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OBJECTIVE: MAKE CONNECTIONS
CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Concordia - VEN DIAGRAMS HQ + BOUT IT OUT PARLOR
WHEN: Day :022
SUMMARY: Plans are in motion. The hosts tackle their mission on two fronts - one group works to infilitrate the Ven Diagrams HQ in pursuit of hidden H+H1 information while another fights (literally) to get an audience with Bout It Out superstar and reluctant pro-synthetic activist Kun Adetokunbo. The only question is how will it all shake out?
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.
YOU'VE PLOTTED, YOU PLANNED. Now it's time to do something about it. A last planning meeting is held late on DAY :021 in Bearings. Everyone's invited to submit any information or last minute modifications to the strategy for the following day; it's clear that though Nirad and Carata will of course be working with the other hosts, they are by no means leading these operations; in fact, at least one of the young hosts seems to have a specific goal in mind.
This is a team effort and everyone's expected to either help out or get out of the way because on DAY :022, the hosts will be dividing forces to pursue both the secure H+H1 intelligence on Ven Diagrams's secure servers and battling it out (with fists or wits) to make a connection with Kun Adetkunbo and - hopefully - gain a contact to the higher ups of the pro-synthetic organization, Mind Life.
Wish everyone luck; no matter which side of this you fall on, you're definitely going to need it!
((OOC NOTES: This is the catchall log for both prongs of the mission activity on DAY :022. We've done our best to compile the plans built by you, the players, in the OOC plotting and planning post. While the groundwork is set, it's up to you to determine how it goes from here on out! We'll be keeping a close eye on things for places where it makes sense for Concordian-native NPCs to show up, but if we miss something or you have something specific in mind you'd like to do, don't hesitate to contact us about it! That said, feel free to autopilot NPCs if you feel you need extra rando's to populate your threads!
For both objectives, we've made a poll to determine an important facet of those missions. For the INFILTRATION OBJECTIVE, please GO HERE TO VOTE whether the hosts manage to gain higher level security clearance or if they set off the alarm. For the BOUT IT OUT OBJECTIVE, please GO HERE TO VOTE whether they meet Kun-Kun by fighting their way to the top or by schmoozing their way into a backroom meeting. The votes are in! You've voted to obtain high level security access for the Infiltration Objective and to reach the final round versus Kun-Kun in the Bout It Out competition.
If you have any mission specific questions, direct them to the OOC post here.))
WHERE: Concordia - VEN DIAGRAMS HQ + BOUT IT OUT PARLOR
WHEN: Day :022
SUMMARY: Plans are in motion. The hosts tackle their mission on two fronts - one group works to infilitrate the Ven Diagrams HQ in pursuit of hidden H+H1 information while another fights (literally) to get an audience with Bout It Out superstar and reluctant pro-synthetic activist Kun Adetokunbo. The only question is how will it all shake out?
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.
YOU'VE PLOTTED, YOU PLANNED. Now it's time to do something about it. A last planning meeting is held late on DAY :021 in Bearings. Everyone's invited to submit any information or last minute modifications to the strategy for the following day; it's clear that though Nirad and Carata will of course be working with the other hosts, they are by no means leading these operations; in fact, at least one of the young hosts seems to have a specific goal in mind.
This is a team effort and everyone's expected to either help out or get out of the way because on DAY :022, the hosts will be dividing forces to pursue both the secure H+H1 intelligence on Ven Diagrams's secure servers and battling it out (with fists or wits) to make a connection with Kun Adetkunbo and - hopefully - gain a contact to the higher ups of the pro-synthetic organization, Mind Life.
Wish everyone luck; no matter which side of this you fall on, you're definitely going to need it!
OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE VEN DIAGRAMS HQ
>Take a tour to scope out the HQ and/or acquire building blueprints off a (likely shady) source
>Acquire (borrow/steal/or hack the system to recognize your own ID as valid) ID clearance for high security zones in the HQ or plan a route that (mostly) avoids them
>Find and retrieve information
>Make your escape!
The VEN DIAGRAMS headquarters is a sleek 60-story building located in the ALPHA BLOCK of Concordia. It's one of the few corporate buildings in the block which maintains and enjoys a small circle of land around its building proper. In the front of the building is a pleasant fountain and a slate grey courtyard; the entry level of the headquarters is pleasantly sleek and minimal. There are a series of sitting arrangements for casual conversation and a number of cheerful looking plants, but it's clear that not much (if any) business happens on this lower level. The only truly notable feature in this lowest level is the security desk which is manned by a human in a uniform. The security desk dispenses temporary badges for visitors on the tour and watches over the three identical powerlift doors leading upwards. The guy behind the security desk is friendly enough, if clearly a little bored.
The scheduled TOUR runs at 9AM and 6PM today; it might be a good idea to hit the earlier one to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Every guest gets a temporary badge. The talkative and heavily modified young person (gender indeterminate) leading the tour will explain that the badges communicate with VEN's advanced security system and temporarily flag anyone wearing one as secure for up to mid-level security access. From there, the guide will lead guests up the powerlifts and through a series of levels. Most of the HQ's floors seem to feature the same smooth, polished aesthetic. The first level is a theater room where guests watch a production that gives the general overview of VEN DIAGRAMS's company history and goals for the future. It includes a lot of buzzwords like 'innovative' and 'synergenistic'. From here, they'll see the #18 Research & Development Lab which features a wide array of technical equipment, computer monitors and pieces of tech that's already on the market and is being repaired or modified. They'll see a few floors of offices and then stop briefly in the Level 50 OPEN AIR GARDEN at the middle of the building. The ten floors above the garden surround it on four sides with a number of office windows overlooking the garden. Sun is bounced down into the garden with what looks like a series of mirrors; it's not as claustrophobic as it probably should be. From there, the tour will wind back down through a few more offices and stop in at one of the HQ's repair levels to see a technician dismantle, clean and reassemble a synthetic limb. As a last stop, the tour will meet with the CEO of the company himself in a comfortably appointed boardroom. Ahtaliah Ven is in his early forties and disarmingly charming. He's clearly a people person (or is at least good at pretending to be). He's also ridiculously handsome. Go figure. He pretty much only has time to shake hands and answer three or four questions though, so it isn't long before the tour is escorted back to the ground floor. Their temporary guest badges will be taken from them at the end of the tour.
So now what? If someone can pilfer or copy a temporary badge, Nirad says he can use it to access the HQ's security system and manually key everyone in for mid-level security clearance (weirdly enough, once he has the badge Nirad just... walks straight in past the security officer and into the powerlift.) He'll have to babysit the security terminal that he's jacking into so won't be able to maneuver away from it during the mission until it's time to go. Unfortunately, he also doesn't have the hacking ability to get anyone more the mid-level clearance which you'll need to access the top ten floors the traditional way. It'll be up to the rest of you to figure out how to get farther than that.
If you can manage to get higher-level security access, you'll be able to take the powerlift right up to whatever floor you want.If you don't get higher-level security access, you might be able to access the floors by an alternative method but an alarm will sound when you pass through any doorway. Once an alarm sounds it will take building security roughly six to eight minutes to reach your location.
The top ten floors of the HQ are a combination of form, function and comfort. Level 51 is the main security level. Above that is server housing, a series of top secret RnD labs, as well as the highest echelon of corporate offices. There's also a pool somewhere on Level 58. The server rooms are huge gutted floors with mazes of blocky hardware from floor to ceiling. They are kept purposefully uncomfortably cold. The super secure RnD labs, should you find your way into them, have swathes of prototypes. Most of them are highly stylized, crisp designs similar to what's already on the market; some of them are frighteningly real. In the very back of one of the secure labs is a heavy door which refuses to open. Meanwhile, the offices are a combination of stately and minimalist - traditional and cozy. Every office above Level 50 has a secure terminal with access to the HQ's data network, though they all have varying degrees of access. The surest bet might be find your way to Ahtaliah Ven's office when he isn't in it... which you know is going to happen at some point during the 6PM tour...
Alternatively, it's completely viable to get into the HQ after usual business hours. Please be aware that from 8AM to 9PM, the HQ is fairly well staffed and populated. In addition to an around the clock security staff, there are also a few technicians and employees who burn the midnight oil but any time after 10PM will see a significant drop off in the number of humans around to side-eye you.
OBJECTIVE: FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP
>Gain entry to the competition
>While host fighters duke it out toward the top of the competition, support hosts will pose as sponsors using their cover as Think Tank developers
>Get a meeting with 'Kun-Kun' and acquire a contact to the higher ups of Mind Life
Congratulations! You've bagged a slot for the Adetkunbo Exhibition Fight with a chance to go head to head with the esteemed Kun-Kun himself! ...is what it says when you manage to secure your slot in the BOUT IT OUT competition. On DAY :022, game parlors all over Concordia will be hosting brackets for BOUT IT OUT. The game parlors range from small, older, and more intimate spaces to huge, elaborate, and decked in neon. All of them are packed with a crowd. The most popular parlor is the REGAL STREET PARLOR GAMING where ninety percent of the competitive matches are planned to take place. Because of a few of Kun-Kun's personal reps at REGAL STREET, it's rumored this might be where the final will be held as well as opposed to simply being a match-up in Extraspace.
The other competitors are incredibly diverse, both physically and in terms of their BOUT IT OUT records. Some of them are hugely successful amateur fighters; there's one young man who's never fought a single match but clearly has an axe to grind with Kun-Kun. Otherwise they're every assortment of fully organic, semi- or highly-synthetically modified; roughly two-thirds of the fighters seem to be anti-Kun-Kun with only a handful of competitors as fans of the one time favorite.
Betting on BOUT IT OUT is completely legal and highly encouraged for this fight; 5% of all winnings will be donated to 'YOUTH SPORT OF CONCORDIA', a charitable organization that seeks to enrich the lives of impoverished children by making all kinds of sports accessible to them. Because of the betting and the high profile of the competition, the parlors hosting matches are packed. It wouldn't be hard to sneak around unnoticed, though of course the digital security of the matches are being carefully monitored and regulated. Any cheating (looking at you, Ilde and Petre) should will have to be non-tech based in nature.
Further, it's fairly easy to find conversation with Kun-Kun's representatives. The two of them are clearly there to foster good will and put up a good face for their client; one of them is running a merchandise table (all profit to Youth Sport!) and the other is announcing the matches that take place at Regal Parlor but will be available for conversation during the fights themselves. If you're going to schmooze your way as someone's sponsor with them, there's your opportunity. Carata will be accompanying the hosts to the fights and will happily assist with smooth talking (just about anyone) if you need it.
Regardless of whether it's by brawling or a little charm and saavy, the hosts will manage to get a meeting with Kun-Kun. After a grueling competition, one of the host entries will finally face off with Kun-Kun live in the Royal Parlor. Afterwards - regardless of the result of the fight - the host fighter and their "sponsors" will be able to meet with Kun-Kun on less competitive terms in one of the parlor's VIP rooms for a friendly post-match chit chat slash photo-op.
((OOC NOTES: This is the catchall log for both prongs of the mission activity on DAY :022. We've done our best to compile the plans built by you, the players, in the OOC plotting and planning post. While the groundwork is set, it's up to you to determine how it goes from here on out! We'll be keeping a close eye on things for places where it makes sense for Concordian-native NPCs to show up, but if we miss something or you have something specific in mind you'd like to do, don't hesitate to contact us about it! That said, feel free to autopilot NPCs if you feel you need extra rando's to populate your threads!
If you have any mission specific questions, direct them to the OOC post here.))
BOUT IT OUT - THE FINAL ROUND
(ooc: the final round of bout it out is live; only one host will make it far enough to fight Kun Kun, so pick you champion carefully! This doesn't have to be a one-on-one thread; spectators are welcome and this is open to thread jacking in no particular order. we'll roll for a bit on this, then depending on a few factors likely either timeskip to the backroom meeting or begin running it concurrently as we finish the bout it out round thread.)
aggressively devours popcorn etc
Still, for the moment, he's taken up a seat near the ring's edge, saved for competitors and their supported sponsors. The spaces on either side of him are empty; he waits for Ahsoka, picking idly at the thick bandage across his lower lip meant to keep the gash from reopening, but in truth, any Nestmate would be welcome company at this point.
Or as welcome as anything gets in Ren's eyes.]
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With the tip of one finger she nudges his hand away from his mouth. ]
Did you enjoy yourself?
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[The question isn't bitter or biting - he'd been prepping for a match during the majority of her performance, but what he saw had been...unique. Objectively enjoyable, though he's never been one for basking in the idea of popular entertainment.
It's difficult for a weapon to have taste.]
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No.
[ Not here, and not in this way. It had been more enjoyable when she had not being trying to poison the crowd, the other fighters. When the subspace hooligans just wanted to hear her for the fun and excitement of it all. There is something unpleasant about this whole plan to her, but here she is. ]
But I perhaps it was of use.
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Perhaps we both were.
[Regardless of the outcome, they'd secured a foothold in this tournament that provided a means for the Darkling to succeed. If they're lucky, something valuable will come from it. An ally, an opportunity or the promise that they can use what's before them to twist the public's opinion for the better.
Much like the Resistance, dissent of this sort is too deeply-rooted to cut clean.]
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[ The one they secured this foothold for, implied with the vague imagery of their fight. ]
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So long as he doesn't hold back in excess, I believe him capable of winning.
[Honor is, after all, a dangerous gambit even under the best of circumstances.] Have you rested?
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[ Uncomfortable certainty, the Darkling was uncomfortably familiar to her in his ways. She can hear it in her -- their -- head: I will not bend my knee at such meager challenge. ]
I am alright. All I am required to do now is sit.
[ Look pretty. The others would handle the rest, they knew what they wanted. She was merely here to distract. ]
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The cameras flash on, closer this time. He doesn't care.]
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( Perhaps I should have fought instead, less exhausting. )
[ She has a sense of humor, every once in a while. ]
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[Besides, Ren has no idea how to work a stage. He'd make the worst pop idol in history.]
Our next mission should prove more to your taste, I'm certain.
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[ That he would prefer to be fighting than living, she knows that about him very well. It is what she has always known, what else can she do but see its value. ]
( What I want most is to return to the Station. I miss my garden there. )
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He remembers Cathaway, a pain so acute that his eyes would feel raw in an instant if he didn't pinch them shut, cut short a moment later with every ounce of self-control he possesses.]
Soon. [Spoken out loud to keep the thoughts within his skull contained.]
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Yes, of course. And we will take our brood with us.
[ While Sam called them family, it was still not quite to call them brothers, nor friends. She uses what fits. ]
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Unlike many of her counterparts, she had learned when it was appropriate to throw down her arms (even if she didn't always listen to her instincts). Truth be told, she had concerns about letting Kylo Ren into the ring at all -- but it ended before things had gotten too suspicious, so she had refrained from interfering. Monitoring Anakin and Kylo both was exhausting enough that she wouldn't have been much use to anyone anyway.
She's seen to Anakin -- now she moves to take the seat beside Ren, frowning lightly as she observes him.]
Stop touching it. You'll make it worse.
RUDELY SLAMS THIS DOWN.
A combat platform built on the limits of the imagination sounds like a playground for the creative and the fanciful, but the conclusion that he's come to - is that a long tournament is the gathering grounds for the strongest minds. The longer he's remained in the fight, the more grueling the fights have become. Fifteen minutes is hardly long enough for him to work out the headache hard-wired into his temple, but it will have to do. To say that he hasn't been under duress as great or even greater than this would be a lie.
The announcements commence, enthusiastic and so inciteful, that even he can feel the 'twang' of the crowd's energy as the tension snaps, and the wild cries roll over the arena. As it has been, his avatar is remarkably plain and mirrors his likeness with near-narcissistic precision - it could be an insult, considering the cast of unique, charming personalities and shapes that he's torn through on his way to the final match-up. It still bears his earlier hurts, aged and faded by a thought, and presented as a statement. He has "Kun-Kun" is within his -- ah, a correction: their -- reach. An arena is still a battleground, he thinks. It may be conveyed to the rest of the nest, since his focus is on his opponent and not on containing the inner workings of his thoughts.
Win or lose, he won't be throwing this fight. Not even if it could ruin their chance to meet with this champion. ]
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Kun Adetokunbo, an athletic man in his thirties, takes his place on the opposite side of the arena to an uproar of shouting, cheers, a brilliant strobe of lights. He raises his hand, offers a thin smile (that's his major charm point, say journalists; being a little shy and serious on top of being good) and then settles into position. For a moment, there's a real sense of delight stitched through the crowd. Then his avatar digitizes into the combat zone between the fighter platforms.
It isn't the familiar brawler, though it's still monochrome shades of grey. Instead the avatar that clicks together before The Darkling's narcissistic self-image is unmistakably, unarguably, the brawler re-skinned to look robotic. There's a familiar flash of cyan - typical of most androids - to its eyes as well.
The wave of shouting from the crowd undulates, quivers. It's something like anger, something like anticipation, something like the sound of a popular athlete shooting his public representatives in the foot if the stark look on his management team's faces behind him are any indication.
The androgynous announcer avatar at the center of the combat zone seems for a moment startled, then pastes a broad smile across their largely featureless face:]
Count down, everyone!
[The familiar holographic countdown appears overhead. The announcer dissolves and the crowd shouts: THREE! TWO! ONE!
Fight.]
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Familiar in shape, but re-textured, remade. Reborn, perhaps. The Darkling's eyes, grey and pale, flash with something that could have been delight. The crowd is chaotic, caught in a lull of shock and disorientation at the sight of that robotic avatar. The game prides itself on being an experience for the imaginative, so is it any wonder now, that one of this world's supporters of the singularity movement has now become the most visible of supporters. He's seen it on article and advertisement, and now, he'll fight it before the eyes of many.
The fight is on. And he moves purposefully for the champion's newly minted avatar: all shiny and chrome.
Is this the real you, champion? he wonders, feinting within a feint before he dives straight into the battle - as brutal and sharp as he has been. Time to focus. ]
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But tell that to either of the men in the ring. The Darkling double feints, then charges and Kun-Kun's sleek robotic avatar responds in kind: by planting, by rolling its heavy metallic shoulder forward and swinging hard as the Darkling rushes for him.
He's a wall. Just try to break him down.]
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All he hopes, is that he's taken seriously. Very seriously.
He's never fought a metal being before. Certainly, the fabrikators had toyed with the idea, but there was never enough time, never enough resources -- all was dedicated to the war and to the Unsea's maw. This is a challenge, to him. One he all but brawls with, pain bleeding into a savage energy. He smiles, as fists fly and technique is put on display for the disoriented crowd. And he takes his chance, as he fastens tight to the Kun-Kun's arm and hauls it back, hoping for just a moment: ] How long have you been longing for this debut, champion?
[ Sue him, he wants to know a little more about the man they're focused on. ]
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Really? [There automaton brawler isn't capable of expression, but there's something like a crooked grin in the low crackle of Kun-Kun's voice transmission, low enough that it's just for the Darkling.] About twenty minutes.
[Call it a whim.]
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( About twenty minutes. Ah. So, he's one of those sorts. ) ] Fantastic, [ the tone is near exasperated. Tense from the pain his avatar is conveying.
He keeps his distance, for the moment, hands at the ready and light on his toes. And then he shifts his stance, feet planted more firmly upon the arena floor, palms turning over as though to cup water. He cups shadow instead, bending it from beneath the folds of his clothing, using the imaginative properties of the game to his advantage. Shadow bleeds, drips - thick and tarry, creeping around his ankles in shivering segments, akin to blades. The flex of his mind reaching out among the rest of the Nest - something almost religious in the way he gives himself up to his power. Imagined in this arena or not.
He lashes out, picking up the tempo of their fight, his next kick trailing shadow that gives off a sound like thunder. No need to hold back or drag this out now. They're busy men, aren't they!!! ]
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Kun-Kun lets him go or maybe the Darkling simply slips his pain-loosened grip. Either way, they're momentarily at odds: not so much a retreat as a moment of preparation, of regrouping. A sense of readiness passes through the air, as electric as the pulse of the crowd pressing thick around the combat zone. Across the zone on the other fighter platform, Adetkunbo is grinning.
Yes indeed, they're very busy men...]