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.]

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I will not play a servant.

[Simple and final, but without anger. She'd been a servant for enough years to abhore the idea of even playing at one. But rather than say as much, she folds her arms to offer another reply.]

I would not pass.

I don't think I would, either. Maybe more than Seviila would, but I don't think I'm built for it.

[A shrug. He wouldn't mind doing it, if need be, but the physical structure is probably too telling.]

It doesn't bother me, playing one, if it comes down to it.

I said nothing of all the warriors being servants. The ones who pass more easily may slip into that role. [There's a hint of impatience to her tone.]

[ Adra holds up his hands. ]

All right, all right. Nothing's set in stone. If not a servant, what do you want to be?

[ Addressing Sev & Shiro, along with whoever else seems concerned. ]

As previously stated, the noblemen and women will need guard to keep up appearances of import. That is where I will be.

[Or she will be with Murphy. Either or. But Adra has a perspective she understands, so she gives him her attention.]

Unless you have something else to propose?

I want it to be clear that I said nothing of ensuring that there were no bodyguards, just that some of them could pose as servants. There's no reason to suggest a different route. [Lexa is an "all or nothing" kind of thinker sometimes, but even she's irritated that people assumed she was removing the presence of bodyguards altogether.]

People posing as bodyguards posing as other things makes sense to me. If we've got an excess, easy enough to have more than two guards for a noble who might need a little extra protection. Or for one who likes getting a little too close to their security detail. If they're gonna be looking for suspicious activity, might as well give them some to find.

[ Lexa's right, in that there should be some that appear untrustworthy or that they have their own secrets to hide. If they're anything like the politicians back home, it's probably damn near expected. Why not through a couple of "affairs" in there.

He shoots a smile towards Lexa. ]

I got no problem deferring to you; I trust you. Being a noble with a secret ain't too far off from what I've done before.

[ Parker doesn't care much about what's going to go down and what roles everyone wants to take; instead, she tips her head at Murphy in acknowledgement of his words. Regardless of them having no interest on getting the Nectar, she doesn't see why it wouldn't be useful to have a cohesive line of thought.

Still, they're back to assigning roles, so she's quickly distracted on the conversation, scrolling through the datapad.

After Sam, she speaks up: ]

Why would it be suspicious? Nobody knows anything about the faction we're posing as. We're alien to them. It could very well be customary in this fake society to be extra protective. It's better to say it's just normal for Car-booshes [ Thanks, Murphy ] to have that many bodyguards than forcing someone into a role they're not comfortable in. If all eyes are on you, then it's better to stick to the devil you know.

[Murphy, meanwhile, can't believe he's stuck listening to them decide what fake thing thing they want to dress up as.]

I take it back. Let's argue about blowing up the planet again. At least that didn't make me want to stab my eyes out.

[ Harshing his zen thing right now. ]

All I'm proposing is that each of us does whatever we're best suited for--and that it's a decision we need to make for ourselves. For example, these people are meant to be spiritual, yes? I was a magister, but I'm a priest first and foremost. That's where I'll be.

[ JUST DO YOU. ]

Also: as you say, [ nodding to Parker ] what's known is that these people are mostly unknown. If they're secretive, it makes sense for them to protect those secrets.

[ Aloy listens to the argument with a pinched sigh. Reaching up, she rubs a hand against the bridge of her nose. This whole plan seemed complicated, but it was what they were going to do and she didn't think arguing against it would accomplish anything. ]

I'm best suited to play a guard, but if you need servants, I can do that too.

[ She looks pointedly towards Seviila, a sense of look, I'm being a team player so why can't you? rippling outwards from her. ]

I'm not a noble though. I didn't grow up that way and I'm not looking for anyone to treat me that way.

[ She's not the agent of a God. She's not special. She just wants to be Aloy and have that be enough, for once. ]

The important part is getting this done and getting it done without being found out.

No matter what, we can't act as if these are simple matters. We can't act as if we are naive, or if we are easy to read, because it will limit our options. Acting as if we can be straightforward will only make it more difficult for us to act for ourselves in the long term. But I understand that some of us—[this is a not at all subtle snipe at Parker herself, because Lexa isn't exactly inclined to believe that she's actually intending to care about a mission]—are ill equipped for that aspect of political intrigue.

I'm certain that those will be better off being left unheard. [As servants. A double snipe.]

Going to agree with Adra. That was my whole point -- I'll do what I have to. Wherever I'm needed.

[A glance to Aloy, and a nod. Grateful.] And with Aloy. We should move on. We can figure these logistics out in better detail once we've got a better idea of what the ground looks like.

[ Parker gives Murphy another look - the only time she has looked up since the conversation of role-assigning begun. They are thinking about the same thing at the moment. This is a fake society. This is like playing dress up but taking it beyond the necessary seriousness it needs. Then she goes back to transcribing stuff from the datapad down to her notebook quietly. ]

It doesn't matter. [ Parker says without looking at Lexa. The snipe flies over her head. She looks over the datapad, writes down something, and continues to scroll through it. Being called a servant is not offensive. Neither is it saying that she lacks diplomatic skills. She is aware. ] It's fake. It doesn't exist. Take advantage of that.

[ He manages to suppress an amused snort at Murphy's comment, but only barely. There's a one shouldered shrug at Lexa and Parker's conversation. ]

They're politicians at war. Everyone there is going to be supicious, looking for blackmail, hiding their own agenda, trying to get in with the right people. That's all I meant about giving them something to see.

[ Deep sigh. ]

Yes, it's fake. But we have to make everyone else believe it's real, so we have to take it seriously--and in that sense, it does matter. It literally life or death matters.

Both of these men are correct. If we don't have servants, we may seem weak. If we have too many bodyguards, we may come across as if we're afraid. We have to balance the appearance we project, because we want to appear as if there is some value to an alliance with us.

[She's happy that Sam gets her, and through the link, she sends a nod of approval.]

[ Pidge has been taking copious notes since the start of the briefing and she glances up from her computer to finally chime in. ]

I mean, some people just aren't good liars. We have to be able to factor that in, right? I can do support and tech work, but I... probably shouldn't be trying to imitate a politician or something.

[ She rolls her shoulders in a shrug. ]

So, I'm happy to play servant if I have to.

It's about balance. Lexa is right. If we come with both hands open, we look weak and needy, but with both fists closed we're too ready to set off a fight.

[ The analogy is clumsy, but Aloy is doing the best she can in the rapid fire conversation. ]

[ She rolls her eyes at their words and shrugs. ]

I don't care what you want to do. [ She points at their general direction with a floppy pencil. ] But if you think that will make you naive or weak or both, then good. People will try to take advantage of you. And people reveal a lot more when they're taking advantage of someone else. Aren't you trying to scoop out the other guys that everyone is calling the enemy?

[ Her hand flops down, limp wrist, then she leans back again on her chair. ]

Do whatever makes you feel better. I don't really care either way.

Edited (i dont know how to english) 2017-07-05 21:19 (UTC)

[Seviilia may or may not be smirking at the general clamor and need for agreement, butt she says nothing else. After all, she's already stated her own personal plan -- everyone else will find their role eventually.

But Aloy does get a very pointed look in her direction, and after a fashion, her smirk fades away to something challenging.

Go ahead. Throw shade again, little girl.]

(no subject)

hymnals - 2017-07-05 21:22 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

huntsmachines - 2017-07-05 21:27 (UTC) - Expand

[Noctis finally decides to chime in from the edges of the group.]

Put me wherever we need more roles. I can do a little bit of everything -- that includes acting as nobility.

[But... he hesitates.]

Though delegating exactly what we'd be best at... this doesn't have to be a conversation for right now. Is there anything else vital we need to know about the mission, before we decide who to dress up as?

[Murphy has at this point resorted to dramatically letting his head flop back, and follows on Noctis's comment with a very loud:]

Please.

[ dad hi-5 ]

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