lucetilogs | Mission #14

Entry tags:

Mission #14 - The Iron Eye

Who:
Doctors: Yamanaka Ino, Trafalgar Law, Elizabeth (Bioshock)
Investigators: Luke Skywalker, Natasha Romanoff, Asch, Itachi Uchiha, Maron Kusukabe, Selphie Tilmitt
Diplomats: Freyjadour Falenas, Marita Covarrubias, Gai Tsutsugami, Jade Curtiss, Ororo Munroe, Temari, Peggy Carter
Quartermasters: Haruhi Suzumiya, Akimichi Chouji, Eleytheria, Rudy Roughnight, Vash, Elizabeth (Persona)
Guards: Clove, Karla, Vegeta, Suki, Steve Rogers, Yuffie Kisaragi
What: Mission #14: The Iron Eye
When: September 7th - September 11th
Where: The Desert of Region Nine
Summary: Volunteers are sent to check in one the Iron Eye, a group of mercenaries who have convened in the desert for unknown reasons.
Rating: J for Just Deserts

Departure

As you may recall from the mission briefing, selected volunteers are headed to the desert in Region Nine. Before the nitty-gritty mechanics of this mission are revealed, characters must first try and gather as much intelligence as possible from the NPCs made available to them. The nature of their presence in the desert, the context of the vote you will have to make, as well as the larger picture concerning the existence of the Iron Eye all depend upon solid investigation and shrewd interrogation. Or, perhaps, dumb luck.

Diplomat/Negotiator characters will be permitted to tag as many NPCs as the player wishes. All other characters will have to choose just one of the NPCs to tag -- choose wisely! You’re likely still going to uncover some sort of intel. (Do note, each NPC is played by a different mod. So if you see one NPC getting more hits than the other, consider hitting up a different one to help spread it out.)

Investigator characters will have a thread purpose-built to allow those players in particular to ask the mods particular (and pointed) questions about what can be observed. Please note that these questions should be direct and specific rather than vague. For example, ’are any of the Iron Eye members looking particularly upset?’ is a valid question. What is the group’s general mood?’ is not. Remember, these inquiries aren’t going to be done out of character. There will be an In Character thread to reply to, meaning that any move you commit to has consequences and could draw attention to your character. So be careful!

Doctor characters will not only look after their own, but they’ll get a chance to help the Iron Eye deal with their own wounded. Without any special powers, they’ll have to rely on good old fashioned know how. However, there may be some insight to be found in just what ails these mercenaries.

Quartermaster characters are primarily responsible for their own - other volunteers. The trucks they arrived on should be packed with necessary supplies to keep them healthy, but they may have to borrow from the MSF if any of the group turns out to be thirstier than the Malnosso anticipated.

Guard characters have the unenviable position of guarding the small convoy the volunteers arrived in, while also facing extra scrutiny from the Iron Eye. However, even with all the mercenaries around, there’s still things out in the desert to worry about. Lone Shift Hunters often hunt at night, where their dark skin and silent steps can make them incredibly stealthy, especially without special powers to aid in anticipating them.

The camp they’ll be heading to is large and staffed by the Iron Eye. They are at least five thousand strong with men and have their own supply of trucks, jeeps, tanks, and even a few helicopters. Although not nearly so uniform as the MSF, it’s clear that this is a group that means business. Their numbers are composed of men and women of many species, some with large wings and some with small. Throughout the mission, they’ll have their own people coming and going from different directions. Beyond their camp is all desert where brutal Shifts make powers unreliable and have been known to have sometimes lethal effects. Although the Iron Eye camp has set up a small amount of protection against these Shifts, it’s nowhere near as secure as what you’d find in a proper enclosure.

Playing in this mission means you guys have to figure out exactly what the Iron Eye are up to. On the tenth, a post will appear on

lucetiooc for you to vote on whether your character will assist the Iron Eye or sabotage their efforts, regardless if they are fully aware of what they’re up to. Or they can, of course, just do nothing and not vote.

--

The volunteers were transported to the outskirts of the desert courtesy of a cargo plane. Given the variety of participants, the pilot would only feel secure after turning the power cap on to one hundred percent, even though his co-pilot insisted they had nothing to worry about. After all, he said, Lucetians almost never try to escape. All the same, power cap it was, and the long flight set in. When they landed at the airstrip in Region Nine, it was revealed to be little more than just that. A paved area to land, a few buildings, and then a caravan of trucks that were to be handed over to the volunteers to make use of.

Several miles into the trip, it became obvious when they arrived in Iron Eye territory. Scouts from the mercenary crew spotted them even miles before they had arrived and cautiously followed them into the encampment. The soldiers greeted them with suspicion and weapons raised, but called off their attack. After all, the leader of this particular outfit was already well-acquainted with these new arrivals. Hoi Hidekan had dealt with them before now. Many of the other members of the Iron Eye likewise recognized Lucetians. Many of them weren’t so happy to see familiar faces, having been slain by Lucetians in the battle at Depot 8. Hidekan himself was on edge. He didn’t like where this seemed to be going, but it was with gritted teeth he allowed the Lucetians entered. Immediately, he assigned a guard to watch over them. He watched Trafalgar Law carefully in particular, but said nothing. For the moment, at least.

It wasn’t until a particularly jovial and blue man arrived that things eased up. Sir Catherine, known to the organization as Bilirubin, wore a wide grin as he came to meet the Lucetians. He greeted them warmly despite the situation.

“Ah, what are the chances of meeting out here in this place? I do hope the organization hasn’t sent you out here to arrest me. I imagine by now you may have heard about that eensy problem I ran into regarding my little plan to eliminate Count Zompano. Ahaha, well, I think we can all agree that absolutely went dreadfully. Who would have thought he’d join up with the cultists? In any case, I’m afraid I won’t let you do that. I’ve hired the Iron Eye, you see. I shan’t be turned over to the organization. Not when there’s work to do. In any case, I look forward to speaking to you all individually. Please, relax! Pitch a tent. Have some of our water. Enjoy the sights. The nights are rather bland, given the lack of stars, but the sand dunes to the west are rather splendid to look at once you’re good and properly dehydrated. In any case, off I go!”

And just like, Bilirubin popped back into one of the tents, but he’d be out and about again before long. Hidekan was less pleased and followed the blue man, leaving the Lucetians to figure out how they were going to make do for the next four days. Sticking close to Hidekan was a young woman, another former member of the MSF. But only one of the group would recognize her as Aka Furuka. After all, Gai had been involved in the same mission that involved putting a stop to her and the people she was working with. It was clear that she didn’t relish the idea of being recognized. Nobody would. The incident at the hospital was messy business.

With that settled, the volunteers were left to set up camp, figure out their supplies, and make themselves ready to investigate the surroundings, deal with any creatures that bump in the night, and tend to any other difficulties that would arise in their four days.

--

Any other questions and/or plotting can be handled at the Announcement post here.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOTE HERE - other plotting and IC discussion is on this post as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With the information available, Luke isn't terribly sure where to start. But skulking around and spying are definitely not the way to go about things at first. So, instead of doing anything like that, he starts to just wander the camp. He's been among mercenaries before, of course. Bounty hunters, people pretending to be Mandalorians, even genuine soldier of fortune types. It's not hard to emulate that attitude, walking with a slouch and a hint of confidence. He lets his world weariness show, repressing the inner idealist to give himself the look of a man hardened by years of war. He knows he's a good actor, so he tries to simply move among the Iron Eye camp without drawing too much attention to himself.

In part, he wants to see just how closely he'll be watched. And in part, he's looking for an opportunity.

And that comes in the form of a group setting up a new tent. They seem to be having a bit of difficulty, as they're short-staffed for the task so he just runs up and grabs hold of a rope that's about to come loose.

"I got it fellas, just get that side set and I'll hold it for you."

The group of mercenaries stop, at first, and give each other a set of wary looks. Bubble Kids, as they called Lucetians and the like, always stood out to the keen eye. In this case, it was not anything Luke said or did. It was just his clothes that gave him away. But even wary as they were, the one that seemed to be leading this small posse gave a curt nod.

"Keep it steady."

With that simple order, the tent raising went a bit smoother than before.

Luke held on, letting the men raise the tent and get everything in order. When it was done, he approached the one who seemed in charge and inclined his head in greeting. He's careful to keep a respectful distance, and keep his hands visible.

"Got anything else you're short on hands for?"

The men exchanged looks and a chorus of "Nahs" and "Nos" and "Whatever" were repeated. Only one of them stayed. Judging by his demeanor, he wasn't long for being in this group.

"Don't take it personally. I'm one of the Iron Eye." He patted the patch on his shoulder. "They still treat me like an outsider. They're slow to trust anyone."

Luke shrugged as the other men left and turned to look at the soldier.

"I can understand that. Makes sense, all things considered. I've worked with mercenaries before, fought beside them too. I know it can be rough living, and it doesn't really breed trust." He paused, not really sure where to begin. So he just spat it out as plainly as he could. The man was obviously not going to fall for an act.

"But...then you mind if I ask a couple of common sense questions? Like...how do you join, and what do you guys get paid with? Dunno much about life outside the bubble, but it's got me curious."

The soldier looked unhappy about this. The last thing he wanted to do was be caught gabbing when there was other things to do. So he pulled out his gun and took the time to pretend inspecting it, like there was something wrong with it.

"Lots of people know about the Iron Eye. You find them and if they think you're worth it, they'll let you tag along. Our commander pays us for what we're worth to the group. But even if we go down or get injured, we look after our own. To a point."

Luke followed the soldier's lead, inspecting the pistol he'd taken with him, just to make it look like they were working on something together.

"Pays? What with? I mean, I get that it's money of some sort. But what do the different factions out here use as currency? Gold? Gems? Printed coinage?"

He shrugged. "Nah, it's not like home. No dollars and coins or anything. Just credits, all tied to the organization. The Iron Eye has one super account. We get our own cards that have a limited access to the funds set out to us. That way, individually, we get to be anonymous to the Malnosso."

"Really. Huh. Not too different from how things are where I'm from." Since nearly all credits came from the Banker's Union anyway. "And how's one contact and hire the Iron Eye? Were they to have said credits."

"They would have money and they wouldn't be living in a bubble." He finished with his gun and held it back into its resting place. That meant this conversation was over. "People with the kind of money who can afford us find a way to get in contact us. Otherwise, we don't have a hotline."

Luke shrugged and slipped his own gun back into it's holster with a nod. "Thank you for your time. May the Force be with you."

He turned to go, unless the man had other things to say.

No more was said, but they were off to the other side of camp where supplies were kept. This left Luke, for the moment, alone. The location he was in was of no particular interest. The empty desert waited in one direction, but the encampment still had much to explore than just the outskirts.

Luke began to meander towards the center of the camp, looking for more groups of people he could play Good Samaritan for. He primarily looked for people moving or carrying things that might could use a hand, hoping to get a peek at what sort of supplies the Iron Eye had and what they needed all these men for.

Instead of supplies, there would be a pair of soldiers riding in the back of a truck. A nasty looking Shift Hunter sat with them and while it had a demeanor like it might snap at either one of them at any moment, it never did. Even though the soldiers were making no efforts to flee, they were clearly uneasy about the beast. Once the truck stopped, they dismounted and a conversation with a superior officer commenced.

"Any luck out there?"

"Nah, the Basker didn't find anything. There's too many Shifts in the air and besides, most of 'em keep wanting to come back here anyway."

A groan. "Well feed yourselves and start again at the next grid. There's gotta be Shifters out there somewhere."

"Sure thing, boss."

Luke watched the exchange as unobtrusively as he could. Shift Hunters meant that the Iron Eye was looking for the cultists, which just made sense. They used lots of Shifts, and the hunters were drawn to them. But that bit about the beasts wanting to come back...that stuck out to him for some reason. He hadn't seen much Shifting put into play by the Iron Eye, at least not visibly.

Luke didn't follow the men, but he did watch the Shift Hunter, trying to track it's gaze and see if there was any place in particular that drew it's attention.

Indeed there was. The Shift Hunter followed the soldiers as it was beckoned, but whenever they stopped, its head would turn north to the center of the camp. It seemed intently interested in there and this seemed to annoy the soldiers, as they'd have to prod it gently with the tips of their gun to remind it to follow them.

Well then. Keeping that in mind, Luke slipped towards the center of the camp, keeping his pace confident but ambling to avoid getting looked at too hard. No point looking like he was in any kind of hurry.

He keeps an eye out for other Shift Hunters, and other obtrusive looking places that might be drawing their eyes. Of course, if the barrier provides protection from the desert's Shifts, he'll also stretch out with the Force, feeling around as he walks.

The Force would prove itself only tangentially reliable, rather like the effect of someone flickering a flashlight in a dark room in random directions. However, it would point out something on Luke's path perhaps more useful than the Force and not on his way. A Shift Hunter, seemingly on its own, leashed and standing by. Like any other Shift Hunter that had guided Luke's path, its eyes were fixed in one direction. Whoever its handler was, they didn't seem to be around.

Well then. Luke approached it warily, watching it's gaze but careful to avoid getting within biting distance. He tried to gauge it's eyes, seeing where it was focused on. And if it didn't seem too hostile, he considered trying to get it to lead him to where it's looking. If it's noticeably straining towards something...well...maybe it's time to let it loose.

It noticed Luke. It breathed heavier in his presence and tensed, but it did not look at the Jedi. Instead, it only seemed to be annoyed that Luke might try to distract it from whatever it was that had its attention. And so, when Luke set it loose, it stood. And then it made a few careful steps forward to ensure it was not going to be taken elsewhere. When that didn't seem to be the case, it kept moving, weaving through the tents and vehicles in a way to avoid attention. If it had ever been in question before, then it was clear Shift Hunters were not just dumb beasts. It was smart. Smart enough to avoid being seen.

Luke made no moves to stop it, impede it, or do anything that might get it's attention focused on anything other than where it wanted to go. And when it moves off, Luke follows at a respectable distance. It's faster than he is, sure, but he doesn't have to hide. So it shouldn't be too hard to keep up with it. After all, he's been doing parkour around Luceti for the last twenty-two months...

(Is it appropriate I'm listening to Baha Men while tagging this?)

And then they arrived. It was an old temple of some kind. Stone and sand worn. Statues marked the outside of winged people, though time had stolen all detail from it. Luke had likely never seen the temple beneath Luceti's waves, but the structure was similar. Likewise, it had similarities to the underground city. Bu the most compelling comparison would be that the statues were a much simpler design of the same statues that were found on TERRACE.

But the building was not simply there for the sake of being ruins and the Iron Eye were not there to be archaeologists. It had been concerted for their own use and they kept a tight guard around it. When the Shift Hunter emerged in front of the building, a guard spotted it and called out to another: "One of the Baskers got off his chain again. Keep an eye out this way, would you? I gotta take it back."

"Hurry up, Frank. I need to take a piss."

And so, Frank left with the Shift Hunter, taking no notice of Luke. His fellow guard was keeping an eye out on the entrance Frank was watching, but he had his own section to watch, too. It was, for the moment, not as well guarded as it should be.

Luke paused to look at it, memorizing every detail he could, looking for possible approaches and exits. He hadn't had the chance to go that far down, but he knew a temple when he saw them. Nadd's temples on Yavin, the ruins on Korriban, and countless others.

Careful to avoid entering either guard's field of vision and checked around him for other people who might be watching. When he was certain that there wasn't anyone, he slipped up to the temple and attempted entry. It was probably pretty stupid, but then...who knows. Maybe it could mean a big payoff, if he moved quickly enough to avoid the guard's return. As Wedge would say, "Be bold or get dead."

To Luke's credit, nobody seemed to notice him. And to his great fortune, a disguise would present itself. A locker room was nearby with containment suits. Not only would Luke fit in, but he would also protect himself from deadly radiation. It was a double win, really.

Well, hopefully nobody minds if he borrows one. Luke slips into a containment suit, secures it, and confidently moves deeper inside. After all, better to look like you know where you're going and what you're doing. He's learned his lesson since his debut as a Stormtrooper.

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Which wrong account will I use next!?

Batman? Bowser?

Who let the Shift Hunters out? No, seriously, who? They ate my face.

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