lucetilogs | MISSION #5

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MISSION #5 - Cargo Run

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Careful, Adele. That's a loaded gun in that hand. He lands with an uncomfortable grunt for the second time that day, PPK sliding on the deck just beyond his reach. The look in his eyes is completely serious, without a glimmer of humor as he nods shortly.]

Lead the way--I'm almost out of ammo.

[Adele looks after the PPK, tempted to reach out and snag it-

of course that's when one of the nearest tentacles comes smashing down, forcing it to skitter far down the blocked hallway.]

Merde. [Low, under her breath more than anything else. Easy enough for her hand to slide from his wrist to curl her fingers around his palm, giving it a tug before she ducks around the corner, away from the current assault. If they are lucky, the rest of the way will be clear.]

[He follows, but slips out of her grasp momentarily to retrieve the PPK, and pass it off to her.] Keep it cool, Goldie. That's a PPK, not a P-38. Eight shot--with five left now. Don't lose it, or else I'm really a deadman walking here!

[The path seemed to be clear for the moment, which was itself a relief. Though he wanted to stop, wanted to assess the damage to his shoulder before he unknowingly made it worse, he knew that their best chance at safety was going to be in the infirmary.

They had to keep cool, and keep running.]

Edited 2012-04-23 04:14 (UTC)

[The gun's accepted without a second thought, the weight unfamiliar and awkward for the half second she spares to consider it's addition to her spatial awareness before she's running, head low and eyes open for any sudden change in the walls.]

Noted, Red. I won't lose it.

[Two doors, three doors more, and one more turn-

...and there are three more crackling, flailing things waiting for them in the hall.]

...Fuck.

Oh, fuck it all to hell!

[He glares at the tentacles with all the might that he could muster, knowing full well that venomous stares never harmed a creature in the history of the world. With Adele holding the PPK and his P-38 magazines completely empty, they were hard pressed for anything. Lupin looks back down the hallway they came from, weary of this battle and keeping his calm only through his shaking nerves.]

Tell me there's another route, Goldie. Please.

I'm thinking- [Pressed tight against the wall, but thinking. The fastest route was collapsed. This one was full of tentacles. She'd made note of three routes to the ship from any given point and from here there were...two more available.]

Down a level. There's a chute from the infirmary to the next floor below for medical supplies. It's large enough for a person to climb through.

[That's if it wasn't full of water, or more of these. A gamble they'd have to take, because other than that?]

Or topside. Which. I don't think is an option. Or we go through walls. There's a fire ax somewhere on this level.

[He frowns and lightly touches his shoulder as she explains this, fully knowing that it was adrenaline and nerves keeping the full effects at bay for the moment. Motion hurt, putting weight on his arm hurt. That was all he knew for the moment, until they were in calmer terrain.]

...I've been smacked around by that thing all ready, Goldie. Might not be much help through this. Which is the easiest option?

Down.

[She's already turning to the next room she remembers with a hatch below. The way to that is clear enough, at least from what she's seen.]

If we are lucky the rest of the way will be clear. If not? We'll have to find a way to cut through. By we, I mean me. I don't know what is wrong with your shoulder but I'd rather not damage it further.

--It's no worse than Cagliostro. [Very few injuries on the job would be. He nods at her, reluctantly but firmly. Without ammo in his Walther, with this kind of monster, there wasn't much else that he could do.]

Sorry for not being more help.

For that I'm grateful. [One door, two, she shoulders it open and nods for Lupin to enter, eyes wary on the flailing tentacles not fifteen feet away. Once inside she turns her attention to him, expression set.]

I don't care if you can help or not Red. I only care that you get out of this alive.

[Her voice was low, tight, and determined. Shades of Goldie shining through, that odd protective and possessive nature that Adele has no real right to feel. Not for Lupin. Her eyes go soft a moment all the same before she shakes herself of it and turns back to looking for the hatch.]

[He caught it in her tone, and felt it in himself. Lupin stares at her for a long moment, studying her face and her motions and trying to pick out which subtlty belonged to whom.

Quickly, he looks away.]

We'll both get out of here alive. Law's standing order is to survive no matter what you're told. Our lives aren't worth their dirty work.

[No need to stat who 'they' were. Lupin searches himself for a hatch, a discrepency, a certain hollow echo in the walls or the floorboards that indicated a secret passage. He taps the walls with his good hand, searches by feeling with his feet--and notices something.]

Goldie. [Tap tap with his foot.] Think there's something here.

That goes without saying. I gave my word to Ben, Luke, and Rems I'd return safely.

[She knocks around the walls, the floor, shuddering and going tense at every sharp thrash the next room over. She didn't know, or want to know. She needs to get Lupin out of here.]

And Leblac's always keep their word.

[Nothing, nothing, she turns when Lupin calls and frowns, flipping up the nearby carpet and feeling around the edges of the wooden planks. An edge, a catch, she pulls up with a grunt and flips up a hatch. Perfect.]

Down you go Red-

[Of course that's when the thrashing limbs outside slam against the door, cracking, splintering it inward.]

Move!

[There's no place to argue against time. Lupin grabs Adele's hand without thinking, mentally noting to talk to her later about taking on more than she could handle. (kettle. this is pot.)]

You too!

[He means to pull her down with him.]

[She'll fall right along with him, scrambling down and trying to pull the hatch closed behind her as the door explodes in shards of wood- some raining down with her and Lupin.]

[He didn't have a chance to register the effects of the enraged beast--one moment he was pulling her through, the next he was knocked breathless and seeing stars. Lupin gropes blindly at debris pinning him and groans.

Hopefully this didn't wreck Nami's assistance.]

Goldie. Are you--?

[Adele rolls off of Lupin as soon as they hit the ground, bent double and coughing. Breathing was difficult for the moment, habit has her moving to pull the broken bits of wood and debris off of Lupin before she considers her own well being.]

Just fine Pateesa- [God Damnit now was not the time to slip up like this.] Never better.

[He's all ready shoving the debris off--and he might need to throttle Adele later for not taking better care of herself. Though a skinny bastard, he's also damn lucky. This wasn't Cagliostro. This wasn't Cagliostro!]

Goddammit, Adele. Don't lie to me now!

Bruised, but breathing. I'm fine. [As far as she can tell. A little bruising on her shoulder, her wings are dusty but fine, arms, hands, torso- all clear.

Of course once she pulls on his wrist to get him out from under the hatch a sharp knife of pain brings the one injury to her attention. She stumbles backwards, swears, and glares down at her leg. That has a two inch long shard of wood embedded in the front.]

Fuck!

Oh, fuck me all to hell!

[Saying little else, he tries to brace Adele as best as he could. With the difference in height and his own wounds, it wasn't easy]

I don't know the way from here, Dellie. Keep it cool and tell me.

[Deep, even breaths. Adele leans against the nearest stable surface for a moment, just. Breathing. Listening to the thrashing above. They need to move before one of the tentacles either breaks through the bulkhead on this level or works it's way down the hatch. Focusing on that, on Lupin's voice, she swallows, nods, and forces herself to stand. It doesn't hurt to put weight on her left leg. She'll live.]

I'm fine- I'm. It. It's this way.

[She loops an arm around his waist to hold him up as much as to keep herself stable as she walks through the hall, counting under her breath while her eyes scan the roof for the next hatch.]

[He can walk, Adele, but he's not going to complain at this point. Not when adrenaline was starting to flag, not when that shoulder was starting to scream at him if he jostled it too much. That landing was rougher than he would have liked, but at least he was mostly clearheaded.

It was only the panic over the octopod itself that kept him jumpy and his heart beating too fast. This was no different from Mamo, from Himuro, from all of those monsterous reflections of human greed that he's met over his career.

--okay. It was very different.

He looks warily up at the ceiling, wondering if this was why rational men started to pray.]

Just keep going. Just keep it up.

I have endured worse than this.

[Details she won't elaborate on, not now. Instead she keeps low, keeps moving, and keeps Lupin close. Down this hall, the second door to the left, and. There.

The bulkhead nearest them begins to creak ominously and she swears, pulling Lupin off to the side and slamming the door shut behind them. Not that it would do anything if another set of appendages works their way in. But. It'd give them time. And time is all they need.]

The ladder- find the ladder.

Got it.

[He searches with his eyes and his intuition, concerned enough about Adele to not move from her side. He was fine. This was no worse than the irritation of a job gone wrong. Adele, however...

Clearly his priorities were skewed.

Lupin wanted to kiss her. That way, in case the beast swung at them again, they can say that they died reasonably happy to whomever they meet on the other side.

His gaze lights on a discrepancy in the corner.]

Hey, Adele. [He nods in that direction.]

[She was fine. She was. It hurt a little- but she's been shot before. Shot and bleeding out. A small shrapnel wound and bruising? That was nothing. A mild irritant that she can put from her mind and keep working without any trouble whatsoever.

All that mattered was getting Red- Getting Lupin to the infirmary. Getting him somewhere safe before the door blew open. If she kept him alive? She'd manage well enough. Tentacles, Third Party, sinking ship or no.

Adele, LeBlanc and Levarre, have endured worse. This. This was nothing.]

Brace the door Red.

[No way of knowing how long it would hold, but she feels around the indicated corner, fingers tracing out the edges of the ladder. She has to brace herself against the adjacent wall to climb up, to start pounding on the hatch.

A much larger, much more damaging pounding began at the wall with the door.]

Fuck-

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