Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars - Mission #1: Mercenaries On the Boreal Express

[Waterbrick Down]

27 minutes ago, The Legonater said:

Parous, eh? The pilot considers for a moment. Mind if I sit by you until then? There's not a lot for conversation partners on this train. 

"By all means, though I'd imagine the waiters will become perturbed if you don't order anything for the remainder of the journey. My name is Kish Tolouse."

MM Note: I realized I made a goof, the train is heading to Con'stop not Parous. 

[The Legonater]

22 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"By all means, though I'd imagine the waiters will become perturbed if you don't order anything for the remainder of the journey. My name is Kish Tolouse."

Greetings. The name's Soren Aelous. 

[Waterbrick Down]

MM Note: To keep things rolling, Kintobor if you want to use the bottle opener I'm ok with that.

[Kintobor]

Zaria takes the bottle opener off of Yelana and makes an attempt to open the case. "First time for everything..." She mumbled under her breath. She had been shown how to pick locks before, but that was a long time ago, and she had little need to pick locks on the open road.

[Waterbrick Down]

Zaria Sleight-of-hand Proficiency Check (DC 1, 3) - (6, 2, 2) 1 Success

Zaria is able to get the briefcase open, but upon close inspection she scratches up the lock quite a bit. Inside she finds:

Project File Folder: (Quest Item) Details about Project Exousía, focused upon the finding and extraction of a massive energy source on Hovalia, a moon of Aluriel. The source had been identified by M-Tec a few months ago by long range energy scannings. Extraction required tense negotiations with Aluriel governing bodies and an arrangement was made for Aluriel to have access to the technology once M-Tec had figured out how to harness it. The energy source itself is described as a transparent blue cube approximately 8 inches on a side. The cube itself gives off an enormous amount of radiation and requires special equipment for handling it. Initial analysis at the extraction site picked up on a number of exotic frequencies emanating from the cube, photonic, sonic, and arcane. Instructions were made to transport the source to M-Tec's research station on Con'stop for further analysis.
Radiation Gauntlet: (Standard Energy Armor)

[Kintobor]

Zaria briefly looks over the documents in the folder, taking in the gravity of what was in her hands. She looked down at at the Radiation Gauntlet, quickly realizing what it was for: handling the cube. She looked around the briefcase for any potential signs of such an item, partially relieved the cube wasn't present. Grabbing the File Folder and leaving the Gauntlet behind, she closes the briefcase and tucks it back into the seat, placing the documents in her satchel and returning to her seat.

She felt a burning sense of guilt in her stomach as she tried to relax, but by her accounts the job was done. She didn't want to bother handling a radioactive cube from Con'stop to Ebria Station. She would have to dispose of the bottle opener at the nearest opportunity, but that could wait. Best not to stir up too much of a scene and let others relax.

[Waterbrick Down]

Zaria Perception Proficiency Check (DC 1, 3) - (2, 2, 5)

Soren Perception Proficiency Check (DC 1, 3) - (5, 3, 4)

As Soren and Zaria both relax in their separate cars, they each note a small black drone, no bigger than a mouse dart from the baggage car, through economy, past dining, and then into the business class seating, flattening itself to fit beneath the doors.

[The Legonater]

Soren gives a disconcerting glance at the drone as it passes by. He turns to the Quarm, shaking them if they are asleep.

Did you just see that? Was that M-Tec property?

[Classic_Spaceman]

8 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Zaria takes the bottle opener off of Yelana and makes an attempt to open the case. "First time for everything..." 

Yelana took the bottle opener out of her pocket and stepped forward towards Zaria, who snatched it out of Yelana's hand. 
"Uh - I was going to. . . And now you're scratching it! Ugh. . . " 
 

8 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Radiation Gauntlet: (Standard Energy Armor)

Yelana quickly checked to make sure that no one was watching her or Zaria, then picked up the gauntlet and scanned it to determine its weight and composition, before putting it back into the case. 
 

4 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Zaria briefly looks over the documents in the folder, taking in the gravity of what was in her hands. She looked down at at the Radiation Gauntlet, quickly realizing what it was for: handling the cube. She looked around the briefcase for any potential signs of such an item, partially relieved the cube wasn't present. Grabbing the File Folder and leaving the Gauntlet behind, she closes the briefcase and tucks it back into the seat, placing the documents in her satchel and returning to her seat.

Yelana sat down beside Zaria and held her hand out. 
"Bottle opener. And let me scan those documents." 
 

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

a small black drone, no bigger than a mouse darted from the baggage car, through economy, past dining, and then into the business class seating, flattening itself to fit beneath the doors.

"I'm going to need that tea, now. . . " 
"<How much data did we get from the key card?>" 
"<ACCESSING DATA. . . PROCESSING. . . >" 
 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Classic_Spaceman

[Kintobor]

11 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana took the bottle opener out of her pocket and stepped forward towards Zaria, who snatched it out of Yelana's hand. 
"Uh - I was going to. . . And now you're scratching it! Ugh. . . "

"Well, you took too long, and there was no point in striking once the iron cools." Zaria replies. "Relax. We have what we came here for."

13 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana sat down beside Zaria and held her hand out. 

"Bottle opener. And let me scan those documents." 

 

Zaria gave Yelana an inquisitive look. "You had every opportunity to look over the documents as I did. Why do you need to scan them?"

Just then Zaria noticed the small, mouse sized drone dart past her seat and down the aisle. She stood up and silently followed it.

[Classic_Spaceman]

39 minutes ago, Kintobor said:

"Well, you took too long, and there was no point in striking once the iron cools." Zaria replies. "Relax. We have what we came here for."

Zaria gave Yelana an inquisitive look. "You had every opportunity to look over the documents as I did. Why do you need to scan them?"

"I was trying not to draw attention. And we don't have what we came for - We still need the source. Soren has the Quarm talking in the dining car - He said this cube is unlike anything they've seen before, that it has almost limitless energy, and that it can power an entire star-system basically for free. I'll get back to that in a sec - I still need those documents. I got a glimpse, but I was focused on making sure no one saw you. We need digital backups of the data, in case something happens to the folder. Also, I need to see if there's anything about specific frequencies or energy signatures - Any way we can track the cube." 
Yelana paused to take a breath, slipping a chopstick out of her hair as she did. Lowering her voice, Yelana turned more towards Zaria. 
"I've been thinking, if M-Tec has a way of providing free energy to entire systems, like the Quarm said, how are they planning to profit from that? They're a corporation; their focus is on making more money, and this cube seems like it'll end up making them less. Maybe they're trying to eliminate competition, like Oc|Tan, by undercutting them, but something's just not adding up for me. Add to that how someone at Oc|Tan somehow knew about this top-secret project, and how someone else knew about their plan to steal the cube, and. . . It's not making sense yet, but I think there's something far bigger at play here than we realise. We need to secure that cube, and to find out as much as we can about this situation." 
 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Classic_Spaceman

[Classic_Spaceman]

43 minutes ago, Kintobor said:

Just then Zaria noticed the small, mouse sized drone dart past her seat and down the aisle. She stood up and silently followed it.

"Wait! If you go to the dining car, you may blow Soren's cover - He's actually being useful, getting intel from that Quarm, so don't do anything to jeopardise that. And I still need that bottle opener back - You're a shitty liar, so let me handle it." 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

2 hours ago, The Legonater said:

Soren gives a disconcerting glance at the drone as it passes by. He turns to the Quarm, shaking them if they are asleep.

Did you just see that? Was that M-Tec property?

"You're a paranoid fellow, Soren. Whatever it was, I can assure you neither myself nor my colleagues have anything like that on board."

1 hour ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana took the bottle opener out of her pocket and stepped forward towards Zaria, who snatched it out of Yelana's hand. 
"Uh - I was going to. . . And now you're scratching it! Ugh. . . " 
 

Yelana quickly checked to make sure that no one was watching her or Zaria, then picked up the gauntlet and scanned it to determine its weight and composition, before putting it back into the case. 
 

Yelana sat down beside Zaria and held her hand out. 
"Bottle opener. And let me scan those documents." 
 

"I'm going to need that tea, now. . . " 
"<How much data did we get from the key card?>" 
"<ACCESSING DATA. . . PROCESSING. . . >" 
 

Yelana Perception Proficiency Check (DC 1) - (6, 1, 1, 4, +1) 3 Successes

Yelana confirms that no-one seems to have been watching them.

Yelana Technology Proficiency Check (DC 1) - (5, 3, 6) 2 Successes

Yelana is fairly certain the gauntlet is created using a tungsten nickel alloy and while heavy is not unwieldly. Attempting to scan the documents, she finds that they are encrypted with an counterfeit ink completing whiting out any scanned images.

Yelana Coding Proficiency Check (DC 1,3) - (6, 5, 4) 3 Successes

Reflecting on the key card info obtained earlier, Yelana believes she has enough data to easily access most of the train's doors.

[Kintobor]

Waiting for Yelana to catch up to her between economy and dining, Zaria violently placed her forearm across Yelana chest, pushing her into the wall between the two cars, the sound of the moving train echoing within. She pinned her to the wall, looking Yelana in the eyes with a fiery intensity.

"Listen to me, and listen to me very carefully, Yelana. There is no way we are getting that cube off of this train. Right now our current goal is to keep suspicions down to the best of our ability and get off this train at Con'stop. Stealing that cube is currently unobtainable due to the fact that the glove needed to handle the cube is back in that dwarf's luggage and we have no clue where this cube is even being held on this train. We do not need to worry about specific frequencies or energy signatures because as far as I am concerned they can keep it, it is of no use to me. We were never going to walk off this train with the cube, Yelana, you just have not realized it yet." She applied more pressure to Yelana's chest, looking to punctuate her next point.

"I do not know why you need a bottle opener, as much as I do not know why you continue to speak into your headset and not confide in Soren or I. You have not given me a reason to trust you, Yelana, despite putting myself between two people looking to end your life. You continue to keep secrets from me, such as why you need to scan the papers in my satchel. So no, I will not hand you the bottle opener as much as I will not hand you the papers. If you want information about them, you can ask me about them. I have the contents memorized fairly well." She inflected the harsh tone in her voice to punctuate her final point.

"Do I make myself clear?"

[Waterbrick Down]

8 minutes ago, Kintobor said:

Waiting for Yelana to catch up to her between economy and dining, Zaria violently placed her forearm across Yelana chest, pushing her into the wall between the two cars, the sound of the moving train echoing within. She pinned her to the wall, looking Yelana in the eyes with a fiery intensity.

MM Note: While I like a good intense moment of character development, unless C_S is specifically OK with Yelana being moved that way, I'll need a contested athletics roll for this.

[Kintobor]

1 minute ago, Waterbrick Down said:

MM Note: While I like a good intense moment of character development, unless C_S is specifically OK with Yelana being moved that way, I'll need a contested athletics roll for this.

Fine by me. Also nothing personal on my end, C_S, I'm not angry at you as a player.

[Waterbrick Down]

Just now, Kintobor said:

Fine by me. Also nothing personal on my end, C_S, I'm not angry at you as a player.

MM Note: Thanks, I'll let C_S post if how they'd like Yelana to respond, whether as written above or if she would possibly resist.

[Classic_Spaceman]

2 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

MM Note: While I like a good intense moment of character development, unless C_S is specifically OK with Yelana being moved that way, I'll need a contested athletics roll for this.

Just now, Kintobor said:

Fine by me. Also nothing personal on my end, C_S, I'm not angry at you as a player.

OoC: 

Spoiler

I have no problem with it. 👍

 

[Waterbrick Down]

Zaria vs. Yelana Athletics Proficiency Check - (1, 4, 1, 5) 2 Successes vs. (2, 5, 2) 1 Success

Yelana finds herself pinned against the wall of the gangway connection, though her body armor keeps her from sustaining any damage. Pausing for a moment between the cars, both heroes can clearly hear not only the sound of the moving train, but a set of thrusters above the train as well.

[The Legonater]

23 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"You're a paranoid fellow, Soren. Whatever it was, I can assure you neither myself nor my colleagues have anything like that on board."

You're probably right. Everything's probably fine. 

Soren tries to settle back into his seat, eyes continuing to glance back to where the drone disappeared. He finishes his popcorn, getting ready for whatever happens next.

[Classic_Spaceman]

2 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Zaria vs. Yelana Athletics Proficiency Check - (1, 4, 1, 5) 2 Successes vs. (2, 5, 2) 1 Success

Yelana finds herself pinned against the wall of the gangway connection, though her body armor keeps her from sustaining any damage. Pausing for a moment between the cars, both heroes can clearly hear not only the sound of the moving train, but a set of thrusters above them.

OoC: 

Spoiler

I had not planned to make an Athletics roll (I am writing my response in a different window), but the end result is what I was going to RP, so it is fine either way. 

 

[Waterbrick Down]

5 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

OoC: 

  Hide contents

I had not planned to make an Athletics roll (I am writing my response in a different window), but the end result is what I was going to RP, so it is fine either way. 

 

MM Note: No problem, figure I’d give it to you if it became needed and let you two figure out the best way to have the scene. I’m good with whatever, feel free to ignore that part. Looking forward to it.

[Classic_Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Attempting to scan the documents, she finds that they are encrypted with an counterfeit ink completing whiting out any scanned images.

"Dammit. <Psychic upload, it is.>" 
Yelana sighed, then read through the documents in their entirety. 
 

[Classic_Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Kintobor said:

Waiting for Yelana to catch up to her between economy and dining, Zaria violently placed her forearm across Yelana chest, pushing her into the wall between the two cars, the sound of the moving train echoing within. She pinned her to the wall, looking Yelana in the eyes with a fiery intensity.

Yelana looked taken-aback for a moment, before slipping the chopstick back into her hair and smirking. 
"Oof - I've been waiting for you to do that since the Hall. You know, the baggage car would be a little more private, though. . . " 

1 hour ago, Kintobor said:

"Listen to me, and listen to me very carefully, Yelana. There is no way we are getting that cube off of this train. Right now our current goal is to keep suspicions down to the best of our ability and get off this train at Con'stop. Stealing that cube is currently unobtainable due to the fact that the glove needed to handle the cube is back in that dwarf's luggage and we have no clue where this cube is even being held on this train. We do not need to worry about specific frequencies or energy signatures because as far as I am concerned they can keep it, it is of no use to me. We were never going to walk off this train with the cube, Yelana, you just have not realized it yet."

"Zaria, Zaria - Relax! I checked the weight of that gauntlet; All I need to do is find something with the same weight, then swap the two. I can integrate the gauntlet's tech into my suit, so I'll be able to handle the cube. And did you even read the documents? From what I was able to see, the cube emits, among other things, sonic frequencies - Sounds, that I can pick up, if I know what I'm listening for. And as for getting off the train with it, you were feeling guilty over picking a simple lock. . . " 

1 hour ago, Kintobor said:

She applied more pressure to Yelana's chest, looking to punctuate her next point. 
"I do not know why you need a bottle opener, as much as I do not know why you continue to speak into your headset and not confide in Soren or I. You have not given me a reason to trust you, Yelana, despite putting myself between two people looking to end your life. You continue to keep secrets from me, such as why you need to scan the papers in my satchel. So no, I will not hand you the bottle opener as much as I will not hand you the papers. If you want information about them, you can ask me about them. I have the contents memorized fairly well."

Yelana put her hand on Zaria's shoulder and leaned closer to her. 
"I tried to say this before, Zaria - You can tell a lot about people by their choice of weapon. I'm a sniper - I keep my distance from situations, assess them as best I can, and figure out plans for the different possible eventualities. I've got, like, four or five just right now. You, on the other hand, are a melee fighter - You charge into situations head-first, only focusing on what's right in front of you, and not thinking further ahead than the current objective. That's worked for you before, when you were in battle, but that's not how to conduct espionage or pull off a heist - Which is exactly what we were hired to do." 

1 hour ago, Kintobor said:

She inflected the harsh tone in her voice to punctuate her final point. 
"Do I make myself clear?"

Yelana placed her hand onto Zaria's satchel, lowering her voice to a whisper as she slipped her hand under the pack's cover. 
"I don't always have time to explain my plans, or even have them fully-completed, since I'm always reassessing things. But, since you don't trust me: Bottle opener - I can pick the briefcase lock again, or I can return it the way I took it; Folder - We need a backup in the event something happens to the papers. And keeping secrets is part of the job - my job - I'm good at what I do, Khopesh, so if you can't trust me, at least trust that." 
Punctuating her point, Yelana pulled the bottle opener out of Zaria's satchel and held it up discreetly. 
"I've got this, and we will get that cube - But first, let's deal with the ship that's about to land on the train." 
 

[Kintobor]

Zaria scowls at Yelana's attempt at humour, debating putting more pressure onto her but deciding against it.

"You do not understand, do you? You get your hands on the cube, and then what? I have to trust in your plan? Your secret schemes to save the day? No: you put me in charge, Yelana! I remember very well you nominated me as group leader. You have since then disregarded my orders and talked down to me like I am some infant child, despite you having seen first hand what I am capable of! For someone whose analogy claims you are thinking ahead, I haven't heard you offer a single solution to how you intend to get the cube off this train, and that is because you do not have one. You do not know where it is being held, you do not know how to get it off this train once you have it. You can claim to be a spy all you want, but all I see is a child: one who has not had to learn humility!" As Zaria believes she is finished, she glares at the bottle opener in Yelana's hands. Her glare turns to Yelana. Her anger rises like a roaring fire as her mind lingers on this act of betrayal, this breach of trust. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and exhales. Her anger subsides, but the embers of rage still flicker with heat in her mind.

"I cannot even trust you to keep your hands out of my bag." She states coldly, almost remorsefully, as she removes Yelana from her position against the wall, lowering her arm and taking back the bottle opener. "Know that you are right about one thing: we must first deal with whatever is above us. We have a job to finish, and I doubt whatever is out there is friendly to either of us." Zaria moves through to Business, following the drone.