

But the words wouldn't come.]

[moneyballer]

[One would think that a man handling a crowbar with blood oozing from the end of it might look the least bit threatening, but Asher somehow thwarts that premise. There's a gash on his right cheek, healing on its own as he skulks around in the darkness, ready to go toe to toe with peril this time, lacking the fear that has shaken his body all those times before. Still, his edges are as soft as ever, a sign that he does not belong here, that combat does not come naturally to him.

It has been something he has had to learn.

His eyes catch sight of an object that moves in the darkness, and his grip on the makeshift weapon in his hands tightens. Silently, he poises himself to strike,
only to stumble upon a familiar-]

Sieglinde?

[A whisper, nothing more.

Otherwise they will both be caught.]

[grunehexe]

[She hears her name.

It's slightly distant, a different plane of care and focus, but she turns her head slowly, one braid that had been part of the set that she wore curved into horn-shaped hennin on top of her head slipping down from the broken style.

It's Asher. She should greet him. Assure him.

Her lips part, they move- it's probably his name, but it's too quiet, more gurgle than speech as she moves her hands back down to her stomach, presses as hard as she was capable. Pressure on the wound. She knew that.]

[moneyballer]

[His first instinct is to kneel at her side no matter how stupid the action is, rendering them both vulnerable by turning his back on the fray. Asher panics initially as he racks his brain for contacts regarding the team's healers, realizing that most of the ones he trusted are gone, and one of the few remaining is lying right here before him, injured.]

Jesus Christ.

[The jacket around his shoulders come off in a split second, and while tearing the fabric and fashioning a proper dressing from it proves difficult,
the lawyer-to-be gently removes those delicate hands from the injury.]

That is one gnarly flesh wound.

[Asher wastes no time in wrapping the cloth around her waist, adding his own pressure to it, hoping that will do some good.

There's no use in sitting here, though. He saw the gash- It looks like it could be fatal.]

Can you hear me?

[grunehexe]

[Oh.

Asher was helping. Her suddenly weak hands had moved to try and swipe him away, try to do it herself, but blood bubbles to the surface over her ripped uniform, torn in the jagged shape of claws on the move, and it's easy enough to push them aside in favor of his work. Bandages, yes- bandages would be good... and her potion...]

Asher-

[She clears the liquid in her mouth with a wet dribble, becomes slightly audible.]

Potion-

[Weakly, she tries to gesture to the vial at her waist without realizing it was broken in the impact. It was just... she would be fine. She could heal herself, she could treat herself physically if she had to...

She couldn't die here. Not yet. Not now.]

[moneyballer]

[She is still conscious enough to recognize him, both a blessing and a curse. Above all else, he is relieved that she is not yet too far gone, but if he fails to save her, he will be the last face that she remembers.

Once again, he will be a disappointment.

Stuttering, he shakes his head to and fro, confused as he sees no vial on her belt.]

Potion? What potion, I-

[Sieglinde babbles words that he can't quite make heads or tails of, and he loops her arm around his shoulders, preparing to rise up and carry her elsewhere.]

There's nothing there.

[grunehexe]

[Eventually her hand gets to where the potion should be, gropes around... and only finds shards of the glass vial's neck still attached to her chatelaine.

Ah.

It's only then that it really starts to sink in. That it really begins to hurt through the haze, that upset begins to show through on her weakened features.

She might not be able to muster the magic to heal herself. She might not have the dexterity to fix this. He might not be fast enough to get her to someone capable-]

Asher-

[The blood smeared across her chin begins to dilute with the introduction of unconscious tears, anxiously reaching out to try and grab his shirt.]

Listen-

[She had to make sure-

She had to make sure someone knew what to do with her notes-]

01;

[feathery]

[Davesprite spins from where he's tripped up a Zymandis agent with solidified lasers (how this works no one knows, not even his canon) and double-takes at the mask. Somehow a bird-looking mask ends up more striking between being identifiable—thanks to the internet and a friend invested in all things macabre, he's seen more than a single picture of plague doctors—and turning into a bird himself.

The Zymandis agent looks up as well and, as alien as the guy's expression may be with six eyes, doesn't seem to have any better idea what's going on.]

The hell is that? [Davesprite is quick to back up, at least, even if it sends him floating right over the field agent; he really isn't interested in finding out the answer firsthand.]

[grunehexe]

[It definitely isn't a look for settling people down.

But Sieglinde isn't about to risk inhaling anything herself at this point, and though the hallway behind her is clear for now... there's faint whisps, whirls of nearly transparent gas that can only be seen in the air if you're looking for a distortion.

It may make her look crazy, and it muffles her voice, but-]

It's a gas!

[Even if one of the agents is Zymandis, she doesn't want to see any of them die. Not all of them were evil, some of them... some of them were just like they were, recruits who'd joined for lack of world or place to return to.]

We do not know what it does, so we need to go now- !

03

[dailydouble]

[ Science isn't usually his area, but with the fighting over he can spare time to assist elsewhere. Not that he would help anyone, but Sieglinde's voice over the network pushes him toward action. If she is risking herself in an attempt to deal with the Taraxa, the least he can do is look in on the situation.

Once in the medical wing, he'll make his way over to her. It's the work of less than a moment to take in the situation, but his only response is to lean against the table and raise an eyebrow. ]

Would you prefer them unconscious instead? In this body, I don't have enough hands to completely hold them down.

[ There's some dry humor in his tone, but if he's mocking anyone it's himself. ]

[grunehexe]

Ahad- !

[Ahad is a welcome addition to this rather high tension attempt at x-rays, as Sieglinde is beginning to look rather frazzled dealing with the Taraxa, many of whom are frantic since being cut off from their Mother.

Even though the comment about "this body" raises an eyebrow... she can't help but look between him and the struggling patient before nodding very, very fast.]

Definitely unconscious.

[dailydouble]

Sieglinde. [ The amusement in his tone grows, but then he did skip the pleasantries before. He'll nod at her calmly, before once again transferring his attention back to the table and the body on it. It's still struggling, but Ahad only raises an eyebrow before speaking. ]

Sleep.

[ His voice is commanding, but it's not his words so much as his will that have an effect. After a moment, the patient stills and drifts off into a suspiciously quiet sleep. It's almost difficult to believe that the patient was so troublesome moments before. ]

Remind me to wake them. Otherwise, they could sleep forever.

[grunehexe]

[Oh...

Sieglinde looks on with excitement to see how it is he planned to render the Taraxa infected unconscious... and her eyes fairly sparkle in delight to see the power at work, absently pushing the button on her device to send the now limp patient into the scanner.]

Forever?

[dailydouble]

[ As with most of his magic, it wasn't showy. Move a sudden movement from one state to another.

As the patient enters the scanner, he'll transfer his attention back to Sieglinde. His lips quirk in slight amusement, at her tone. ]

Until the body decays and dies, I would assume. I have never put such a thing to a test. [ He'll sigh faintly, before continuing. ] If there is a way to make time a condition, I do not know it.

[ It's likely that there is a way, but Ahad had never taken charity well and therefore never learned more. ]

[grunehexe]

[As impressive as Sieglinde found magic circles, incantations, and spellbook work... those were the work of mortals. Something like what Ahad did, something so powerful that a mere word would affect a person...

That was the work of gods. Far more impressive to someone who knew what was really impressive.]

So perhaps a week or so... for a human, anyway-

[How long a person could survive without water. Though this fellow was humanoid, he could have a different makeup... but that was a distracted thought, and Sieglinde shakes it off.]

I mean, are you... well... ?

[Cool, Sieglinde. Ask how he's been since they've taken the ship.]

[dailydouble]

Less, I would think. At least they would not be consciously aware of it.

[ He's more than willing to be drawn out of the morbid turn the conversation, however. No matter how belated the inquiry may be. ]

I was not injured. [ There's a small hesitation, before he says: ] Loki was, but heals quickly.