epidemiology | EVENT ★ MOTHERSHIP II

EVENT ★ MOTHERSHIP II

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[why is Akira poking around the offices in the science wing? who knows! maybe he's just trying to get a feel for the ship now that he doesn't have to watch his back wherever he goes. either way, he pushes the door to the office open just in time to hear Pod rattle of a list jibberish]

[he blinks once. twice. three times. glances from Pod to 9S, and back again]

[. . .]

Am I interrupting some. . . thing?

[. . . if he is, he has no clue what it's supposed to be]

System scan eighty-seven percent complete.

[ If that answers that... Though, Pod does eventually give a more direct response. ]

Unit 9S will reactivate shortly. Alert: Do not disrupt maintenance mode.

[ All the meanwhile, 9S still looks like he's out cold. ]

[. . . oh. he's an android, so of course he has to go through maintenance, right? that makes sense. and after all of the excitement on the ship, it makes sense of 9S to want to make sure he's still in good working condition]

[none of this stops Akira from approaching and, like]

[poking Nines on the nose while he sleeps]

[hellooooo android buddy]

Huh. . .

[ You're lucky Pod knows you by now, Akira, otherwise it may view you as an actual threat.

But it doesn't. Instead, Pod drifts down just above 9S' head, facing Akira...

The little floating robot has no face, and says nothing, but Pod still looms. Pod still stares. And Pod does not approve.

(It is a nice nose tho.) ]

[please don't SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE with a laser, Pod]

Hey, don't judge me. I've never seen an android in maintenance mode before.

[ You may ask, but Pod will never stop judging.

But at least it stays silent about it, bobbing gently in the air as always. After another couple of minutes: ]

System scan ninety-eight percent complete.

[ If you needed a warning to stop poking or any other suspicious activity, Akira. Then, finally: ]

Scan complete. Maintenance mode complete. YoRHa unit 9S, activate.

[ His eyes squeeze tight before cracking open, as if being roused from a deep slumber—only to flinch back when he sees another occupant in a room he was expecting to be empty. ]

—Gah! ... Jeez... What're you doing in here?

[jerks back when 9S does, balancing back on one foot and windmilling one arm through the air so he doesn't, you know. fall]

-- sorry!

[oops. this is what he gets for being nosy]

I was looking around, and-- [jerks a thumb at Pod]

I'm not sure your friend here likes me. I can't really tell.

[ Uh-huh... Flicking his eyes up toward Pod prompts a response from it: ]

Akira Kurusu has been present in the room for the past four minutes and twenty-six seconds. However, he is now suspected of attempting to tamper with unit 9S during scan.

[ So, in other words... ]

... Were you watching me sleep?

[oh my god]

[oh my god]

[when he puts it that way it sounds super creepy. way to go, Kurusu]

No--! And I wasn't trying to tamper with anything, either!

[ WAY TO GO, KURUSU.

On the other hand, it's actually kind of funny how flustered he's suddenly gotten, when normally he's always so mild mannered. It's... Akira—a boy that's already showed more kindness than 9S feels he should be receiving from a human—so 9S doesn't have it in him to be genuinely irritated. Rather, he uses the back of a gloved hand to stifle a snort, shaking his head. ]

Alright, alright... Don't listen to Pod.

[ He believes you!! Instead of protesting, Pod lingers silently. ]

Though, it's still weird. Were you really just looking around?

[he can only keep up his mild-mannered mask for so long!! geez]

[he lets out a huffed breath, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck as he nods]

Of course I was. If we captured ourselves a space ship, I should probably at least learn its layout. Right?

... Yeah, maybe you're right.

[ As if 9S, a Scanner model, would disagree with that. He has a decent portion of the ship mapped out for himself already, but it only makes sense the same isn't true for everyone else.

As he starts to stretch his arms over his head— ] I didn't think anyone would come walking in here, though. It's a bit of a walk from everything else.

I hate to say your assumption was wrong, but. . .

[gestures. at himself. he, obviously, took the time to walk all the way over here. maybe no area of the ship is safe?]

Why didn't you-- [uh. go into maintenance mode? no, that doesn't sound right] -- rest back at the barracks, instead?

[ Obviously not!! Oh well, at least it hadn't been anyone else. ]

Uh—

[ Stretching done and weird crick in his neck outta the way, 9S begins tying his goggles back over his face. ]

Wouldn't it be weird to sleep in someone else's bed?

[he sees your point, 9S, and counters with]

If we stole the ship, is it still technically someone else's bed?

Well, it was someone's...

[ That chances are, they've been using for a while. He doesn't really feel as if he has any right to go romping around someone else's possessions, even if they did technically take it all away from them... ]

—Iii don't really sleep that much anyway, so... This was easier.

[heh]

Fair enough. And I guess whoever used to own that room appreciates your manners.

[he's teasing]

No, it's still just weird.

[ A bed does sound nicer, though. This couch is making his back feel all stiff after sitting in it for so long. ]

My systems are all better now, so maybe I'll wait until we get back to Oska before I do any kind of sleep again. It doesn't seem like we're going to be doing a whole lot more while we wait, anyway.

[ Provided another fight doesn't break out or anything. Only time will tell. ]

Provided the captured Zymandis guys don't attempt a mutiny.

[they all seem pretty calm though, if, you know. really angry. so he thinks they'll be fine]

But if that doesn't happen, I get the feeling we're all going to be pretty bored in the weeks to come.

[ Welp, time to be up and at 'em. 9S finally pushes himself back up to his feet, taking a glance around. ]

You think so? It's a big ship, so I thought there would have been a lot to look into.

Yeah, but do you seriously think it'll take us two weeks to get through the whole thing? What do we do when we've uncovered every Zymandis secret on board?

Fog up the windows with our breath and play tic-tac-toe in the steam?

[HE'S JOKING]

Oh, please. Just thinking about that is already making me grow bored.

[ IT'S NOT EVEN A GOOD GAME. ]

Whatever, that's a bridge to cross later. I just want to see what else is lying around.

[HEY!!!]

Not a huge fan of tic-tac-toe, huh.

[he's amused, and in one motion he turns on his heel to face the door, gesturing for Nines to follow with one hand]

Welp. Guess it's time to go on an adventure. Let's check out the hangar, now that we own it.

[he had already been down there, had already seen the cool space ships parked in the depths of the Mothership. but hey!! now they could look around without Zymandis agents breathing down their necks]

That's more like it.

[ Likewise, he had been down there before, but it was very cursory. This time his chances of grabbing more thorough data is better. Eager as ever, 9S doesn't hesitate to follow. ]

Also... Now that you're here, there's one other thing I'm still curious about.

Hm? What's that?

[really. considering how they had fought side-by-side just a day ago? Akira should know exactly what's on 9S's mind. but he's letting the android voice his question instead of making assumptions]

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