[MISSION LOG] BRAVE NEW WORLD

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: The Station + Concordia
WHEN: Day :000 - ???
SUMMARY: Leaving the Station; the arrival and first days on Concordia. Concordia pt.1.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.

IT'S EARLY IN THE DAY and something feels strange. It’s not unlike when a new Host - not one of your brood, but close enough to feel the tug - comes awake on the Nesting Deck. But it’s just the initial tug. There’s no noise, no hum of confusion or volume. Today, it’s just there: a sensation of presence that a moment ago wasn’t. Soon after follows a prickling awareness of urgency. A small electric bolt through the mind. Cathaway doesn’t use words in the mind, but her meaning is nonetheless easily understood: come to her on the hangar; your presence is required.

On the hangar there is a sleek, low profile transport ship. Before it stand Cathaway and Prince and in their company is a stranger: a short woman with warm skin and dark hair, wearing unfamiliar colorful clothes and a quick, pleasant smile. You’ve never seen her before, but you know she’s a Host.

“This is them?” Her voice is light and sweet. Prince, occupied by a databank, glances up at her then nods once. There’s a tension in his shoulder and through his jaw - a distinct contrast to Cathaway and the stranger who lack both.

“Lovely.” Her tone is breezy and easy, delighted. “Hello, it is so nice to meet you all! My name is Carata. My partner and I have been away on duty for a few months, but it’s become clear that we need backup on our assignment. We are hoping you can help.” Carata motions to the mission equipment in neat kits at her feet. There is one for each young Host.

Prince folds his pad down into its smallest form. His expression is set and serious.

“You will be joining Carata and Nirad on the planet below to assist them with their mission. Your datapbank will provide you with information about the planet and the city where you will be stationed. This mission is covert and the planet itself has no contact with other planetary races, so you will need to do your utmost to blend in.”

Cathaway sharpens slowly beside them: a dull pencil being sharpened to a point as her attention curves back to this place, this instance. She unfolds her hands. “You’ll be provided with an earpiece that should allow you to interface with the local technology and a fake identity for your cover on world. Please mind both carefully and be sure to keep your databanks offline. It would be inconvenient if they were networked while on planet.” From the way she says it, it sounds like ‘inconvenient’ might be an understatement. “This mission shouldn’t be inherently life threatening. Your primary goal is to investigate the anti-android movement. Carata and Nirad will be able to tell you what your databanks do not.”

“You should listen to them,” Prince adds. “Rely on their experience and knowledge to help you succeed in your task. Be mindful, and treat them with the respect they have earned.”

At this Carata laughs. It’s a bright, joyful sound, her hands coming up to clasp in front of her chest, “Please, teacher, you are too serious. I am sure they will do very well. Come along then! Gather your things; we must leave as soon as possible. I do hate to leave Nirad alone for too long.”

Turning her back to the Hosts, Carata takes Cathaway’s hand for a moment Nothing is said, but there’s the distinct impression of something passing between them. They release their grip, then Carata turns to Prince. She places her hands on his shoulders and goes up to her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. He doesn’t return the gesture, but those with sharp eyes will note he does lean down slightly to make her job easier.

Gather your gear, get anything from your rooms you might not want to leave behind. In two hours, everyone attending the mission will be buckled or strapped into the transport as Carata readies the ship for takeoff. She explains, neatly and concisely, what they believe the enemy to be doing in Concordia. Then, with a turning of the deck, the ship is freed from the embrace of Station 72.

It will be a long time before you see this place again.

     I. THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
The flight to Concordia is surprisingly short. By the time Carata's finished her explanation, you've passed into a new universe. It comes with a strange wave of something akin to nausea. Outside the transport's starboard viewports lays Opia in all it's glory: a beautiful blue marble speckled with sixteen landmasses and swathed in thing clouds like spun sugar. From this distance, clusters of light burn from specific points on the continents like a map of grounded constellations. As one of the great megacities of Opia comes curling from around the edge of the planet, the transport ship begins to descend.

Atmospheric entry is smooth. The transport drops at the outskirts of Concordia on what is, hilariously, some kind of large parking garage. It has engaged the most sophisticated of its cloaking technology to do this and Carata urged everyone to disembark quickly so the ship can return to orbiting the planet before it's detected.

"It will be back," she says flippantly. "When we've finished our job."

The ship departs. It's quiet and still for a handful of minutes; Carata seems unconcerned and gives little in the way of direction or instruction. The city flashes around them - bright lights and neon masking the fading of natural light - and nearby, a roadway hums. Eventually the sound of a car pitches louder. A set of headlamps shear from the long line of cars and in moments a long, squarish transport van pulls up and parks at the top of the garage. The side door slides open to admit everyone. In the driver's seat is an android - shining metal and cheerful as it greets every host by name. Beside the android in the van's passenger seat sits a tall, dark skinned man who - much like Carata - is obviously a host.

Welcome to Concordia.

     II. HOME SWEET HOME
It's a long drive into the city. The buildings get taller, the lights get brighter, the streets get busier. There are throngs of people on the street, dogged by endless rows of neon bright advertisements. Traffic is either miserable or flowing depending on the neighborhood and trams run on tracks fifty feet or more above the roadways. Streams of people files from the pavement to the subways, countless numbers of escalators leading down.

When the bus finally stops, it's in front of a building as tall as any others. The signs here mark this section of the city as BETA BLOCK and when you get out and into the building lobby you find that the door opens for you automatically. A chime rings through the interfacing ear piece and when you enter the elevators, the only floor accessible to you is NUMBER EIGHTEEN. When you disembark, a kind voice welcomes you by home in your ear. There are a large number of rooms here in Bearing - stake your claim, everyone! Nirad and Carata already have a couple of rooms in the Southwest corner of the building, but the rest are open. Time to settle in!

     III. FEET ON THE GROUND
You're given the rest of the night to sleep (or...whatever), but by 9AM the next morning everyone is awoken by Carata's voice in their head. She's clearly not shy of using her symbiotic connection.

( Good morning! I know this is quite a lot to get used to. I believe this is your first true assignment? But I have always believed that the best way to learn something new is to jump right in. ) The words are accompanied by the sensation of someone clapping their hands together, a cheerful kind of practicality. ( You’ve been given a credit card. I encourage you to go out today and learn what you can about this place. Talk to people. Listen to the news. Be sure to remember your cover identity, and don’t hesitate to call if you find yourself in trouble. )

There is nothing pressing to the suggestion, just the sensation- light. Airy. Fun. She switches track after a moment, a thoughtful addition: ( There is also a rally in town today. It’s being run by The True Children of Opia, some minor little hate group-- ) She seems to wave off the unsavory aspects as she forges ahead, ( They aren’t affiliated with Humans + Humans 1st, but they do have very similar ideologies and it is quite probable that there is overlap in their membership. If you would rather, it is also quite likely that there will be protestors there as well, both members of Mind Life and those who are adamant about pursuing digital resurrection. Please do be careful, though, sometimes those rallies can be a little... ) An image of an oily substance catching flame, quickly and hotly.

( Whatever you chose, simply do your best to get your bearings. ) She seems to realize the unintended joke there, given the name of their current residence, and a bright happy flash of color accompanies it. What a delightful surprise. ( Prepare yourself for what is to come. Nirad and I will continue our investigation in the meantime. )

---

((OOC Notes: This is the catchall log for the first stages of the Concordia mission. You'll notice there's no set ending date, so use this log however you like - alternatively, feel free to start your own logs in the setting! Don't worry; we'll be keeping a close eye on things, so if something big starts to happen that necessitates a new long, we'll make sure to keep our bases covered and all of y'all updated. Just be aware that dating forward farther than :010 may get a little dicey.

If you have any mission specific questions, direct them to the OOC post here.))

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Comments

[adamance]

[And there it is: the reaction she had decided to angle toward. Lexa knows that it's likely unwise to manipulate someone so close to her core emotional state, but she's hardly fazed by Ahsoka's worries. Just because she understands where they come from doesn't mean she has any inclination to heed them.

She isn't actually being reckless, after all.]

( Consider the skills of your comrades before you lavish them with concern. Trust is a natural byproduct of respect. )

[As much as Ahsoka is injecting anger into her mind, she responds to it with a cool indifference. Leave it to Lexa to make this into a teaching moment, almost as if she's utterly unaware of exactly how condescending she's being in response.

(And she is kind of unaware, but it felt like a good moment to take over because there is something deeply amusing in being told to take care of herself as if she hasn't considered all the consequences of her actions. By anyone.)]

[snippycup]

[There's a frustrated growl from Ahsoka's end that's entirely mental, a feral sort of sound when unfiltered by the pure temperance of her outer will. But a pause and slow exhale follow to calm it. If Lexa happens to be watching her, she might see her forehead twitch and her eyelids blink rapidly as she calms herself down.]

( If you want actual respect from me, you can start by talking to me like an equal instead of a student. Then maybe I'll be impressed. )

[The only ones who she had ever let pretend they were teaching her anything were the Jedi Masters -- she learned at her own pace, and rarely appreciated lessons being thrust upon her. It reinforced the idea that people only ever saw her as a child.

Fine. Do it yourself is what she starts to think, but the thought never materializes for more than a second. She'd be a hypocrite if she simply turned around and left Lexa to do--whatever it was she was doing.]

[adamance]

( You wish to be considered an equal when it was you who failed to consider why I might be here. You assumed I didn't have a plan in hand, or a reason for being close. Either you don't trust my skills, or you think I believe in their ideals. Which is it, Ahsoka? )

[From where Lexa's standing, Ahsoka's beliefs and worries are blinding her to more significant pieces of information. She hadn't asked what her plan was, she simply tried to protect her from it, as if that was solely necessary. That level of concern could have its place, but Lexa is hardly alone in her condescension here.

Well-intentioned care can still be the same thing, as far as she's concerned.]

[snippycup]

( How am I supposed to trust you when all you do is push back? )

[For a moment, she thinks to continue the argument, but the fact of the matter is that she can't sit in the middle of a rally and have a mental argument all afternoon. So with a sniff and a wrinkle of her nose, Lexa will likely feel Ahsoka turn away from the subject entirely as she follows up with another reply.

Her entire life was made for others. "No" doesn't sit well with her. But if her position hadn't been clear before, it was certainly clear then.]

( You do what you need to do. )

[adamance]

( So you spend your energy thinking the worst of others, but when they ask for respect, you don't give it. These things are meant to be mutual, Ahsoka. I cannot trust you when you approach me thinking the worst. )

["You do what you need to do" resonates poorly with her, because Ahsoka doesn't know what she needs to do. What she has done is challenge her place here and chastise her, and when she's been chastised in return, she takes it as condescension. How is it that Lexa can be condescending, but not Ahsoka? That had been a conscious effort on Lexa's part, and while she had intended to hurt, she had intended to make a point with it.

But her point has missed the mark (or, perhaps, Ahsoka is too stubborn to see a point when it hits right near her head).]

( You allow your emotions to cloud your focus. You think you're showing concern, but if the roles were reversed and I demanded to know what you were doing, you'd be angry that I don't respect your judgment. That was my point. We cannot work together if you treat every interaction like a battle. ) [From Lexa's perspective, that is what Ahsoka has done. She has been abrupt and rude, even as Lexa has tried to seek clarification on matters to try to better understand Ahsoka's perspective.

Perhaps she had come from a place of caring, but she had gone about it in a way that Lexa is fairly certain would have irritated any number of the Hosts. If not all of them. Rashly making demands does not go well among her people, and from what she's seen, that's the same for most people.]