[MISSION LOG] GET IN THE CAR

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Avera 9
WHEN: Day :156 - 160
SUMMARY: Welcome to the jungle muddy junk pile in space. Avera 9, pt.1
WARNINGS: None; will edit if necessary.

THERE IS AN EXPECTATION that all hosts meet on the flight deck; that much is obvious on waking - something that, strangely, all new hosts seem to have done at the same time. Pack your things, says a gut sensation. It's time to go somewhere different.

ONCE ASSEMBLED, it isn't long before Prince and Cathaway make their own appearances. They have a set of kits with them - one for each young host - and a square that unfolds into a data pad with mission details. Each kit contains some of the materials hosts will find helpful for their assignment, and the equipment is not to be traded away or sold, Prince explains. The rest, Cathaway adds, will be provided once travel is complete. And then it's time to get underway. Today that means piling into a sleek, arrow shaped ship with plenty of space to carry personnel and equipment. There are a number of bikes lashed in the cargo area, places for hosts to stow their things, and enough seating at each side of the carrier's interior for hosts to be comfortable. It's a short trip, Cathaway assures and then makes her way with Prince to the cockpit. Today, they're coming with.

Initial checks. Engines go. The landing circular landing pad under the ship turns, lowering down into the flight deck floor as it goes. The ship comes with it, descending into the cool dark depths of the Station. There's a shudder as it locks into the launch tube, as the channel overhead is sealed; there is no countdown, just a pulsing moment of anticipation-- and then rocketing, teeth rattling momentum and a bright, hot flash of joy as the ship is projected from the Station - as it sears through time and space and a hundred versions of the same universe until it comes to rest here: smacked out into real space hung above a murky brown planet, clearly visible through the massive viewscreen at the front of the ship.

It's a good thing there's not much to look at; Cathaway doesn't waste time before deftly setting a course, slicing down through upper atmosphere with hardly a shudder from the knife point shaped ship. The planet comes up rapidly and a hum passes through the carrier as it lowers - cresting down through dark clouds to be battered by rainfall and the cross cutting of wind. But it flies steady, sure, and in time they streak at ground level across muddy flatlands and massive stone slabs - skim across inert bodies of water in the slow process of expanding from the constant sluggish rainfall.

The ship eventually comes to rest in the middle of what must be a massive valley; it sets down with hardly a shiver, then something clangs loud and the ramp at the rear descends. Cathaway unhooks her harness and rises from the pilot's seat.

"Here we are. Be well and do well; try not to kill anyone." Yourselves included, being the unspoken addendum. "Make sure to return here at the specified time. We can't extend our time table to account for stragglers."

There is a pause before Prince adds, with an edge of silent reluctance, “If you find yourselves in a situation you cannot handle, call and we will come.”

And then you're free to go wherever you like. Welcome to Avera 9.


(click to zoom; blue is water; yellow is lowlands/flood plains/etc; green is higher, drier terrain; brown is for ridges/high ground)

---

((OOC Notes: You'll notice that this log only covers the first few days of the mission; this is to allow for player character decision making to effect the back half of the mission. That said, feel free to make your own logs and posts on the IC community as you see fit - just be aware that dating past day :160 may get a little wonky depending on how events proceed!

If you have any mission specific questions, direct them to the OOC post here. For exploration and salvage discovery, we've decided to give players a largely free rein for what items can be found. However, if you want specific mod-generated items for your characters to stumble across during their salvaging, feel free to use THIS thread to request that!))

NAVIGATION • SETTING • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[exhuxperation]

[ For a short moment, it feels like time is holding its breath. He can see Ren stopping, frozen in his tracks. Across their (admittedly weak but still there) mental link, he feels the sensation of stomach churning. And then rage, unadulterated.

Karlon goes toppling over the railing and everything snaps back into motion.

Pain flares along his arm and he kicks out behind him, catching his attacker in the knee well enough to loose their grip. He shakes loose, darting through the gap the guards left in their own shock. They're recovering quickly and he returns fire as best he can, long legs giving him the advantage in gaining distance.

Catching up to both members of the nest, he watches warily as Steve clambers over the other side of the railing, announcing that Karlon's alive. Not that it's going to do them all much any good, considering. Ren is saying something about covering and it's really too much. ]

You and you. [ Hux gestures with the active end of the stun blaster to two guards who've caught up. Dimly, he can tell they're worried under all the anger. ] Go get your boss before he falls all the way down the cliff. There's someone over the railing trying to help him already.

[ Here's hoping this works. ]

[onemind]

[The meager handful of remaining guards - the ones not slumped on the paving stones nursing wounds or worse -, don't flinch from the direction of the blaster shoved in their direction. --But they also clearly have their priorities straight in a fashion. Karlon comes first. They can take care of this problem after.

The leading guard shoves past Hux, slapping the blaster down with a clawed hand and hissing--] Keep out of the way, red. Stand between us and your friend. [With a dark look turned to Kylo Ren. To his colleague:] Stay here. Send Barng after me. Keep eyes on them.

[And then the guard is crawling up and over the railing after Steve, rain streaming off his flat scaly head as he gingerly inches down. A moment later, the third trailing guard reaches their position. This must be Barng; he's sent over the rail as well.

Small stones slide free - pinging off the cliff face past Steve - raining down on Karlon who hisses and whines: trembling in the cut of the wind.]

[narcissithstic]

[Has the General taken leave of his mind?

It's a show of weakness, opening their palm to their adversaries rather than cutting them down and relying on their own strength to remedy the situation. As the guards shift past, Ren's stare follows them, mouth open, brow pinched tight in an expression that's nothing short of incredulous.

Offended to the core.

WHAT THE F*CK YOU GUYS]

[exhuxperation]

[ As the guard shoves past, he ignores the derogatory nickname. And the obnoxious shove, even though it ticks him off. His blaster is held still, though dropped down to avoid more confrontational motions.

Behind him, he can feel Ren stewing. First, it was shock and now it's some form of offense, loud and clear. It rings around in his head and he has half a mind to tell him to knock it off purely because he already has the headache of a lifetime.

Turning his head just slightly, so he can glance at Ren, he forces a thought his way. ]

( Control yourself for longer than five minutes. Do you ever think of anyone else and how they factor into your ill-planned decisions? )

[ After, he turns away, looking towards the railing, brow furrowing in concentration as he mentally reaches out for Steve. ]

( If they try anything idiotic, I can't guarantee a peaceable outcome. )

[ Chances are Ren will slice them to pieces should anything happen to Steve, but at that point it might be deserved. ]

[decommission]

[ To Hux, too distracted by the slippery footing to elaborate, he sends as steady a response as he can muster: ]

( Understood. )

[ Loose rocks fly past his head and one hand slips for a split second, forcing him to throw his weight forward and hold there while his heart hammers in his chest. He spares a quick glance at the descending Bari. Having claws probably helps, but he's otherwise undeterred by the threat of falling down the side of the cliff. Other priorities. ]

Grab my leg! [ Shouting down at Karlon once he's close enough. His boots dig into holds on the rockface as best he can near the merchant's arm, fingers doing the same. He's not so sure he can support the weight of both of them for very long should he have to, but the guards aren't too far off. ]

[onemind]

[The rest of Karlon's men have caught up now, belly up to the rail and peering down through the sluicing rain toward their boss as he--

--struggles against the slippery rockface, long nails clawing along the stone. He hisses continually, a low instinctive noise like a whine, and drags himself up-- then surges for Steve's leg, pushing off from his slim foothold hard enough that it crumbles out from under him. His hands close around Steve's leg, nails digging through fabric and cutting - or certainly making no effort to avoid it, if it's possible - at flesh. He crawls hand over fist up Steve's leg, using him like a particularly squishy version of a ladder in an attempt to get within arms reach of people he actually trusts.

Sorry, Steve.]

[narcissithstic]

[Meanwhile, on higher ground where Ren stands watching in the rain.]

[decommission]

[ Steve is going to grimace his way through being a human ladder and hold on for dear life, ignoring the shredding pain in his leg as those claws sink in.

At least he can't look down at this point. ]

[onemind]

[Karlon shreds his way up Steve's leg, up his middle - scrambling across him in time for the first bodyguard to gingerly make their way within reach. At the last moment, Karlon lunges for the outstretched arm the guard offers, using Steve as a springboard in the pouring rain to get there.

A hiss - from the bodyguard as Karlon's claws sink into his forearm too. Then Karlon gives him roughly the same treatment as Steve: climbs up and over him to reach the next guard, and finally - trembling and bloodied (his own and a combination from the people he crawled up) - comes slithering up over the promenade ledge and is helped across the rail by his waiting cohorts to sprawl on the flooded paving stones, panting and glaring daggers at Hux and Kylo Ren.]

How dare you! I'll have you skinned!

[It's not a terribly effective threat when all but delivered from the ground, is it? Meanwhile, on the cliff face the bodyguard nearest Steve ducks his square head in the sluicing rain - long tongue tasting the air, the scent of copper blood quickly being diluted. He reaffirms his foothold then extends his bloodied arm down to Steve as well.]

[narcissithstic]

[Soaked through with rain and limned with that vivid red light, Ren says nothing. Instead he meets Karlon's threat with the fixed stare of a hungry predator: unblinking, unflinching and underscored by a mechanical drive to kill. That the Force adds to it— draws out his silhouette into something indescribably more gruesome— is entirely subconscious. Habit from years spent attempting to strike fear into the more resilient hearts that dared to defy the First Order.

Still, he stays. Watches. Waits]

[exhuxperation]

[ Hux doesn't even have to turn to know that Ren is in full intimidation mode. He can feel the weird crawl of the Force, a buffer against his form. Swallowing, he momentarily splits his attention, a vague pain coming through the connection when he thinks of Steve. ]

( Ren. Steve is going to need help– I don't know if that cliff face is going to hold. )

[ Immediately after, he turns his gaze to Karlon, expression approaching neutral. Though not without a tinge of coldness, considering they've all just been threatened. ]

It would be better if you placed importance in getting medical attention. For yourself and your men. Regardless of how this transaction began, we've no further interest in causing more trouble.

[decommission]

[ The claws are like needles up his side, but it's the weight of Karlon and his push to the guard that makes Steve finally start to lose his grip, one hand and both feet slipping from there holding place against the slick rocks. His heart pounds in his ears as the world seems to move in slow motion, his boot sliding uselessly against a foothold that isn't there anymore.

Without thinking whether the guard means to throw him down the rest of the way, he reaches up for the claw extending toward him. ]

[onemind]

[His clawed hand closes on his, sturdy but clearly well used to using his grip for something other than razoring through flesh.]

Get your footing. Can you climb?

[Because Steve weighs about as much as a wet hrol, but his own grip isn't exactly sure enough to go hauling him up on his own.

Meanwhile, Karlon spits at Hux - blood spattering the paving stones only to be washed away a moment later. He curls his lip and raises his elbow expectantly. One of his bodyguards, tentatively checking the scrape down the length of Karlon's tender chest, catches it immediately and helps him to his feet.]

I don't care what your interest is. [Upright, he jerks the neck of his clothes back into their proper place and raises the flat line of his chin, panting still. Rain beats heavily, sluicing from his scales.] Good luck in Tari, boys.

[Another spit. He wheels around to go.]

[narcissithstic]

[Were they not so bound to one another (if he cared less on some deep, entirely artificial level) Ren would be content to let Steve fend for himself against the shifting stone, the downpour that threatens to dislodge both Rogers and his current assist. The First Order suffers no weakness; those that cannot fend for themselves are claimed - in battle or otherwise.

But once Karlon has granted them a pleasant dismissal, Ren flicks the switch of his saber, killing the blade and striding closer to the edge. Inhaling once, his sense of self dulls: time slows (for him, at least— perceptions numb to its passage) and it's not as easy as it once was, but he's more than capable of grasping the cliffside with little more than willpower. Fault lines noted and braced against the shove and pull of shared weight. Insurance designed to grant them a secure climb, if nothing else.

You're welcome.]