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

[bestaround]

[ 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.

[purrtagonist]

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]

[bestaround]

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.

[purrtagonist]

[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]

[bestaround]

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.

[purrtagonist]

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]

[bestaround]

[ Akira knows exactly what's on his mind, all right, but here we go, 9S is gonna say it. ]

You never did tell me what's up with your... [ How had he put it? ] "Power".

[purrtagonist]

[-- oh]

[he doesn't stop walking, but he does lift a hand to his chin, gaze flickering down thoughtfully. right. he had told 9S that he'd explain that, didn't he?]

The power of Persona.

[he begins, slowly at first as he searches for his words]

You know the definition of the word "persona," right?

[bestaround]

[ That's right buddy, he ain't about to let that one go. ]

Umm... It has something to do with the characteristics others perceive about a person, doesn't it?

[purrtagonist]

[luckily for 9S? he's willing to explain]

Right. Well, sort of.

A persona is a mask one wears in order to face the hardships of the world. [or so Igor-- well, fake Igor-- had said] Everyone has a persona, but only a few people actually summon a Persona.

[he tries his best to make the difference in capitalization obvious]

I suppose you could call it. . . a physical manifestation of my personality. My soul.

[bestaround]

[ A mask one wears, huh... A front, in other words. It's not a novel concept; 9S is aware everyone does this to varying degrees—himself included. But the idea that this is somehow tied to some bizarre ability that Akira apparently has is...

Honestly, he can't wrap his head around it. ]

That... can happen? For real? [ Granted, 9S saw it in action. Still. ] How?

[purrtagonist]

[well, the actual detailed mechanics were lost on Akira. especially since this wasn't the Metaverse, and as far as he had known, up until nearly getting killed by a giant chimera? he no longer had the ability to summon his Persona]

[way to prove him wrong, universe]

[but he does lift a hand and tap his temple, right where his mask would be. if he were wearing it]

All you have to do is rip off the mask, and unleash that power from within.

[bestaround]

[ ......... ???????? ]

That explains basically nothing, you know.

[purrtagonist]

I don't-- [god. okay. new angle]

Back where I came from, there used to be this whole separate world. It was like. . . a mirror of the original one, only the aspects of this world could be changed and altered by human cognition. It was called the Metaverse, and the Metaverse was basically a world created by the collective unconscious.

I could only use my Persona in the Metaverse back home, so. . . [he. shrugs?] I don't know why my abilities work here, too.

[bestaround]

[ Look that was such a cryptic response!!!!

That aside... What follows is a more thorough explanation, yet still puzzling. It sounds so improbable, but then again, it isn't as if 9S could say how the old world actually was and what was possible when society was still around. They lost so many records, after all. ]

Human cognition... [ He echoes, mulling the words over in his mind. ] ... So this is a plane of existence that just—happened? What's in something like a "mirror world", anyway?

[purrtagonist]

[he just didn't know how to elaborate geez!!]

I don't know if it just happened or if it's existed for a long time or--

[shrugs?? someone should probably do some digging into the Kirijo Group, just saying]

Most of the Metaverse is exactly the same as the real world. The exceptions to that are. . . [a pause] Palaces. Since that world is created by human cognition, if a person in the real world has a particularly distorted desire and affixes that desire on a location in the real world, then the Metaverse equivalent of that location will be distorted as well.

[another pause]

The distortion varies from person to person. I've seen castles, banks, museums. . . [handwave] That sort of thing.

[bestaround]

[ It's an explanation that's a little tricky to follow, already being new to the concept of alternate realities and, as ALASTAIR so commonly puts it, "timelines". As much as 9S would love to dig into the intricacies of a parallel plane of existence that can be manipulated purely by what humans perceive, he has an inkling that perhaps Akira isn't the best candidate for it, despite hearing about it from him, first.

Not to mention, it sounds downright crazy to begin with...

Nonetheless, there are other questions to ask. ]

So you only use your Persona in this world... [ Well, usually. ] But you used it to fight before, didn't you? Are you fighting something in the Metaverse?

[purrtagonist]

[Futaba and Morgana are definitely the Metaverse experts on the team. Akira knows enough about it by now to answer questions with a good amount of detail, but he can't get into the scientific mechanics of it at all. alas, 9S will just have to continue wondering]

[he hums]

We were. ["we." and past tense] But we won that fight a few months ago.

[bestaround]

[ "Won"—good, in that case. But, of course, the ever curious 9S isn't going to leave it at that. ]

What was it against?

[purrtagonist]

[he hesitates]

A god.

[and his answer is simple, because there's no elaboration needed]

[bestaround]

—A god?

[ Back the funbus up there, friend. Needless to say, that wasn't the answer 9S expected to hear. ]

No way. How is it even possible to fight something like—like a god?

[purrtagonist]

Human cognition.

[he wags a finger at 9S]

The mind is a powerful thing. With the right amount of power, society's masses can create anything in the Metaverse.

[including Yaldabaoth]

[bestaround]

Man... [ The more Akira explains, the more baffled 9S becomes; he isn't entirely sure he even follows, or what the point of such a so-called mirror universe is. If anything— ] You make it sound like you were just fighting some figment of everyone's imagination.

[ Not something... real. ]

[purrtagonist]

[he can't help it. he almost laughs, but somehow manages to stop himself before it goes beyond a faint, amused twitch of his mouth]

It sounds like that, doesn't it?

[heh. . .]

But I think, if enough people believe in something. . . it can easily become something real.

[bestaround]

That's kind of... I mean, I've never heard of something coming into existence simply because enough people believed in it hard enough. [ And frankly, he could think of a few big changes to the Earth he knew if that were the case. He allows that to settle only briefly before 9S slips out a wry huff. ] Or maybe that whole... cognition deal doesn't work for androids like us.

[ Could their minds even compare? In the end, an android's thinking is nothing more than a collection of data, after all; they don't have actual brains. ]

Probably just a human thing, yeah?