MISSION #5 - Cargo Run

[lucetimods]

Who: Trafalgar Law (2nd Officer), Sanji (Cook), Azusa Miura (Cook's Mate), Adele Blanc (Doctor), The Hulk, Daisy, Anakin Skywalker, Asbel Lhant, Buffy Summers (Marines), Arsene Lupin III, Selphie Tilmitt, James Norrington, Mikage Celestine, Rogue, Nami, and Kurt Wagner (Sailors)
What: MISSION # 5 - Cargo Run
When: April 17th to April 21st
Where: Open Seas
Summary: A group of Luceti volunteers join a crew upon a massive ship headed out to sea, into cultist-infested waters.


It may have been nine in the morning when the group of Luceti volunteers were transported out through the tunnels, but at the shipyards the time difference meant that it was nearly midday already. A meek member of the Malnosso lower management led them along the docks, avoiding and scolding people as they got in his way, as he tried to go over the same details already present in the mission description. He was a rather pathetic looking little purple man with drooping ears, a hairless head, and webbed fingers. He apologized for his slipping over words. He explained it was difficult thinking straight in sunlight. Whenever he would stop to try and think, he'd look up to see The Hulk, shrink away a bit, and then hobble on quicker to the ship.

He was visibly relieved when he found Specialist Davis didn't look too busy, allowing him to pass off the Luceti volunteers and allowing him to get on his way. He's a new face to this particular group, but not to Luceti in general, having worked with them previously on the incident with the third floor. This odd looking group doesn't seem to have him looking too impressed. Especially when he looks at the ones who don't even seem to be fighters. But he directs his attention to Trafalgar with a few short words: "You. We'll talk once we're on board. You get your people settled for now."

With that, he and a group of other MSF Soldiers went to board the ship. The Tyr's Revenge was far larger than the ship than the one on the draft over half a year ago. It was a sailing ship, but despite its antiquated look, there was a central cooling tower in the center of the ship, which it derived its steam power. Where it used this thrust was not immediately obvious without a look at the back of the ship. (They would find out later that it was enough to propel the boat in a calm and was simple enough to avoid being blocked by Shifting, but was not as effective as a good strong wind.) Despite being crewed at around five hundred men and women, it was at least spacious enough for the crew to put in pairs. As a second officer, Trafalgar was afforded his own cabin, but the rest were sorted away into small rooms with two sets of hammocks on each side. The Luceti volunteers were kept together and it gave them some privacy, though each were pre-assigned rooms and the Malnosso didn't seem too picky about who ended up with who.

They had about an hour to get comfortable. In an hour, they'd be casting off.

----

Okay, time for your notes. First off, you will be able to interact with Specialist Davis for the mission. He won't be very talkative (unless you're his second officer), but he might answer some basic questions. He'll be around during the fighting too. Although he prefers to use firearms (think something like a P90), he'll demonstrate super strength and advanced reflexes (think Spider-Man) in battle. Some of the other MSF Soldiers will display some slight superhuman ability like him, but the vast majority of them are normally powered highly trained soldiers. For the most part, they won't talk to people from the enclosures much and prefer to keep to themselves. In general their only duty is security, so they won't be doing much in running the ship unless absolutely necessary. There will be about one hundred and fifty men and women. Most will be human, but there may be a few deviations among them (like odd skin colors, weird hair colors, eye pigmentations, pointy ears, and so on). Although a good number of them will use guns, some out of them will be using melee weapons like swords and spears. All of them will have some secondary weapon in case of a Shift that jams their guns.

The people from Luceti, along with the volunteers, will be doing the day to day work of the ship. The volunteers will be as they are described in the Nitpicker's Guide. For the most part, they're not nearly as skilled at fighting as the people from Luceti or the Security Forces, so when attacks come, they'll defend themselves but not be very good at it. Most of them will be human, with a few variations. Very, very few of them will exhibit any special abilities. In general they'll be friendly enough, though some from different enclosures may be more jaded and bitter. There will definitely be talks of escape and mutiny among some of them, whereas others will be more cooperative or too fearful of attempting a mutiny.

You can use the volunteers and security as NPCs for whatever purpose you like! That means you can give them names and maybe a bit of a personality (that's consistent with the above) and let them get killed or need help or what have you during battles with cultists. There are also droids to be found in parts of the ship below decks. They will more or less remain stationary, but they will intervene if people poke their noses in the wrong place. Or try to mutiny.

The captain of the ship won't be seen much, but she's an older lady (late fifties) that is relatively plain and unassuming in appearance. She won't talk to the volunteers and will relay any orders through Specialist Davis, but the people from Luceti may see her about the ship to see how things are going. Most of the time she will be in the captain's quarters doing paperwork. She'll look seasick for the entire voyage. Her name is Mrs. Eugenia Fruthers, Manager 2nd Class.

Note: The volunteers are sorted randomly, so it's up to you players to figure out how you want to work that out! The Malnosso aren't too picky if a man and woman end up sharing the same quarters. (How shameless!)

Here's a run down for events on the ship over the voyage

17th - Cast off, strong wind, heading east. A fair weather day perfect for sailing.
18th - Open seas with a fair wind and cloudy skies. A land mass can be briefly seen to the north. An island of some sort.
19th - Open seas with a fair wind, darker skies. The cultists make their first attack run. About mid day, four flying ships. The Malnosso use no cannons, but prefer to immediately fly en masse once in range. However, it is necessary to bring these ships down, as the cultists are fond of going kamikaze with them. Each of the four ships carries about one hundred cultists each.
20th - Open seas with powerful wind and stormy weather. Another raid will occur early in the morning, while most of the crew is still asleep. Three more cultist ships will attack and some of the cultists will make it below decks. Mid way through the battle, the ruckus will attract a monstrous kraken from the depths. The crew will be forced to fight off the remaining cultists while a great tentacled hell beast attempts to drag the Tyr's Revenge to the depths.
21st - The last day of the voyage will see the ship needing repairs after the attacks. About half of the crew will have been lost thanks to the cultists and the kraken and they will finally make port (in the same place as the ocean draft.) In the evening, the volunteers will be returned to their respective enclosures.



You can use this post for questions and plotting!

Comments

[abidinglaw]

I know. I watched.

[By now he has turned back to begin tying off the rope in his hand. His hands may be inexperienced with a needle and thread, but they are remarkably deft with a knot.]

[herotypical]

...You didn't just watch, ex-Watcher. You went home.

[ accusatory? just a little. buffy busies herself with sizing up her hammock, speaking with her back turned. ] To my home.

[abidinglaw]

And there I was beginning to fear I might have had to suffer without a healthy spoonful of hypocrisy before bed. Thank you. I shall sleep all the more soundly tonight.

[There were benefits to positioning oneself beyond the reach of his courtesy, and drawbacks, too.]

1/3

[herotypical]

[ yeah, well? i haven't been home in three years. more if you count time away from sunnyda-- but, of course, buffy knew that norrington could never go home. not to the wide, beautiful seascape she'd seen from the pearl's deck.

so she continues to frown. ]

How was it? [ even if it's a time she'd already lived on her own, she's eager for news and glimpses of her loved ones. and she shows her desire to stay put and listen by hopping up into that hammock of hers...

[herotypical]

[ hopping up into that hammock that wasn't really retied by norrington and so its knots untwist rather clumsily despite her near-negligible weight. the whole kingdom comes crashing down and in the desperate attempt to regain her feet, buffy's head smashes against the bulkhead. for anyone else, the blow might be serious.

she sits in a pile of hammock and backpack and humiliated slayer. ]

done.

[herotypical]

...Liar.

[ she picks up a length of untied rope and shakes it at him. displeased. ]

1/3

[abidinglaw]

[He whips around immediately when he hears the noise but...]

2/2

[abidinglaw]

[There isn't a thing he can do but watch while her hammock falls and her head hits the hard wooden --...]

3/3

[abidinglaw]

[But he was in Sunnydale rather recently -- recently enough to have seen her take blows far worse than that from demons with far more bulky heads than that one. The displeasure and guilt on his face give way to an attempt to recapture his dignity, though he does reach out to take the rope if she will give it to him.]

There is no accounting for poor materials.

[herotypical]

[ and so she does give him the rope, popping easily up to her feet.

she does, however, also pull a face. ] Ow. You know? That kinda hurt. [ buffy rubs at the back of her head. ]

[abidinglaw]

We can get you to the infirmary once I've finished here.

[One thing that he had learned from his time in her world was that she did not respond well to being treated like a child -- except when she did. He did not judge this to be one of the times in which she would, however. She would probably make a few choice jabs and then return to her accustomed manner -- and it wasn't like this was his fault. Not exactly. He began tying off the first end of the rope.]

[herotypical]

[ an indignant guffaw; she's flustered -- she'd trusted 'his knots', as fictitious as they'd turned out to be. ]

I don't need a doctor, James. But you might.

[ empty empty threats. she only makes them because they're so obviously empty. ]

[abidinglaw]

[Alright. He deserved that one. Once he finishes this knot he gives the rope a good tug, and then hands the hammock over to Buffy for her own experimentation. While he says:]

Put your back into it.

[Her skirts around her and goes about untying and re-tying the other end.]

[herotypical]

It can't handle my back. Believe me. My abilities aren't capped out here.

[ but she does take the rope and give it a few small hauls. testing it. ]

[abidinglaw]

[A useful reminder. His own brief tug signals that the other side is ready, too, so he takes a step back and gestures to the hammock.]

That should serve. Do you care to try again?

[To try leaping into it again -- there should be no danger this time.]

[herotypical]

...Have I ever told you how much I don't like hammocks?

[ she enters the bed more GINGERLY this time. ]

[abidinglaw]

No.

[He says, in a way that does not invite an explanation as to why. Presently he returns to his own bed and begins an examination of the moorings to which the ropes are tied - metal hooks set into the wall. The strongest knots in the world would avail him none if the wood is rotten or the hook loose.]

[herotypical]

So? [ she leans back and prompts him once again. ] What was it like?

[abidinglaw]

[He gives the hammock a particularly solid tug. After inspecting the other side he sinks into it, placing his palms on his knees.]

Willow -- Miss Rosenberg and I, we were not gone for long. Much of that time was spent in what remained of your house.

[herotypical]

What remained...?

[ she leaned back, tucking her hands behind her head. ] Oh. O-oh. And if Willow's from when she says she's from, then...that night. Sorry about the mess.

[abidinglaw]

From what I understand, it was quite out of your hands.

[Though entering that house had come as quite the shock -- at the time.]

[herotypical]

...Poor Dawnie.

[abidinglaw]

She slept. Eventually.

[If anyone had told him that he was going to Buffy's world he might have anticipated action, vampires, danger -- but he had landed in an aftermath. He had spent many of his hours on the couch, sitting beside the girl in case she required something of him - or wanted simply to talk. He had been right to remain near her. Dawn had spoken in fits and bursts, at times cold, at others, animated. It was clear that she was speaking to herself, however, and not to him. She had used him only as an excuse to speak the words aloud, but she had needed him like a leper needs leeches. So Dawn spent the night in a feat of mental acrobatics, striving to believe that what she had witnessed was some last vestige of her mother. Evidence that somehow, somewhere, she persisted. Their mother. Joyce.]

I am sorry.

[Poor Buffy.]

[herotypical]

...I should have been there. [ this response is sure expected. she swallows the follow-up justification.

her eyes peek at him from over the edge of the hammock. ] That was early on in the battle. Before we knew what the First really wanted. Before we knew -- for sure -- that it was the First Evil at all.

[abidinglaw]

[Like a leper needs leeches.]