station72 | [MISSION: HYRYPIA] the moon drops one or two feathers into the field

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[MISSION: HYRYPIA] the moon drops one or two feathers into the field

CHARACTERS: Everyone
WHERE: The Station
WHEN: DAY :055
SUMMARY: Two veteran hosts arrive on the Station and a mandatory meeting is called. It's time to prepare for a new mission.
WARNINGS: Just chill dudes having a chill time. (Will add warnings as necessary)

I. THE SHIP.
((closed to one thread with a maximum of two player characters; first come, first serve; please don't nab this if you want to play an AFTERMATH prompt and vice versa))

[Early in the day, one of the hangar's platforms rotates upward into place. On it sits a long, bird beak shaped ship. For a moment it has all the appearance of being held together with little more than hope and a prayer. Its nose panels are scorched from the punching in and out of atmosphere and its wings have a rugged, rudimentary sweep to them. Then the illusion melts away and the ship becomes fundamentally concrete, though no less strange as it twists into a shape more closely resembling some complex origami. From it comes two hosts, both in elaborately layered stiff edged garments that cloak them from neck to knee.]

Double time, darling.

[The pale alien flashes a broad grin at her comrade as she vaults from the cockpit to the hangar floor. Her partner, hood thrown back and his scarves unwound to reveal short, tawny fur and two sets of small horns, tosses two bags down after her then follows her down.

The ship seals itself after them like a fan folding closed.]

II. MENTAL LINK.

[There is a strange, unfamiliar voice in your mind. It comes without a greeting and without the polite request for attention, but rather like a voice over an intercom, curt and low:]

( Hosts will report to the briefing room in- ) [the measurement of time that filters into your mind is not quite numbers, untethered by the standards of one people, but the meaning of it is clear- approximately 15 minutes] ( You have received the mission info on your personal databank. Proceed to the location upon review. )

[There is no invitation to continued conversation, but there is the impression of a location, one which you are unfamiliar with. The space it occupies pressed into your mind like a seal into hot wax. You can find it. You know it.]

III. BRIEFING.
((thread jacking encouraged for this - speedier back and forths seem like the funnest way to accomplish a group meeting; tag order will be treated cavalierly at best in any group threads!))

[Not far from the hangar deck, the corridors curve and then abruptly dead end at a circular room with a series of tiered benches seemingly carved from the Station's structure. Is this where you meant to be? Well, the voice had seemed like it wasn’t optional.

At the center of the small briefing room sit two Hosts. The first, a tall narrow alien with long pointed ears and solid green eyes sits straight with military precision, facing forward and not moving except to breath. The second, a pale alien with fringe touched by gold and dark lip lacquer is sitting in a spindly chair and aggressively typing on her tablet. She's shed her elaborate outerwear for one of the Station's bodysuits. She doesn't look up for a long time.

Eventually once everyone is seated, Rhan folds her databank up into a cube, sets it on the pedestal beside her and strokes along its side to trigger a projection of glittering gossamer images into the dim room's center.]

Let's get down to business, shall we? Hopefully you've all done your homework, [She arches an eyebrow, flashing a quick grin] --so the nuts and bolts won't be shocking. But Siva'co and I wanted to go over a few particulars before we take you all on this charming little adventure. Namely this one:

[She taps the side of the cube with her finger with a click of her long fingernail. The briefing report sent to the hosts earlier scrolls rapidly to the line '--one of these major diplomatic factions is believed to have been infiltrated by 'Enemy' agents.'.]

Now we've worked rather hard for the last year in this universe and we both would be very unhappy for all that effort to go down the drain just because someone thinks they'd like to be a hero. Isn't that right, Siva'co? I don't know how much contact you've had with our good friends out there, but let's be clear about this: if the Enemy becomes aware of our presence on this planet, this mission will be aborted. They'll get whatever they want out of this universe and, most importantly, some of us will die while running with our tails between our legs.

[Rhan tips her head to her partner.]

How do you feel about getting killed by someone with ideals, Siva'co?

[There is a long pause before he answers- and it is difficult to read his face exactly, but he seems somewhat exasperated.] Whatever the source of the failure, to die for reason other than the success of the mission is not acceptable. All must fulfill their roles with focus and dedication in order to see victory. Foolishness will not be tolerated.

[Rhan looks back to the assembled Hosts, cheerful smile unflagging.]

Questions?

IV. AFTERMATH.
((each prompt limited to one thread, first come first serve; please don't pull one of these if you nabbed THE SHIP prompt and vice versa.))

SIVA'CO.
[Regardless of the fact that the meeting is complete, Siva’co does not immediately leave. Rather a) he waits, stiff backed and formal by the door as Host’s filter out, not particularly inviting conversation but not fleeing, either. When the last host has left the room, he is found b) in the Training Wing, working his way through a number of the exercise machines with a single-minded focus, breathing heavily through his noses, hooved feet silent on the treadmill and the foam mats.

RHAN.
[After the briefing sessions, someone quick on their feet might manage to catch Rhan a) in the corridor leading from the briefing room. But you'll have to be very quick as she clearly has things to do and is shortly swallowed up by the labyrinthine corridors of the Station's interior. Some time later, she appears b) in the library, making space to shelve a series of small leatherbound books. Rhan flips open each one to check the label on the first page as she takes them from the open bag at her feet. The bag itself appears to be stuffed with…. well, stuff in addition to the books.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Parker doesn't look up from the notebook, ] Yes, I got that. [ Her tone is kept even, if tired. ] I meant, in general. [ She sets the pen down for a second, but doesn't let go of it. She straightens up, trying to adjust a position where her back isn't killing her. ]

Do they want to destroy the world? Or do they just, [ Her hand makes a vague gesture, as if pointing to nowhere. ] What's their point?

If we knew that, I'd be drinking palosian blues with a little umbrella in it on a beach right now. [Rhan sighs and shifts forward in her chair.]

Look-- what's your name? I'd love to tell you I knew exactly what their point is, but all I know is that they're in this universe for a reason and that reason seems to be getting their sticky little fingers on this stuff the Hyrypians have. Maybe the people they're working with need it to accomplish something that they like. Or maybe they want to crack open a bunch of Hyrypian skulls and figure out how to use it for themselves so they can take it somewhere else and kick another group of Hosts around with it. [That one seems unlikely, but as long as they're throwing shanxu at the wall--]

What the Enemy wants is bad for me which means I like getting in their way. Don't overthink it. You'll give yourself a headache.

[ He's got the datapad in his hands, skimming over paragraphs he's already read a few times now. There's a sense that he's distracted, forcing his focus upward while fresh loss wraps around his ankles tries to tempt him in the other direction. He half hears the conversation as it starts, interrupting Parker before she can respond - ]

Does the Enemy have some kind of tell we can look for? Have you gone up against them face to face before?

[ The last thing she would have expected to be an intergalactic similarity would definitely be cocktails with tiny umbrellas. It catches her off-guard, enough to make her look at the alien with a weird "what the heck" expression. She opens her mouth to, probably, tell her that it's not that different from getting a parasite in your head, but nobody wants to hear that again. And Good Guy Steve is there to interrupt her.

She tongues the inside of her cheek, shifting her position to write something down, glancing over to Steve a few rows ahead. ]

[Quiet up until now, Siva'co tips his head to Steve, his green eyes inscrutable. Unlike his companion he does not trade looks with his partner.]

None we know. They may have been here for years. Rabadoceans are very- [there is a pause, upper lip pulling down to cover his fangs] varied. To know what is quirk and what is a tell is a trick we do not know. Expect that their cover could be better than yours.

[ He frowns at the datapad, lifting his gaze after a moment. ]

And if they catch a whiff of us, taking us out and potentially getting exposed while they're at it is more important than keeping their cover? [ The question being: is killing Hosts more important to the Enemy than following through with a covert plan years in the making? Rhan says the Enemy gets what they want either way, but that doesn't seem to play out right. ]

[Rhan pulls a face, tapping the side of the datacube with her long fingernail. It bounces back to the map overview.]

I guess that all depends on how they're feeling. But if it were me in their shoes and I wanted us dead, all I'd do was make sure someone knew were were some kind of alien invasion force. This universe doesn't know what life looks like if it isn't a Rabadocean derivative and somehow I don't feel like being exposed as creatures from beyond the universe would really go great for us. Not that you aren't pretty, of course.

[She winks at him. --And at Parker.]

But barring that? Sure. Why not. It might be worth it to their long game to kill thirty plus of us. I guess it depends on how important the Nectar is to them - whether it's more valuable than gutting the Nest's forces is. Knowing what we do about them, which is essentially nothing, is that really a chance you want to take?

[ Parker glances back up at Steve when he asks his second question, makes a face that's relatively close to a smile, only she's still dead inside. Flipping a page over, she reads over a note she wrote down from before while Rhan was talking, and holds it there, while taking more notes while the white alien speaks.

She mumbles something in regards the alien invasion comment, along the lines of Aren't you?, but more to herself than anyone else. She still has her head down, writing whatever she deems important on her little notebook.

Parker looks up again when she stops talking and tilts her head. ]

So what's your focus? [ ... She probably should be taught to speak more than two words at a time. ] Out the others, or protect the Rabads--people. [ How speak. ]

Edited 2017-07-02 23:13 (UTC)

Neither.

[The response is instant, before even the quick-tongued Rhan can respond.]

The mission is to prevent the party that the enemy is supporting from gaining control of the Nectar. Revealing them for what they are risks revealing us. This is a covert operation.

[ Covert isn't the word she would use to describe herself -- or any of the missions she has previously pulled off before. Even their accomplishment at Shril, which she takes out some nights to assure herself of her own competence, was decidedly a mess in that regard.

Misato raises her hand, her other arm wrapped around herself, expression as stern as ever. ]

Would we have any uses for the Nectar? Easiest way to keep them from getting it is to get it ourselves.

Is there any other party we should be on the lookout for, that you know of?

[He's been listening, for the most part, quiet and composed where he's staying. Not wanting to jump in and cross back over information already given.]

[He frowns, though, and holds up a hand.]

Obviously this enemy group takes focus -- obviously, they can't get it. But, I mean, is there a way you think we should try swinging the vote, so to speak.

[ Parker glances at Siva'co with a blank look, before shaking her head and flipping her page to another, scribbling away. She wants to push other questions on them, but she doesn't, mostly because she knows anything from her is dismissed and partially because she's done trying to discuss some things with people that have been in the hive for too long.

Instead, she listens to the others, writing down another note for a later question. ]

Edited 2017-07-03 00:47 (UTC)

[Rhan lifts her attention to Misato and shakes her head.]

It's a renewing resource natural to the planet. We could lift some of it, but unless we're blowing the place when we leave I don't think it's an especially viable situation.

[There's no bite to the explanation. It's pure factual. If it comes down to that - well, worse things have happened.]

As for who ends up with it, I don't really have a preference. [She sits back and grins.] I wouldn't want my opinions on who I think is an asshole to prejudice the mission.

[Siva'co, with less color than Rhan, adds-] For us, there is functionally no difference between the factions. The best strategy, after we have discovered which is supported by the enemy, would be to assist the side which is already finding more success.

Edited 2017-07-03 01:34 (UTC)

[ Parker feels tempted to raise her hand for a second at Rhan's comment, but decides against it. Barely. Maybe she should do it, disturb the mission for once instead of ignore it. Maybe it would bring answers. Maybe it wouldn't. But it could cost lives and regardless of what passes as selfishness on her part, blood on her hands is not something she cares to deal with again. She is still struggling with the death of her own from back home.

She does, however, raise another questions. ]

What led you to believe the others are supporting a faction?

[ She says, as she scans through the database-- nothing there seems to carry that information and knowing it might help them find the needle in the haystack. ]

So blowing up the entire thing is our second worst scenario. Plan Z.

[ The worst being that the Enemy gets the goods, with everything that entails. She says the words with a smirk, challenge accepted, the worse the situation the more rewarding the victory. Somehow the answer causes her to relax her pose, looking to the Agents for the answer to Parker's question. ]

How about we stop talking about blowing up an entire planet full of people. [ Joking or not. Someone's touchy. His expression is sour (and very unpretty). ]

I agree.

It's not these peoples' fault they're in the middle of this. They're at as much a risk as anyone else if we fail.

Aren't we supposed to be protecting them, from the enemy, too?

[ Parker doesn't disagree with that sentiment, but neither is she pressing it. However, she does point out what Siva'co has already said: ]

Not according to the mission.

Edited 2017-07-03 01:57 (UTC)

Maybe we could focus on coming up with a plan A through X before we jump to bringing up a plan Z.

[ He agrees with Steve and Shiro, honestly, but he's too practical not to think that there's a lot of people who'll fall back on plan Z if it comes down to it. ]

So our strategy is find which faction the Enemy's infiltrated and sway people away from it - how?

We can't take it off the table.

[ As much as Bellamy might like to. He's made this choice before. He knows that every other possibility can fail, and the only thing left to do is take the most extreme option to accomplish the goal.

And then let the guilt eat you alive, but nbd, right? ]

[A glimmer of a memory passes through her mind, private and shared between her and Bellamy. It's quick, and then it passes. That's it: Clarke holding a knife to her throat. Lexa apologizing for leading her to this place.

Here they are again.

Even so, she speaks:]

We can't assume the innocence of anyone involved. We can't assume that people are innocent. Not before we arrive. We may not like what we find.

[ His eyes narrow at Misato, then he straight up glares at Bellamy. His mind pulses with the dry heat of contained anger and frustration, cooling a bit when Lexa speaks - though he can't say he likes what she says either. ]

Like the lady said, we're not gonna let it get to that. [ Misato's placating words are echoed back to Bellamy like a threat, close to demanding an end to this line of discussion. ]

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