lucetimods: (Default)
Luceti Mods ([personal profile] lucetimods) wrote in [community profile] lucetilogs2013-09-07 08:19 am

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 [community profile] 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.
thefinaljedi: (Protest)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Luke shook his head at the joke, but didn't say anything to the men. No point in risking that much, but he let his posture show he was slightly annoyed. He's short...we get it...moving on.

To the second guard, he nods an approximation of an affirmative and moved on past. Once he was through, he just tried to be unobtrusive, but he was definitely looking around.

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
And so, Luke entered the main facility. It looked nothing like what one would expect from old ruins. A cavern below them descended for several hundred feet. Catwalks were spread around the area, with stairs going from one level to another. There were scientists at computer workstations and technicians welding metal together, splicing wires, and all manner of work. And it was all for one thing. The central feature of the room.

A missile. A large missile, seventy feet in height and fifth feet in width. It was unfinished, with much of its parts still exposed. On the lower levels, Luke could spy a blue man, also in a containment suit, tinkering at a computer hooked into the missile. He was swearing and waving off people he tried to help. Bil was far less pleasant when he was deep in his work, it would seem. But there were other computers not in use. In fact, nobody seemed to pay him any mind, so long as he was not stopping to simply observe. People were all busy. There was no time for people to take a break.
thefinaljedi: (Purplexed)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Luke may not have expected to find a facility like this, but he wasn't really all that shocked to find something like this. The whole thing wasn't too different from some of the projects he'd seen both as a technician and as a saboteur. But the fact that it's here, and Bil is working on it is definitely something of a surprise. He takes quick mental notes of what he's seeing before casually heading to the computers, picking up a clipboard and pencil along the way.

He does his best to make it look like he's checking things and doing work, and working with computers is something he's familiar enough with that it shouldn't be too difficult. He's a little sad that Artoo is back in the enclosure, since he's only a so-so Slicer himself, but he'll make due.

So...looking for files and info...

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
There would be a lot on the computer that would be meaningless to Luke. Complex algorithms, technical details, maps of places he hadn't seen before. But there were three different logs that would prove most useful to him:

- Projected Launch Coordinates
- Effects of Shift Bombs
- Correspondence with the Malnosso

As it turned out, Bil had stopped his cursing and was on his way up. This meant Luke would only have time to look at one of them before he risked being spotted by a man who would recognize him.
thefinaljedi: (Surprised)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
Kriff Luke swore under his breath, and after only an instant's hesitation...he went for the third log: Correspondence with the Malnosso.

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
And so the transcription:

To the Iron Eye,

We have noticed an increase in numbers in your desert outpost. You previously turned down our request to attack the marauders preying on Depot 10. Please explain.

-Chief Specialist G.F.

-

To G.F.

Training exercises. We lost men defending Quell and Pagoda. We're preparing to deal with cultists. There's no time to worry about desert bandits.

-The Eye

-

To the Iron Eye,

A fugitive of the Malnosso has been spotted heading to the desert continent. A reward is offered for apprehending him. Your services would be invaluable.

-G.F.

-

To G.F.

We have dispatched men to look for the traitor. We will respond when we know more.

-The Eye

-

To the Iron Eye

We will be dispatching volunteers from an enclosure in Region Six to investigate your camp. If you do not allow them to investigate, this will be taken as an act of aggression.

-G.F.

-

To G.F.

Your choice of Luceti is in poor taste, but they will be permitted.

-The Eye

-

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE:

To the Iron Eye

The area has been evacuated of all personnel. You are clear to proceed.

-Name Removed


There appears to be more, but unfortunately, Bil is but a few feet away and he seems to be headed to the terminal Luke is at.
thefinaljedi: (Careful...)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
Luke's no dummy, he's been carefully monitoring Bil's progress while at the same time scribbling down what he's found on the clipboard and committing it to memory. Good thing is that he's got a good one. Before Bil gets too close, he shuts down the logs and stands up, nodding to the scientist casually before collecting his clipboard and heading off.

Not good. Not good at all

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
There seemed to be a momentary trace of recognition on Bil before he seemed to shrug it off and go off to work at the terminal again. But there was a risk he might notice it at any time, as well. It was up to Luke whether it would be worth lingering in the facility or to leave with what he had gathered.
thefinaljedi: (Robed in Shadow)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Luke takes that as a sign that perhaps it's better to not risk it. He lingers a few minutes longer, so as not to look like he's scurrying off and arousing suspicion. No worse way to wind up in trouble than to get something, then get yourself caught by being too hasty. He makes certain to keep looking busy, and move at a slow, ambling pace, buried in his notes.

If there was anything to see as he makes his way out, then he'd be on the lookout. He'll try with the Force too, unreliable as it is, the sixth sense is still better than just five.

If not, then out he goes, palming the notes he's taken.

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
One of the guards, however, did stop him on the way out. Staring him down with his arms crossed. It was the one from before.

"Well?"
thefinaljedi: (Questioning)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
Luke threw his voice, making it sound as older, more nasally, and tired. Overworked and underpaid.

"Said they'd have someone look at it in the next little bit. It'll get fixed asap, but they gotta lock down some other stuff first. Couplings again."
Edited 2013-09-15 03:23 (UTC)

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
The guard swore. "Dammit. Fine. I'll call it in. If you see Ross out there, tell him to get his ass in here, would you?"

And that was that. He let Luke be.
thefinaljedi: (Concerned)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
"Got it." Luke nodded in affirmative and headed out, leaving the facility and heading out back into the camp, careful to use one of the less easy to spot routes he'd mentally mapped out on his way in.

[personal profile] malnosso 2013-09-15 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
At this point, Luke would be on his own. He could could go looking around again or reconnect with the others and see if there was any need for more information gathering.
thefinaljedi: (Looking Back)

[personal profile] thefinaljedi 2013-09-15 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Thinking it over, he heads back to the others for now, his palmed notes in hand. And not for the first time he's kind of annoyed about how prolific the Star Wars movies are.