Mission #14 - The Iron Eye

[lucetimods]

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.

Comments

[voidseeing]

"This isn't the most hospitable environment for those who aren't used to fighting in these conditions." A wry grin at Bil and his hat and sunglasses. "But that also begs the question as to what the cultists are doing out here. The climate can't be easy on them either. Just menacing various enclosures, or is there something more?"

[biliruben]

"Even wasps have nests, my boy. They aren't pitching tents and facing brutal winds as we are."

[voidseeing]

"So they've got a base out here. And I'm guessing they've figured out some way to handle the Shifts to keep that from affecting them too badly."

Not that they bother Gai all that much, as he doesn't have any powers for them to dampen.

[biliruben]

Bil pursed his lips, seeming to consider Gai. He decided to help the young man reach a certain conclusion. An important one.

"Perchance, did you ever visit the underground city? There was a draft there. I do believe Luceti was called into action for that one. One of our mines crossed into one of their cities."

[voidseeing]

Now Gai raises his eyebrows, sensing that the conversation is taking a turn towards something that will likely be of interest to him.

"No, that one was before my time. I heard a few stories about it, but I've never been there myself. I didn't arrive until several months after that happened."

A beat. "So that's their base, is it?"

[biliruben]

Bil took a long drink from his bottle before answering. "So we believe. They've not yet found the entrance."

[voidseeing]

"It would make sense." He nods, considering this. "If the Shifts are only active on the surface, they'd be protected from them as well as the weather. And an underground base is far more difficult to infiltrate than something aboveground."

That's part of why he'd chosen Roppongi for Funeral Parlor's base, after all.

"That's quite a nest they've built themselves here."

[biliruben]

"Builders..." Bil rolled that concept around in his mind. But he said nothing further on it. "One of many, I should think. But this one is large. Far larger than the ones connected to the mines. Perhaps even as large as the one in the jungle."

[voidseeing]

"This isn't the one connected to the mines?" Gai wants to be sure of this. But that would explain why they've had such trouble locating the entrance.

[biliruben]

Bil chuckled. "Heavens, no. That was on an entirely different continent. But, I suppose you wouldn't know that."

[voidseeing]

"Like I said, that was before my time. You'll have to forgive me for not knowing the details," he shot back, amused. "It can be hard to keep everything straight sometimes."

[biliruben]

"In any case, the Iron Eye finding this entrance could be crucial in the war against the cultists. Perhaps even a turn, altogether. Goodness knows we need one. I'm afraid the situation is dire." His expression grew grim. "Were I still part of the Malnosso, I would not be permitted to tell anyone this, especially not a test subject. But the situation is more dire than anyone will tell you. Before Zompano came into power, the General had already dealt serious blows to the organization. It had been estimated that in five years, we'd have lost all the outer regions, like this one. In three more, they'd have wiped us out entirely."

Bil's attention turned to his bottle. "The infighting between the cultists led us to believe we'd finally had a chance to turn the tide. We entertained reclaiming old territory. But after TERRACE... and after Vaskoth..." He sighed. "It would take a miracle to survive two more years. Even in Luceti."

[voidseeing]

"I fought him myself on one of the drafts." Now it was Gai's turn for his expression to darken at the memory. "It's not hard to see how he would be capable of causing tremendous damage. That blood magic of his isn't like anything I'd ever seen before."

He unfolded his hands, then folded them again and looked down at them. "Vaskoth may have been larger than Luceti, but it was weakened from that virus. I'm sure their morale took quite the hit from that. Size doesn't matter if the forces don't have confidence in their ability to win. Psychological warfare is just as effective as any amount of weaponry or manpower."

[biliruben]

"How right you are. But I'm afraid to say the state of the organization itself is no different than Vaskoth's was. Reclaiming the first region was to be our great victory. The first blow of many, that would incite us all to a real victory. Or that's how the newspapers made it out to be."

[voidseeing]

"And instead they're disheartened and in disarray due to their defeat." Unsurprising, really. Having not just one, but multiple barriers breached was a major security failing. "So you're hoping that finding the entrance to this city will serve to reinvigorate them and convince them that what happened was just a fluke, not the beginning of a pattern."

[biliruben]

"Hm. Something like that." It wasn't a no. But there was something in Bil's mannerism that suggested more to it. More that he had no intention of speaking of.

[voidseeing]

"Something like that, and something else you aren't going to tell me." Gai is no fool. He's been a soldier and a freedom fighter long enough to be able to know when an answer isn't really an answer at all.

[biliruben]

"Indeed so, my boy. But I'm afraid it's better you don't know. There are things we must do that are absolutely necessary, but are perhaps unforgivable."

[voidseeing]

Now Gai smirked, and there was something hard and almost cruel behind it. "You're talking to someone whose life was based around doing exactly that. I'm the last person to be passing judgment on someone else for the same crimes."

[biliruben]

Bil's smile was not a happy one. "Then you'll know it's better to not interfere."

[voidseeing]

"Fair enough." Gai wouldn't press; he'd already gotten a considerable amount of information out of the man, and he didn't want to risk souring the conversation or their relationship in general.

"By the way, Law mentioned to me that he hoped you had some sort of advance warning if you were in fact forced to flee the way Tony implied." Might as well pass that message along while he's here.

[biliruben]

"Aha, well, it's never good to try and make use of Malnosso connections while one is on the run." He chuckled. "But I do love my gossip. A wedding! Goodness, it makes me wish I was still living down in the Dome still."

[voidseeing]

"Two weddings, actually. Must be something in the air. You should start keeping a tally," Gai said, not even trying to hide his amusement. "And to think, Valentine's isn't even for another several months."

[biliruben]

He tsked. "I do hope it's not merely Zompano's doing. I recall Tyrus experienced quite a surge in marriages when placed under a similar experiment a few years ago."

[voidseeing]

"You don't say." Again Gai's eyebrows went up. "No, I'm pretty sure these were inevitable even before Zompano got involved. If anything, he just helped them along."