The Captain didn’t flinch as Chiara stormed away. She swiveled back to the others as Shenso let out a small squeak of laughter and quickly straightened his posture. The seadweller appeared to be the most competent of the bunch. She wiped an ashen arm against the bottom of her tank top and gave a sharp nod.
“In our luck, we knocked out the radio towers when we entered the city. Your incompetent system of drones have not offered us a connection. We’ll have to wait.” She thought a moment and allowed her sliced lip to curl up into a doubly sour looking snarl. “Not like we’re going anywhere fast.”
The orangeblood cracked her neck. Her sharp movements seemed to cause a reaction in her crew. Everything was much less rowdy with the commanding officer around. “Alright. Dictys Glauci? Rouxez Piccal. You’ll do just fine as our liason for now. We’ll have a private debriefing shortly; I expect you to use your best abilities to allow us contact with the Queen. We will rendezvous at the Four Fronds City Hall.” Something in the distance captured her attention.
-- Meanwhile, at the Space Ship:
Quote:
You near the ship, which steams and simmers in the ground. The damp and temperate atmosphere of Four Fronds has been made muggy by the immense heat coming off of the ship. As you approach, you notice some of the ship is red-hot from its recent entry onto the planet and its enormous crash – the crater that it has left in the ground is completely charred and of immense size. There is no easy vantage point to access the ship, and even getting into the proximity of the crater makes you feel as though you are looking into a hot oven. Suddenly, one of the closer entrance bay doors swings open. Smoke pours out of the ship; from within, peals of sirens can be heard. An enormous silhouetted figure emerges, deftly lands on solid ground, and takes a look around. The door closes once again, buzzing and crunching with some difficulty as the damaged and dangerous ship puts forth effort to run properly.
You are set upon by the troll, looming high and with horns as thick and impressive as a hoofbeast’s. She holds an immense chain gun easily in one hand. Her space suit includes a full face mask with respirator. The sound of her heavy breaths recede as she removes her helmet in her off-hand, tossing back tousled hair with highlighted streaks. She is a striking figure, with blazing green eyes and glittering gold lips which purse with concern as she looks down at you.
“Are you lost?” She gasps. “It’s dangerous out here! Come with me, darlings.”
There’s no arguing at this point, as she has already begun to herd you back to the main square.
-- The giant form of the first mate emerged, and all of the crew members snapped to attention. “Jovian. Let’s head out.”
“Aye, after you!” The greenblood smiled. The Captain matched her pleasant attitude with exactly the opposite frown, but the troll didn’t seem to mind. “We have company?”
The crew turned to Dictys and Hemera. Rouxez wasted no time in waving them off, patience clearly wearing thin. “No, they are departing now. Young Dictys Glauci is helping us search for the queen; the other girl was just asking about assisting.”
“How sweet of you, doll!” Jovian announced cheerily. She chuckled and adjusted her enormous gun against her hip.
“Believe me, the sweet ones are few and far between,” Tigwyn interjected, and the captain quickly shut him down.
“Alright, that’s enough. We’re leaving. Goodbye.” And with a confirmation in perfect unison, the crew stalked off.
quite uneventful
Micillia
thyPOPE
Gl!tch~
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:13 pm
Returning Royalists: Sitting around, squabbling, or helping to transport water, you watch as the fire of Four Fronds is gradually subdued.
Quote:
A new military training facility location will be opening up soon. Royalists/neutral/rebels who have not had their identities compromised who received 'training' during the 2014 and 2012 summer metas, will be able to trade them in for a new system to replace them. Trolls will also get opportunities to come and train and advance this new system - starting with trolls who ended this meta on the Royalist side. Marked rebels will have to wait until we get a swamp dojo up - however we will make sure to get that done before this system is used in a meta next.
For trolls living in Four Fronds: Your home is a pile of ash. Or at least was for a moment, in your mind's eye. Whatever state it is in however, it is quickly restored over the coming days as one of the first hives to be aided, perhaps in return for your assistance with the Phoenix Initiative menace. In the meantime, you are given a temporary respiteblock - either sharing with a troll of your blood caste who's home was undamaged, in a temporary one-block hive set up beside your old one, or in the local military base. You are also re-given the same offer of a physical that you received at the start of your adventures - this time via local military medics, and most likely more necessary. Finally, when your hive's repairs have been completed, you find a letter tucked under the door.
For trolls living elsewhere: As the fire goes out, the roads and streets are cleared of debris, and medical stations pop up for the volunteer and Royal firefighters. Even if you haven't assisted in the blaze, word gets around to the higher offices that the influx of tired trolls are in the city on military business. If you decide to rest before heading home, you are given a portable recuperacoon in a small insta-hive, and if you're teal and above, a drone quickly ducking in to see if you need any errands run or messages delivered, or perhaps if you'd like them to scrounge up a hot meal. In addition, you're passed quickly through the competent hands of the local military medical personnel, who stitch up any deep cuts, swiftly assemble and attach needed prosthetics to any larger missing bits, and toss you a tube filled with a rare luxury - military grade antiseptic to speed the healing of all cuts and bruises. When you decide to eventually leave you are stopped in the road, a drone puffing and panting blocks your path with a printed letter, slightly crumpled and sweat-stained from the hasty delivery.
The letter: Addressed from the Chittentown Base 3865, it thanks 'Insert Name Here' for your assistance, apologizes for the technological malfunction with the Four Fronds signalling tower due to 'unexpected circumstances'*, and awards you with credit that can be exchanged at the local supply depot, for your service to Alternia. There is also a small gold star sticker with a cartoony smiling face, and a handwritten 'Thanks! xoxo' scribbled down in the corner, in tyrian purple ink. Beside is a 4 perigee pass attached via paperclip for some "Royal Fun and Survival Facility", though you've never heard of a place like that before.
*flaming spaceships
Captured Rebels: Lead back to civilization under armed guard, the drones putting out the last of the flames in Four Fronds are not distracted enough to let your arrival slip by. The following instructions below are for the most part mandatory. We heavily encourage players to be aware of their character's in-game actions, and the effect of their choices. If you feel that you would like to be exempt, please pm us explaining why, rather than simply ignoring the instructions below.
Quote:
The (former OHC) Civisect Rehabilitation and Counseling Center will be re-opening as a permanent Location, and all peacefully surrendered trolls will have mandatory sessions there. On the pre-arranged day of their evaluation, a drone will be sent to their house to collect them and bring them in. You will be re-quoted in this post with a link to the location when it is up. Successfully completing the required exams at the Center might provide a way for your troll to regain face in society and get rid of pesky military surveillance.
Quote:
Trolls who have mandatory sessions at the Rehab Center can now go complete the activities presented for them here! If your troll fails to ever show up at the center for their court-mandated evaluation, future clashes with the law might not give them this lighter option. Trolls who skip this also automatically have the 'being followed' status described under returning home.
For trolls who peacefully surrender: You're tired of fighting for now, and simply want to go home. You explain away everything as best you can to the drone, assuring them that your little adventure in rebellion is totally over, for reals. Whether that is the true case or not, you realize that the smart thing to do now is avoid to dig yourself in deeper. You were cajoled, forced, bribed to the other side! You didn't know! You were disoriented! You're super super sorry. You want to see your lusus. You won't be bad again. Despite your pleading, you are taken in to processing. However, instead of being slapped in irons and dragged off to some pit, you're simply given a medical bracelet, told not to take it off, and given a future date in which you are required to report for further mental health examinations. Feeling rightly that you got let off a huge and vicious hook, you head home. See Returning Home below.
For trolls who continue to fight back: If you decide to play the hero and spit in the face of the drones that come to process you, your stay in the land of the conscious is short and not very blissful as you are clubbed into submission. See Capture in the Returning Home section below.
Returning Home:
Disclaimer: The capture route is not intended or encouraged to be something trolls go down. It is what happens if your character constantly disregards the dangers of openly rebelling in their strictly controlled society and should be seen as more of a thing to avoid than pursue. If taken, it should be played seriously as an event that will definitely merit at minimum a journal edit when it is over, and be something that your troll will have to live with and remember forever. As always we have a strict anti-'crazy' trolls policy, and the choices and paths put forward here should not be taken as opportunities to turn your troll into a Gamzee, or any other sort of deranged or mentally ill character.
If you decide to play the good little troll and go along with the instructions given to you, keeping your nose out of Phoenix Initiative-related business, you are, for the most part, left to your own devices. Meeting with casual friends, wandering around town, going about your life, you are undisturbed. The keener-eyed troll might notice that wherever they go, there is always an older troll following never less or more than a block behind them. Confronting this troll is nigh to impossible, as whenever you try and directly approach it, it slips away into the shadows or the crowd, or a nearby ally.
If you attempt to contact any other rebel-affiliated trolls without making the effort to lose your pursuer in the first post of the same roleplay, they too will gain constant surveillance by mysterious trolls trailing along behind them, and this status will be effectively 'transmitted' to them via proximity contact, forcing them to go through the same precautions of loosing their silent follower. If you attempt to go to the new rebel swamp village without making the effort to lose your pursuer in the first post of the same roleplay, please quote the staff. A bad thing will happen - and will happen as soon as we notice the post, even if you do not notify us. Please don't lead the the military to the swamp village, for everyone's sake. If you do so accidentally, simply adding the required roleplay text to your first post will fix things.
This status will apply until further notice - possibly for the rest of your troll's life until they demonstrate that they have completely renounced their past actions through future opportunities, they find a way to disappear 'off the grid', or they leave mainstream Alternian society for good.
Capture:
If your troll has disregarded all basic safety precautions and lived fast and loose, they will find themselves in a small white room. Their lusus will be removed to do hard labour at the same energy generating plant as the winter 2015 lusii were brought to. Your troll themselves will be put through one of the following situations, until a roleplay rescue is done with another (or multiple other) troll(s). Freeing lusii will re-use the rules and mechanics of the same winter 2015 event, see Lusii below. The resulting effects from capture should be long-lasting, and if we see people brushing this off as a minor and unimportant event, we will ask that it be changed. If you do not want your troll to experience this or the resulting aftermath, please play your troll smartly to ensure they do not risk this experience! Even if the rescue is immediate, your troll will have experienced one of the following. 1] Medical Testing Your troll will have been given regular doses daily of various test serums designed to encourage 'docility, obedience, and compliance'. What the actual results of these drugs have on your troll is up to you as long as there is a result. It can wear off over time, as the chemicals are flushed from their system. 2] Brainwashing Your troll will have been put through a pattern of sleep, food, and sensory deprivation to attempt to strip away their personality and thoughts. They are then coached to believe that their responsibility to other trolls and to society is to peacefully and diligently work in the sectors assigned to their blood colour for the glory of Alternia. How far along this was, and how well this works is up to you - though brainwashing does wear off over time. 3] Medical Examination The most unlucky trolls will have had various invasive surgeries in an attempt to locate what part of them causes their 'deviant behaviour'. This will leave them with permanent scarring, and not much of a clear memory of what happened, due to being under heavy sedation for most of the time.
If your troll is not rescued and instead stays in captivity, they are released once they display the signs of being completely reformed. This is not just saying 'yes I love the queen' but also being able to stand up to psychological evaluations and close monitoring.
Lusii:
If your poor, ever-suffering Lusus has fallen into the clutches of the military (again, in some cases), then they will need to be saved from their unfortunate fate. All the lusus have been marked with a brand/tracking chip that must be removed after the rescue, sedated, and sent to various power plants in all the cities where they are being forced to jump on treadmills and run in various sized gerbil cages to generate energy. There are no set obstacles to this roleplay, save for the ones you put in. (however, please remember to take into account that it is a dangerous situation!)
If accompanied by a teen/is a teen
For each post every person submits, roll 1d6. Keep track of the accumulated point total between all players posting. When you have gotten to the point where you have found and released your lusus, or have reached a total of 20 points, (whichever comes first) multiply the result by the total number of party members, and consult the spoiler below.
Please copy-paste the code below into your next post in this thread, and change the thread's title label to show it is both a rp and battle.
[align=center][b][size=18]You have encountered a Security Patrol![/size][/b] [i]Mini-Boss Rules[/i]:[spoiler][i][size=9]Only trolls who's rolls contributed to 'summoning' this mini-boss may fight it. This is a mini-boss! Unlike regular boss battles, the mule will not be posting new rounds, and players can simply post as fast and often as they want, [u]taking turns to attack one at a time[/u]. Players who have trinkets or abilities may also post to use one [u]directly after posting their attack[/u], giving them a maximum of two turns for that round. When each troll in the fight has had a turn to attack the mini-boss once and use one power/trinket, a new round begins. At each new round roll the standard 2d6 and use the table below to see what damage you've taken. As always, the first number is what you should check for your damage, and the second is the amount done to the mini-boss. Once the mini-boss or all players fighting it reach 0hp, this can be counted by all trolls participating as a battle rp for growth. If you have any questions, please PM the mule![/size][/i][/spoiler][/align]
[align=center][img]http://octospiracy.com/hivestuck/dec14/miniboss_2.png[/img][/align] [align=center][b]GUARD STARTING HP: (final group's rolling score x number of group members)[/b][/align]
As you sneak along, trying not to attract any unwelcome attention, you nevertheless fail to get past all the guards unseen. A ringing cry pierces your sponge clots - "Halt!" Two drones, clearly low-tier guards, come huffing up, one shedding a half-eaten circular grain product with sugary glazing. "This is a restricted area! You are under arrest! Put your hands in the air!" Taking out a handheld transceiver, one of them barks into it. "We have intruders, repeat! Intruders!"
The other one shuffles a little, getting out a heavy baton. "Burtam - did you remember to put new batteries in?" At this, the barking drone, Burtam, pauses and squints down at his device, pressing the button a few times. The machine fails to light up, or make noises, or give any sign of life. "Damn. Uh. Hey you! I said hands up! Just because we don't have backup doesn't mean you won't be getting into a nice new pair of cuffs!" Raising his own baton, he nods at his partner, and the two drones advance on you.
[b]If you rolled a 1,[/b] the two guards both decide to focus on you, and actually manage to wrestle you to the ground with your hands behind your back before you're able to shake them off. In your mind's eye, you can see the cell's door slamming back into place as you're thrown in again. [b]Take 4 dmg.[/b]
[b]If you rolled a 2,[/b] one of the guards leaps at you in a frenzy, striking you over and over and over while yelling something about 'assaulting an officer of the royal army'. He seems to be forgetting which one of you is doing the assaulting at the current moment. [b]Take 3 dmg.[/b]
[b]If you rolled a 3,[/b] a truncheon comes down hard on your head, making your eyes cross for a moment as chirpbeasts flutter around in front of your vision. [b]Take 2 dmg.[/b]
[b]If you rolled a 4,[/b] you charge forward and place your foot square on the food carelessly dropped by one of the drones as they arrived. The sugary glaze causes you to slide awkwardly across the floor, arms windmilling, before dropping you onto your rear. [b]Take 1 dmg.[/b]
[b]If you rolled a 5,[/b] You manage to duck and dodge all truncheon swings, nimbly slipping in between and around the two bulky guards as they flail at you.
[b]If you rolled a 6,[/b] you consider these two drones, willingly working in a plant that is powered by enslaved lusii. What kind of heartless jerk could enforce the law, in a place filled with parents forcefully separated from their children?! [b]Your next attack is loaded with righteous outrage, and does double damage.[/b]
[b]When the mini-boss or all trolls have reached 0hp, please look in the spoiler below.[/b] [spoiler] [b]Mini-Boss at 0[/b] [spoiler]As soon as the first of the guards drops to a knee, you take your chance and dart past them, ignoring the shouts from behind you as you leave them in your dust. You'd better get out of here before they catch their second wind! (Do not continue to roll 2d4s. [u]If players hit the maximum of 20 points in rolling the 2d4[/u], each player can now roll 1d100 in their next post. If you get a multiple of 10, your troll has snatched a 3 use novice trinket of your choice from one of the guards as they fled past.)[/spoiler] [b]Players at 0[/b] [spoiler]The two guard drones are more than a match for you, and you call a strategic retreat, running until you can't hear their footsteps or shouts anymore. Looks like you will have to find another way around to get past. (Do not continue to roll 2d4s)[/spoiler] [/spoiler]
This thread will be moved to the archives on the 21st. Any remaining posts done by users should be exit posts or final wrap up posts.
A connection to the queen. Hemera's only knowledge on the matter was that Regina had been in the desert for that one speech, but Mera had heard nothing since. That information could very well be outdated at this point. With a slight frown, she had to defer to Dictys's offer. The seadweller would have the direct contact. Of course. And despite the tealblood's offer to be of use...she had nothing worthwhile. She would be lying if she said it didn't sting some. A chance to prove herself and she didn't even have a shot at making an actual impact.
They could have asked about just about anything else and she would have had an answer! Should she have at least given what she knew instead of just letting herself be steamrolled? Or was it better to leave the situation to the trolls who had a better grasp of the situation? But it wasn't fair anyway! Being locked out like that! There had to be something, anything, that could get her somewhere before it was too late...
Opening her mouth to add something on the fly, her only option with such a small time window, she halted before she could even prepare whatever nonsense that would have spilled out. Hemera had caught sight of another troll coming off the ship. Glamorous eyeliner, startling gold lips on a gray face. And the troll's hair. Oh, if she got started on that she might just hit a high pitch in her excitement in her excitement.
This new troll was gorgeous. Full of aesthetic compared to the other crew members who, for the most part, were slaves to their rank and battle scars and did nothing to enhance the potential of making themselves look good because of or in spite of their looks. Was this her own future once she found a career someday? Or could she be like this second mate, who didn't let anything stop her from looking fabulous. There was a shipwreck and trolls were lost in the crash, but the first mate's looks were on-point.
In short: Mera was starstruck.
She tuned in enough to hear the older troll call the tealblood sweet. "Um- I-" With a gun like that, Jovian probably never needed a helping hand even once in her life. "Y...es... Thank you."
Left with no other option, she had to shuffle off after finally returning Dictys's nod with her own demured near-bow and repeated gratitude for eir nice comment. Dictys Glauci... She would have to remember that name, face, and symbol. Even she had to file away when a seadweller of all things looked upon her fondly, maybe even hope for a follow-up someday if they ran into each other again by chance.
That was, if she could get Jovian out of her head in the meantime.
Eostre sat down in front of her hive. She had had a long night, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in her recuperacoon with her lusus, and just enjoy the moment. Maybe watch some troll WBA. Instead, she was left with, for a moment, the smoldering ashes of her little cottage. The drones would fix it in no time, sure, but there was something else.
She felt the wet tears rolling down her cheek before she realized she was crying. God, she had done so much, and still failed to catch all the rebels. She still had nothing, and her lusus could have been killed while she wandered around a filthy swamp. Her fight had helped, but only for a bit. And now the emotioned returned twofold.
Eostre put her face in her hands, feeling the wetness of tears directly on her fingertips for the first time in a long while. She sobbed, unable to hold back anymore. "Da-aad...." she cried between her heaving, and Volcano reluctantly got closer to her, rolling his eyes a bit. Ah sheesh kiddo, yeh don't gotta be like that. Wipe yer tears, Eos. He stamped a foot and sniffed.Yer betta' 'n that, huh. Good t'see yeh without yer silly gloves on too. Gimme a pat, kiddo. He crawled into her lap, laying his head down and sniffing again.
She sniffed back, part sniffles and part responding to the sound naturally, and wiped her tears on the back of her hand. She reached down and pet her lusus on the head, stroking his silky fur and feeling all of his scars. She'd almost forgotten... Her own scarred hands matched the old wounds on her lusus, old boxing wounds, and purposefully broken hands, over and over. She touched his ears and back, until her sniffling and crying subsided.
Now now, kiddo. Feel betta'? Ain't nothin' you can't do, kiddo. Sheesh, 'n yeh got all worked up over nothin'. The drones'll take care of it all, an' the two o' us'll be jus' fine. He stamped his foot two more times. An' I jus' KNOW yeh got in a fight. Tell me about it, princess. The rabbit lusus rolled over and waited for her to tell him a story.
