Episode 1: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Townsend

Episode 1: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

"Oh Cadizians... Come Out to Play-i-ay..."

[quote="The Weatherman"]Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
6:00am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
27 degrees F (projected high of 46)[/quote]

The group departs MercTown in the cold dawn of 6:00am. Any chits for weapons that had not been picked up the night before are claimed on the group’s way out. The trip to Cadiz passes uneventfully for the most part, as the roads in the vicinity of MercTown are well-traveled enough that both vehicles can travel at decent speeds (about 40mph) for about half the way and don’t have to slow down to accommodate for rougher/less well-traveled terrain until then. The group doesn’t really encounter much in the way of wildlife as most of them are either frightened away by the sound of their approach or intimidated by their size.

All in all, it’s roughly 8:30am when the group arrives at the town of Cadiz. The vehicles come to a stop at the main building in the town: “The Real Geese,” the tavern/inn that’s listed in Fixer’s notes. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be any activity whatsoever. No welcoming party in the form of local authorities. No children running out to see the big shiny robot. No hucksters trying to make a fast buck on the unsuspecting outsiders. Not even any folks going about their daily routines. For all the group knows, they could be the only living beings in Cadiz at the moment.


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]
Pilot: Hovercraft 75% (+5%) [dice]3[/dice]
Intelligence 44% (+4%) [dice]4[/dice]
Radio: Basic 70% (+5%) [dice]5[/dice]

Just drive where they tell you to Cordelia takes some more pictures. So far her evaluation is the much the same as everyone else. She has not seen anything in the way of evidence. The Salamander doesn't have any sensory equipment aside from cameras mounted the corners, however they are more for navigational purposes. She does have a bit of a relief reaction when told to stay in the vehicle.
Analoy looks like a character from a story in her cloak and mask and Cordelia gets some pictures of her.
"I can hardy believe I'm on a mission next to a giant robot vehicle. It all looks so awesome." More pictures taken now of the robot.
Im soooo fricken nervous. Am I shaking?[/i]
She starts checking her pictures to see if they are blurry from her shot nerves.
WHOOOOSSSSAAAAHH. breathes deeply.
" Can anyone see anything?"
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:33am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
27 degrees F (projected high of 46)

After a few minutes of staring around at the strangely-deserted town, most of the group decide to disembark from their vehicles and start searching. Analoy armors up with a touch and a thought ‘just in case’ and Susan implements her own ‘just in case’ strategy by drugging up. Cordelia -- whether it’s due to nerves, excitement, or merely journalistic desire -- channels her inner ‘embedded reporter’ and begins taking pictures of the group’s vehicles/members. She’s no William Howard Russell (not yet anyway) but some of the pictures come out alright.

What passes for the ‘main road’ (such as it is) runs past The Real Geese and looks to be pretty well-worn, which is no surprise all things considered. There’s another path out of town (to call it a ‘secondary road’ is being kinda generous) but there appears to be some recent wear on it. There appear to be a couple of vehicles in the town, but one would assume that even a village the size of Cadiz would have more given its remote locale.

The bulk of the group’s technological sensory capability seems to reside in Jez’s Titan robot. However, with the alien superhuman at the controls it proves to be more than enough as she gets a comprehensive scan of the area. Radio scans pick up a few open channels -- mainly from the businesses and a few of the more *ahem* ‘stately’ houses in Cadiz -- but nobody’s active on them. Motion sensors pick up some wandering farm animals. There are heat signatures from them (there are a few that appear to be dead, but those are largely in penned-in areas where they logically ran out of food/water), but nothing from inside the various houses -- no smoldering fires for warmth or cooking, no candles, not even a lit cigar. The place is just about as dead as it appears to the naked eye.

Almost.

Just as Kat and Analoy enter the main door of the Real Geese -- which is every bit as deserted as the rest of the town seems to be with no signs of scuffle inside that Kat/Analoy can tell -- Jez’s sensors picks up a single heat signature on the upper floor of the tavern. It’s small, but it’s moving to one end of the building.



What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

So the crazy doctor is on a roof , Jezebel is going in the window and Fiona is in the street. I guess that means I get the back door. Does this dive have a back door?
Switch from camera to pistol.
Cordelia bounds out the door of the Salamander and around the tavern to check the back side. Door or no door she finds cover.
humming mission impossible music your mission should you choose to accept it is to look like more of a bad ass than you really are. and strikes a pose.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:40am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
28 degrees F (projected high of 46)
Kat and Analoy

The ladies advance slowly and quietly (Kat surprisingly so, all things considered, but she still sounds like a breakdancing elephant in comparison to Analoy’s ninja-esque efforts). The second floor is for the most part a large open space with bunk beds arranged in a community barracks type setup for maximum accommodation and minimal privacy. Through a partially ajar door at the end of the space they can see a bathroom/shower type room.

Although most of the bunks appear to be neatly made, the covers on one of the lower bunks towards the back of the space is rumpled. As Kat and Analoy move closer to investigate there is a flash of motion as something darts out towards a window. The window seems to explode outward, shattering the glass and flinging open the shutters, but the blur stops at the window and screams. In the light coming in from the now-open window, they can see what the ‘something’ is -- it’s a little girl holding a plush animal.

The girl throws up her hand to the window before darting back into the bathroom. From behind the door they hear “GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON’T WANT TO GO! BRING BACK MY MOMMY AND DADDY! DON’T MAKE ME HIT YOU!”


Jezebel

The Arismal avenger finds the front of the building to be a simple surface to climb up to the second level of windows. There are some loose shingles on the roof extending out over the porch entrance, but that minor issue is the only obstacle. She finds a window close to where the heat signature was moving to according to the sensors; its shutters are pulled to but Jez can pull them open just enough to take a glimpse inside (see interior description above). Suddenly she registers motion heading her way -- and has just enough time to duck down out of the window before it bursts outward with the shutters swinging out violently and a shower of glass hurling past. She raises her head back up into the window from and comes face to face with… a little girl. A dirty, obviously very scared little girl.

Image

A little girl with a fully functional set of lungs, judging by the scream she lets loose. She throws up her hand to Jez, and the would-be Spider-Woman clinging to the exterior wall gets hit by an invisible blast. It doesn’t appear to damage her armor ((OOC: I’m assuming Jez is wearing hers)), but the impact feels like a cannonball and Jez is just barely able to hang on to her handholds. In fact, when Jez looks back down at her hands it appears she’s actually gouged some tears in the wood wall itself.

As she ponders this she hears shouts coming from inside.


Susan

With a hop, skip, and a jump (or two), the drugged-up doctor quickly makes her way to the top of the roof on a building just across the road from the Real Geese and with a perfect view of Jez as she climbs up the front of the inn. As she settles down and takes a look around, a flutter of paper under an eave catches her eye. Upon closer inspection it turns out to be a stack of sheet music tucked underneath a violin.

Suddenly, the sounds of glass and wood breaking along with a high-pitched scream draw her attention back to the inn. There is a small figure in the window and Jez appears to be knocked back slightly, but is still hanging onto the exterior wall.


Fiona/Cordelia/Corrigan

The other three not-so-combat-oriented ladies take up positions covering the entrance and exit to the building. Those who are covering the front entrance see Jez climb up to a second story window and duck out of the way as it blows outward before being hit by an invisible force as someone screams.

Those who are in the back covering the other entrance suddenly hear the sounds of glass and wood breaking along with a high-pitched scream around front.


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia can't see what is happening, but hears the ruckus.
What was that!! She ducks and covers and starts preparing a hasty fighting position. Cover and concealment. She piles up some rocks and deadfall. Looking around just short of frantically.
Cordelia takes a few deep breaths and calms down. Switch from weapon to camera. Takes a few pictures. It helps her relax. Just chill and cover the building until you know whats going on. and lets out a long sigh.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia jumped up and excitedly hurries toward Jez jumped to in front of the Inn. She stopped and pulled out a note pad and made a few notes about the occurrences so far.
"Did you see a radio in there? I was hoping we could check and see if anyone tried to radio for help."
I hope that leads to a clue because I got nothing.
Cordelia then stopped and took a couple of pictures of the wrecked front of the Inn.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:41am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
28 degrees F (projected high of 46)

Kat/Analoy

As Kat tries to talk to the little girl, she cringes as she hears Susan’s augmented voice from outside. In fact, everyone else can hear Susan as well.
Susan Lee wrote:Susan says with vocal enhancement, "Tiny girl, we are here to help. I am a doctor. These other people are also here to help. We are the good guys... women. Are you a mutant?"
Shaking off the minor annoyance she tries to get the girl out of her hiding place.
Kat Porter wrote:"Excuse me, miss. Didn't your parents teach you a little better manners than that? You at least ask what someone is doing here before yelling at them to go away." Kat says the last part with all the authority of someone who has a very onry little brother who Kat had to play parent for while their mother was confined to her wheelchair.

Whether or not the door opens, Kat continues. "We're here looking for Mister Sully. His cousin Fixer, from MercTown asked us to check on him. He hadn't heard from him in a while. If you could tell us what happened here, we'll be glad to go look for him, and your parents. You can stay in the bathroom for all I care and talk through the door, but my tattooed friend Analoy out here is a really good cook, and I bet you need something warm to eat."
“Only bad people come here now,” the scared voice from behind the door responds. “They look for stuff. They look for people who didn’t walk away. Who didn’t hear the call. I don’t want to go with them. Please don’t make me!”
Analoy wrote:Raising her voice to be heard by the little girl across the room and on the other side of the bathroom door, she says, "I sure do have some eats. There are meat pies in the cruiser; beef steak, carrots, onions, celery, peas and potatoes in a crispy crust. I can warm them in a jiffy and bring them to you Sweetie. Us powered up girls gotta help each other out. Sweetie, some of the animals in town look in pretty bad shape. If you wanna help, I think I'm gonna go feed and water them in a bit"
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It’s that way with kids at times too. Like this one.

The door creaks open just a bit as the girl peeks out. “Meat pies? I *am* kinda hungry.” She’s still obviously very nervous/scared but it’s pretty clear she hasn’t had a good meal in a while.


Outside

Jez overcomes her extraterrestrial temper and drops back to the ground in order to do a recon of the village as Susan and Cordelia follow along documenting their findings -- or rather, the lack thereof. There are no signs of forced entry. The only sign of violence is the blown-out window where Jez was climbing. Spoiled food lie on kitchen tables, half eaten. A few beds look to be disturbed (where someone lying in them would have gotten up and not made it back up afterwards) but most are nice and neat. The group makes a full sweep of the town and finds various other electrical devices left on (like radios), doors standing open, gates unsecured, and so on. The entire town looks almost as if everyone had just suddenly up and left.

Meanwhile, Fiona and Corrigan come across the blacksmith/repair shop a few blocks away. This is easily the most high-tech spot in the town, as Fiona’s psychic probings easily confirm. It looks pretty capable of handling repairs ranging from shoeing horses to repairing energy weapons and all points in between. Of particular interest is an old, beat-up Wastelander motorcycle that’s currently in the repair bay connected to a diagnostic computer. The computer has been left on.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia is racking her brain.
"This sounds so familiar. It sounds like a syren song type of scenario. I may have to go to the Salamander and check some books to see if i can find a reference to this. I just cant remember if I read this in a text book or a novel.

Cordelia turns back to her vehicle and starts to check her writings of Erin Tarn for any mention of something that sounds like what has happened to the village.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia lets her eyes dance as she she reads.
"My best guess would be a Mind Melter. They are normally not this powerful but this area has some uncharted areas of intense magic that could boost their abilities. Considering whatever did this did not affect the obviously psi powered little girl..."
what if it is the girl...

"Im going to keep reading just in case"
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:45am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
29 degrees F (projected high of 46)

"Hellooooo, computer..."

Fiona sits down at the computer and begins rifling through the files. The one that's currently open is the work file on the Wastelander that's sitting nearby -- with Sullivan (Sulley) Jones listed as the owner. According to the mechanic's notes he brought it in complaining of a slow throttle response even after changing out the air and fuel filters. The mechanic indicated a suspicion that the issue might lie with the carburetor. Glancing over at the bike Fiona can see that the mechanic had already started the process of removing the part but hadn't fully gotten it off the engine yet.

As she digs further, it's clear the mechanic (Thomas Czervowski) is very meticulous in his logs. Every repair job is described in detail whether it's for one of the Cadiz residents or for the infrequent traveler who happens through town and is in need of assistance. There are several minor tickets for various small item repairs, from radio antennas to generators to the walk-in freezer at the Real Geese -- nothing really out of the ordinary. The most recent completed vehicular work file is for a "Bella Venezia," a scholar from MercTown who needed a tire/wheel repair about six weeks ago. It took a full week to get the needed parts from MercTown, and Bella stayed about a week after the repairs were complete. Czervowski's notes are particularly extensive on her vehicle, stating that it was the first time he had ever gotten a close-up look at a TW Zone Ranger and while he couldn't wrap his head around the magical enchantments he was more than capable of handling what she needed fixed. He also noted that while Bella was definitely easy on the eyes he was far more interested in her vehicle.

Corrigan offers up her two creds' worth over the radio before having a look around. Like most 'cottage industry' businesses, the first floor of the building is given over almost entirely to the smithing forge and the repair shop with living quarters on the second floor. As far as she can tell, however, everything seems to be in order.

((OOC: Corrigan -- please have your Perception skill updated by your next post. You never know when something vital gets overlooked because of no perception roll... muhuhahahaaaaa...))



"I'm a doctor, not a..."

Meanwhile, Jez confers with Susan and Cordelia as to the nature of what may have happened here. With the obvious possibilities of military attack or other form of violence ruled out, the discussion winds around to those based upon magical or psychic abilities (and none of them are particularly pleasant). Or, as Susan reasons, it could have a sort of audio cue as she polls the group to see if anyone is able to play the violin she found. Cordelia begins consulting her library for references on similar scenarios. There are several variations upon the classic story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, with the children being led away by mechanisms ranging from music to candy to video games to magic spells. The more she reads, the stronger the anecdotal evidence builds for a case of the townspeople being 'called away' somehow.



"There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle; it's just a matter of finding it..."

Kat checks the downstairs more thoroughly while leaving the survivor to Analoy's care. As she can take more time to examine her surroundings now, she notices that the place has indeed been looted -- just not in the way one would usually think. While a lot of the 'big ticket items' such as radios/electronics/etc don't appear to have been touched the food stores are completely empty. Most of the kitchen utensils and flatware/silverware are gone as well. At least that's what it looks like -- an inn/tavern at the very least should have a lot more than what she finds.

Analoy doesn't notice the lack of food/utensils as she heads to the Salamander to prepare a morning snack to lure out the child. She returns with savory meat pies and makes it to the bottom of the stairs to find the girl at the top looking down. "Those smell really good..." she says shyly. "Can I please have some? I haven't had anything hot to eat in a long time."

A few minutes later she's sitting at a table downstairs with Analoy eating meat pies like she hasn't had anything to eat in a week (she looks rather malnourished too, which wouldn't be surprising if what she said about not having any warm food for a while is true). "I'm Becky. This is Newt." She holds up her stuffed animal. "Thank you for the pies, they're really good." She's still somewhat wary of the group, but she's starting to warm up to the Maxi-Gal... which of course leads to a barrage of questions that children are known for.

"Who are you?"
"Where are you from?"
"You're not one of the bad people, are you?"
"Is that your robot I saw through the window?"
"Where did you get all those tattoos?"
"Do you get cold going outside with so few clothes on?"
"Can you hear the call too?"
"Why is your doctor friend outside so loud?"
"Do you know where my mommy and daddy went?"
"Have you seen my brother Casey?"
"Is the lady at the window okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her. You scared me."




“Everyone remember where we parked...”

Cordelia's psychedelic Salamander, Fiona's truck and Jez's bot are parked outside the Real Geese. The blacksmith/repair shop is further along the 'main road' that passes through Cadiz.

((OOC: Once again I'm reminded of how inconsistently Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Palladium's concept of size can be. The vehicles are to scale in relation to each other and roughly to scale on the map.))
Cadiz Map 03-27-18.jpg


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia puts the textbooks down and rubs her eyes.
I need more to go on. Im just grasping at straws here.
She turns to the Dr. "Got anything with the music? Maybe if we find a piano or something we can at least try."
Just keep her from going at the little girl with a swab.
"I cant play but I know the notes and scale progression enough that maybe we could at least figure it out."
I guess the only other option is to check out the mine.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:50am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
29 degrees F (projected high of 46)
Conversation at Breakfast
Kat Porter wrote:The City Rat-turned modern cowboy leans her lever action Naruni carbine against a nearby table, adjusts the hand cannons on her hips, takes a seat, and then kicks her legs up onto the table. "How long has it been since everyone left? Did you eat all the food here?"
Becky shakes her head as she takes a big bite. “Nunh-unh, not me,” she says with way too much food in her mouth. Once she’s had a chance to chew and swallow she adds, “That was the bad people. They came and got most of the food. It’s been real hard to find something to eat the past few days.”
Susan Lee wrote:Susan starts humming the Sorcerer's Apprentice to herself. "It increasingly seems like this may be a Pied Piper situation. No one is able to tell me what piece of music this is one the notes here? Oh well. Perhaps they took the townsfolk to the mines, since we're meant to also examine a problem there. I should patrol or...?"

She looks away for a moment.

"CAN I SCAN THE GIRL'S DNA?!?"
The girl’s eyes go wide at Susan’s loud outburst, but she settles back down a bit when she sees the sheet music the doctor’s waving around. “Hey, where’d you get that? I think that’s Master Roshi’s. He likes to play his fiddle on the roof of his house in the evenings. He plays real good too.”

Susan’s fingers fly over the controls of her mini-computer, but the only clue it reveals is that the language it’s written in matches up with samples of Dragonese. And while it’s capable of playing music files the computer doesn’t have a scanner for the sheet music. There’s also no piano there at the Real Geese, only a tabletop jukebox loaded up with a full assortment of both kinds of music: country AND western.

Meanwhile, Becky continues to warm up to Analoy. “Well, you sure seem like you're not with the bad people. You're taller. And you're nice, like Mister Sulley. He's funny too -- he likes singing when he's chopping wood. Momma asked him to make a bed for Newt before everyone started leaving. But the first people to leave were Bernard and Bianca. She said she had a ‘lead’ on something important so they left out about three weeks ago. Then the nice scholar lady after her truck got fixed. It wasn’t long after that that people started hearing the call. They just got up and left. Some got in their vehicles and left, some just walked. Master Roshi said he could hear it in his mind too, but he could block it out when he tried. He tried real hard, but he got too tired and walked away about a week ago. He was the last one here besides me. I dunno what the call is, I can’t hear it like Master Roshi could. He said it was one of my gifts, that my mind shuts out stuff like that before I know it’s there.”


Meanwhile, in the Mechanic’s Shop

Fiona and Corrigan continue their search of the premises until Jez calls for them to meet up with Susan and Cordelia at the mine.


It’s a Clean Sweep

Jez returns to her robot and conducts a sweep of the surrounding area. Between her sweeping and the others consulting the notes Fixer gave them, it isn’t long before the group finds the town’s coal mine located just north of the outskirts (on the larger road heading out of town to the north). Becky pleads for Analoy to stay at the Geese with her -- failing that she begs to come along with her. Clearly Analoy has made a close friend with her meat pies.

It’s nothing extraordinary by any stretch of the imagination, but anyone who enters the mine and makes her perception roll notices that just about all of the tools (shovels/picks/etc.) and most of the man-portable equipment is missing.


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]

"Susan, did your computer say the sheet music matches some dragonese. May I see it, maybe I can read it. In the mean time lets get to the mine. I'm out of leads here .

This master have left a message, If he sounds as cool as the kid lets on

Cordelia is now just hoping to get a lead. Not knowing is worse than anything. But the mine may hold the answer and she wants pictures from inside the robot.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
8:52am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
30 degrees F (projected high of 46)
Analoy wrote:Analoy smiles at Becky and Newt, "I'm sorry Sweetie, but my friends need me to help. So you just stick close to me and if I start acting like I hear this call, you do your best to snap me out of it."
Judging by the expression on Becky’s face, she doesn’t seem to be too thrilled with the idea of going anywhere… but she nods slowly in between bites. “Okay,” she finally croaks out.
Susan Lee wrote: Incredibly disappointed with the computer, Susan nods to the little girl, "That makes sense, I found it on the roof. Can you keep it safe for him, while we rescue him and the rest of your neighbors?" She then hands the little girl the violin, but NOT the sheet music. That's for later. "You have such pretty hair," she says, reaching out to touch it and, casually, keep any that happen to brush off. [/b]
“Okay,” Becky nods as she takes it. “I’ll take good care of it. He’s been showing me how to play -- he told me he’ll get me one of my own on my next birthday.” She flinches slightly as Susan reaches out to stroke her hair, but Susan’s able to get a few stray strands before heading out to run alongside Jez’s bot. Cordelia, on the other hand, climbs aboard the robot and makes herself comfortable before taking pictures.

From Jez’s vantage point outside the mine, she can see both with her own eyes and the bot’s cameras that the road going past the coal mine shows a lot of use. It doesn’t take a wilderness scout to guess that several vehicles continued along the road to the north/northeast. From Susan's lower-angle vantage point she is able to confirm that observation as well as confirm that just about all of the mining tools (shovels/picks/etc.) and most of the man-portable equipment is missing from within.
Analoy wrote:Analoy repeats Becky's story to Jez and the others in hopes that something stands out to them. Then she turns back to Becky, "Just how tall were the bad people?" She stands up, Where would they come up to on me? Was there anything else different about them?" When Becky answers that question, Analoy says, "You're doing great Sweetie. No remind me, who are Bernard and Bianca? And what do they do here in the town?"
“They were short, about that tall…” Becky points to roughly the level of Analoy’s breasts. “But they weren’t just small, like me. They were kinda wide, like -- LIKE THAT!!!” Becky’s eyes grow wide and she jumps up with her back against the wall, her face white with fear. She points in the direction of the door. “They’re just like HER, only boys! You said you weren’t with the bad people! Please don’t be with the bad people! I don’t want to go with the bad people! I want my mommy and daddy back!” She clutches Newt close to her and her eyes start darting back and forth, clearly looking for ways to escape. Analoy’s further attempts to question the girl are currently only met with more scared looks and pleas to not take her away.

Analoy wheels around to find Fiona walking in through the front door, with Corrigan following in behind her.

Despite all the drama resulting from Becky seeing Corrigan for the first time, the group reaches a sort of consensus that the ‘call’ has to be psychic in nature and that the ones snared by it must have left in a single direction. Analoy puts forth her ‘short list’ of likely suspects -- the Reithermans or the visiting scholar.

Meanwhile, the only witness is freaking out.


OOC Recap:
  • Cordelia and Jez are in the bot at the entrance to the coal mine (the bot is in actuality just off the map to the north as that’s where the mine is located. Susan is bouncing along beside the bot.
  • Analoy and Kat are at a table in the Real Geese with Becky.
  • Fiona and Corrigan are right inside the Real Geese's doorway.
Cadiz Map 04-25-18.jpg
What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]

Dont fall out the hatch "lets go Doc, Jez wants to run."

I should get some video while we run. Might make some good footage. I better tighten down my boobs before this video gets really interesting..

Cordelia Steps out of the hatch just a enough to get a good look around at the mine and the tire tracks leading away. Pictures of these and of Susan snooping around.

She then sits down and buckles up and tucks herself in and readies to get some action shots as the giant robot prepares to pick up the pace.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
9:52am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
38 degrees F (projected high of 46)
Once the excitement dies down, it's clear to everyone present that a band of dwarves is somehow involved in the disappearances (or at least the selective looting afterwards). As to what specific kind of dwarves, however, the jury is still out as Susan points out the diverse dwarven demographics -- including Corrigan's estranged kinsmen up around the Great Lakes. Corrigan is somewhat taken aback by the child's outburst but nods to Analoy as she steps back outside for a moment.

Analoy tries to bribe Becky into staying behind in Cadiz with plenty of food, but the girl isn't having any of it. "I... I don't want to stay here by myself. Please don't leave me. I'll be good, I promise. I'll help you look for Mommy, Daddy, Master Roshi, and everyone else. I'm real good at hide and seek. Just..." she glances at the doorway. "Please don't make me sit next to the short lady. At least not right now."

Assuming the group allows her to come along (which means not leaving anyone behind; she's quite insistent on not being left alone), the Salamander is shut down and locked up as Fiona takes point with Jez's robot jogging along behind. The wisdom in leaving the large vehicle behind quickly becomes apparent as the road isn't nearly as wide as the one connecting Cadiz with MercTown and with several low-hanging tree limbs over the roadway (the robot has to stoop over a bit to avoid branches or snap them off the trees entirely). Still, it's pretty clear from the disrupted foliage along the way along with the tracks/other signs of vehicles that they're on the right track and with just the two vehicles they're able to make decent time, only a slightly slower pace than they managed on the road getting them to Cadiz.

After about an hour of going mainly north/northeast along the road they come to a carved wooden sign:
Cadiz to Dawson.PNG
WELCOME TO DAWSON SPRINGS
"WHERE THE TREASURE IS LEGENDARY"


Jez (and Analoy if she agrees to let Becky come too) immediately recognizes the name of the town as being the location of the job they accepted from Merc Ops, and a quick check of their dossier files confirms it.

The tracks, for their part, seem to turn off down a road winding to the right (south/southeast).


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]

Cordelia is all buckled in and ready for action. Her adrenaline is pumping. However she now has to sit in the seat doing nothing until they arrive. She slowly goes from fidgeting in her seat to fighting to stay awake as the adrenaline washes off of her. She begins to crash. Her head is bobbing as she falls out. Not a long drive, but she slowly gives in to sleep.

As the Titan Robot arrives at its destination, she starts to wake up. OMG, Am I drooling? Cordelia sits up and fixes herself. She wipes her face and rubs her eyes and takes an assessment of what she missed and starts taking more pictures.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

"Ahh-firmative..." Becky salutes when Analoy gives her the 'job' before she runs off and comes back a few minutes later with a backpack. "Newt and I will keep a close eye on you." True to her word, she doesn't say much on the trip but keeps looking at the others intently. The trip does pass rather uneventfully, possibly TOO uneventfully as Cordelia nods off only to be shouted back awake by the melodious sound of Jez's voice as she gently rebukes her teammate.

When the group arrive at the sign, Kat gets out for a better view and can see more of the town in the distance. It's clearly a larger town than Cadiz (no doubt in part to the legends about the nearby mine), complete with a walled-off portion in the center. A tributary river on the other side of the city empties into a lake to the city's southeast. Buildings of various sizes, types, and stages of disrepair spill out along the roads in/out of the town and into the land between the walls and the lake, forming a smaller version of MercTown's Dockside district. To add further contrast to Cadiz, activity can be seen in the distance as citizens of Dawson Springs seem to be going about their daily business.

The tracks clearly turn off the main road into the city and onto the road going away to the southeast. The first buildings on the outskirts of town are about a mile away. The group is now faced with a question -- follow the tracks, or investigate the town?
Dawson Springs Map copy.jpg

(OOC: Alright, I know it's a crap update... but what happens next is going to depend on what y'all decide to do next.)
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Cordelia feels like she could morph into a mouse and hide after Jezebel scolds her. She couldn't help it. But now she has to shake that off and get into the game. Time for action. At the call of action Cordelia is awake and ready to go run intel.
"Roger Ma'am" She says to Jezebel.
She gathers her things and prepares to climb out of the TR. A new town is always exciting. New stuff gets her giddy.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]

"Roger that Boss lady! Keep it vague and we are the advanced party of the Mighty GIRLS of Merctown Division.
If any of the townsfolk happen to be dopey looking young men I can usually get what I want from them."
She lets out a sly smile and hangs her helmet on her belt. She does her best to look professional and sexy at the same time and follows the city Rat into town.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
10:29am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
Roughly 30 minutes have passed since the group split up
42 degrees F (projected high of 46)

I'm walkin', yes indeed and I'm talkin' about you and me...

Kat, Cordelia and Susan make their way into town as casually and inconspicuously as three armed women (one much more so than the other two) on foot can. The townspeople are understandably wary of outsiders, of course… but after Susan treats three snakebites, two broken bones and one rash in a most embarrassing place the locals tend to warm up a bit to the newcomers. Meanwhile, Cordelia’s efforts get plenty of older men in trouble with their wives for staring a bit too long.

They’re just coming out from a market where Kat manages to find offering ingredients (no olives, but olive oil as well as apples/pears) when a group of guards accost them. They’re all wearing various “budget conscious” suits of armor (read in “low-MDC”) but all are painted as identically as possible to form a consistent look. Their weapons also look “budget conscious” but serviceable -- and more importantly, they’re all pointed at the GIRLS.

The leader of the group, a dwarf with a rather sour expression, looks the ladies over with an obviously less-than-impressed gaze. “Well lookie what we got here. Me and the boys here been hearing through the grapevine about a threesome of lovely ladies -- a gun bunny, a doc, and a ‘companion’ -- being all do-gooder touristy here in the outskirts. Only thing is, they walked into town on foot even though their gear says they clearly can afford to roll up in some wheels… and the fact they ain’t asked one bit about repairs is causing some concerns among the residents. I’m afraid you ladies are gonna have to come with us to HQ and answer some questions for us. Stuff like who are you, who are you with, what are you doing here, the usual ones. I’m a sucker for the classics.”

Before things can escalate, however, a voice calls out from behind the guards. “At ease, gentlemen. These ladies are okay. I’ll take it from here.” Up walks a rather handsome man in a significantly higher-quality armor complete with black fur around the soldiers. “Captain Stanford Cullen of the Dawson Springs Constabulary, at your service.”

Image

Once the dwarf and his guards stand down and walk away (with a passing suspicious glare from the dwarf) he smiles and shrugs. “Sorry ladies, Varrick and the lads here were just doing their jobs. All those wild tales about local treasure may be good for tourism, but it also attracts the wrong sort of people who might take ‘treasure hunting’ to include the shops and houses of our fine town. So we have to err on the side of caution sometimes. He didn’t know someone had actually taken the theft recovery contract from Merc Ops. Truth be told, neither did any of us until early this morning when our courier arrived. I figured we’d see or hear from your group sometime today. But let’s talk in more… private… surroundings.” He points at the shop Kat just came out of. “Tony’s got a back room, and he’s a trustworthy soul. Couldn’t ask for a more convenient arrangement.”

He ushers the lady mercs into the back room (clearly some sort of dining/break room with a picnic-style table in the center) and gestures for them to sit down before he does so himself. “Now, you’re clearly here trying to gather intel for the job and fill out some gaps in the dossier. What do you want to know?”


----------------------------------------------------------------------


I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine,
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine…


The robot and the truck continue to follow the tracks to the southeast. It’s a pretty clear trail -- just as it had been before -- and is easy to follow. The mercs continue for about another 15-20 minutes until Jez’s sensors start picking up signs of activity. Finding a secluded spot to park the vehicles, the group continues on foot until they come to the top of a ridge… and, quite clearly, a mine.

The entrance to the mine looks like it’s been rebuilt several times over, undoubtedly by subsequent generations of treasure seekers with varying degrees of budget and skill. Parked around the entrance are numerous vehicles. Becky is able to confirm that most of them come from Cadiz before she spots one of the “bad people:” a short humanoid, presumably a dwarf, sitting in an improvised watch tower (little more than a hastily-erected tent on top of a large vehicle closest to the entrance) and by the looks of things not really thrilled about being saddled with guard duty. There’s only one entrance but it looks easily large enough to drive a medium-sized tank through.

((OOC: Sorry, couldn't find a better image. It's along these lines but bigger, a skosh more ramshackle, and with more vehicles outside.))


TL;DR Version
- Kat, Cordelia, Susan have been made by the guards and brought into an impromptu briefing
- Jez, Fi, Analoy, Becky, Corrigan have found the mine
- It's roughly 30 minutes until radio check-in


What are you doing?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
Invoke trust: [dice]2[/dice]
Seduction: [dice]3[/dice]

Cordelia enters the break room and turns to the Captain and smiles slyly.
"Well hello Captain Cullen." She puts a hand on her hip and cocks her hips to the side. "We really do appreciate your assistance. We are the vanguard of a force here from Merctown. We would gladly liaise with your Constabulary in and effort to bring peace and justice in your jurisdiction."

I dont know if I can trust this guy yet.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia turns onto professional journalist mode. She brings out the camera and flips to video mode.

"And if you could include a timeline of recent events, we would be very appreciative"
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Kat Porter wrote:"Thanks for the intervention, Captain. I'd figure on your deputies being a little more diplomatic with passing mercenaries with your proximity to MercTown. You must have regular visitors passing through. I'm Kat Porter, quartermaster and co-commander of the General Investigation, Resolution & Liberation Services of MercTown, GIRLS for short. This is Doctor Lee, one of our Medics, and Cordilia, one of our investigators. Well, we're all investigators, to a degree, like we're all proficient in firearms. We're actually out in these parts on a couple contracts, your town's included. We're also investigating a missing person from the neighboring town of Cadiz for a MercTown notable, Fixer Jones. We're an advance detachment. The other half of our advance team dropped us off and went to check out Cadiz. And yes, right now we came to ask questions, about both of our cases, and gather supplies. Our heavy equipment should also be along shortly."
Cullen nods. “Pleased to officially meet you, ladies. And again I apologize for the less-than-warm welcome from before. We do indeed have regular visitors passing through… and most ask the same types of questions. Where to eat, where to stay, where to play, where to buy stuff, that sort of thing. And if they come in on foot, it’s usually because they either can’t afford anything transportation-wise or they’ve lost the use of what they did have through theft or breakdown.” He looks at all three but gestures at the gear Kat’s wearing in particular. “You’re clearly not the former and you weren’t asking around for either repairs or replacements. So as you can understand we were curious as to why you were really here.” He adds with a shrug. “But you’re right, it’s unprofessional for our Constables to act like that. Officer Varrick and I will be speaking on the subject of ‘courtesy’ later today.”
Kat Porter wrote:"Firstly, was there anything left out of the case file about the theft of your equipment?" Further questions to elaborate on that will commence, if the Captain declares anything- consequential in Kat's opinion or not.
“As a matter of fact, Ms. Porter, there was indeed some information that was omitted from what was communicated to Merc Ops: the exact nature of the equipment stolen -- or to be specific, the vehicle stolen.” Cullen replies. “We weren’t robbed of a bunch of shovels and picks, but rather a rare and rather valuable mining vehicle called a ‘Magic Miner.’ It looks like a small tank or APC with a huge drill on the front, but it primarily uses magic to dig tunnels. I’m told it’s also enchanted with spells that can locate minerals or underground water sources but I’ve never seen evidence of either one first-hand.”

He sighs. “I wasn’t in favor of withholding that information, but the rest of the Town Council agreed that the knowledge of the Miner’s existence didn’t need to spread any further than was absolutely necessary. These things are rare for several reasons, but the biggest one is that the Coalition tends to confiscate stuff like that and doesn’t exactly care who or what they have to destroy in order to get to it. So we had a courier standing by in MercTown ready to get back here as soon as possible after she got word that someone had taken the contract and I was hoping to catch up with you before things got too far.” Cullen shrugs. “Looks like I arrived just in time.”
Kat Porter wrote:Are there any eyewitnesses of the theft we can interview ourselves?" Kat will ask for names and directions to find said witnesses.
“Varrick was the one who discovered it was missing,” Cullen nods. “We kept it in a special underground garage that has restricted access, and he was making the rounds shortly after shift change at 0600 that morning. That’s when he reported it missing. No tracks leading out, no tunnels dug out through the walls, nothing. It was almost as if it was teleported away.” He shrugs again. “If you’d like to talk to him, I can arrange it.”
Kat Porter wrote:"Anyone in town go missing or start acting strangely since your equipment was stolen?" Kat will ask for particulars, and known associates of anyone mentioned.
Susan Lee wrote:"Has anyone suddenly disappeared from town, even on a vacation or other trip? And has anyone suddenly come into money, whether explained or unexplained?"
Cullen ponders for a minute or two but ultimately shakes his head. “No. Nothing unusual has been reported to us since then. We’ve had the usual rowdiness, petty crime, and a resident crazy woman accusing her neighbor of acting overly amorous towards her prized goats, but that’s really been about it.”

“As for folks leaving, Griswold who runs the main garage in town left day before yesterday on his monthly run to MercTown after parts and supplies… but that’s all I know of personally.”
Kat Porter wrote:"What do you know about your neighbors in Cadiz? Further probing of an mostly roundabout manner will also happen about Cadiz. "How are relations between the two towns? Is there much trade? Anything odd about the town? Does the town consider their neighbors in Cadiz suspects in the theft?"
At the mention of Cadiz, his eyebrows furrow slightly. “We’ve heard reports of a couple of townspeople from there going missing recently. Cadiz is a small place with good people, but apart from a few merchants who trade with us they keep to themselves for the most part. If the legendary Fixer Jones has asked someone to check things out there, it’s clearly worse than we’ve heard.” He taps his fingers on the table. “Hmmm… I wonder…”
Kat Porter wrote:"Anything else interesting to note about your town? Other than the rumors of treasure, of course."
“There have been reports of increased vehicle activity on the road leading to the mine to the southeast. Normally we don’t pay them much attention as treasure seekers aren’t exactly rare and just about all of them tire quickly before heading back to where they came from… but if there are as many people gone in Cadiz as you’re implying, there might be a connection. You’re probably going to want to check out the mine next, but I’d wait until the rest of your group arrives before you do. It’s a large mine to begin with, what with all the seekers coming in and expanding the tunnels trying to find this ‘lost treasure’ at the heart of all those legends. The mine is treacherous enough without adding the desperate and unscrupulous that show up there as a result.”
Cordelia wrote:"And if you could include a timeline of recent events, we would be very appreciative"
Cullen nods and begins to lay out the timeline regarding the theft. After Varrick discovered the Miner missing, the city guards investigated it for nearly a week (as quietly as possible) before reaching the conclusion the case was more than they could solve on their own. Even investigating the mine and questioning the treasure seekers on site turned up nothing. 48 hours later a courier was sent to MercTown in order to arrange the contract with Merc Ops. Based on the timeline, the contract had laid stagnant for at least a couple weeks before the G.I.R.L.S. accepted it.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia, having video taped the interview, stopped momentarily to pull out a pencil and paper and made some notes. A Magic Miner sounds like something from a novel she read as a kid and to far fetched from reality. But she it doesn't surprise her that someone built one. She gets a little giddy at the idea and can not wait to see it.
Notes made she looks over to Kat with with the video camera again and nods.
If what he says is true, we are about done here in town.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Dawson Springs

Captain Cullen provides more details on the timeline of events regarding the disappearance of the Magic Miner. He also produces an image of the vehicle:
Magic Miner 02.png
Between his details and the information the G.I.R.L.S. have obtained from other sources (Fixer, Becky, Czervowski’s terminal, etc.) a rough composite timeline breaks down as follows:
  • Tuesday, December 24, 110 PA: Bella Venezia arrives in Cadiz needing a tire/wheel repair
  • Friday, January 03, 111 PA: Thomas Czervowski gets parts in for Bella's repairs
  • Thursday, January 09, 111 PA: Bella Venezia leaves Cadiz; Magic Miner discovered missing from secure garage shortly after 0600, prompting quiet internal investigation. Beshear Point Mine is the first place they investigate, but there is no tangible sign of the vehicle at the site.
  • Wednesday, January 15, 111 PA: Dawson Springs suspends internal investigation regarding theft of Magic Miner and decides to contract out
  • Thursday, January 16, 111 PA: Bernard & Bianca Reitherman leave Cadiz "on a lead"
  • Friday, January 17, 111 PA: Courier from Dawson Springs leaves for MercTown to arrange contract with Merc Ops
  • Monday, January 20, 111 PA: Last time Fixer heard from Sulley, and the Reithermans are the only ones missing from Cadiz; Merc Ops opens contract for Merc Ops
  • Tuesday, January 21, 111 PA: Cullen learns of the Reithermans being gone from Cadiz from mechanic Thomas Czervowski, who came to Dawson Springs searching for some motorcycle parts and who headed out back to Cadiz that same day
  • Wednesday, January 29, 111 PA: Master Roshi succumbs to "the call" and is the last resident to leave Cadiz
  • Tuesday, February 04, 111 PA: Griswold, the owner of Dawson Springs' main garage, leaves for MercTown on monthly supply run. He should be back sometime Friday.
  • Wednesday, February 05, 111 PA: GIRLS accept the Dawson Springs contract as well as Fixer Jones' request to check on Cadiz residents
  • Thursday, February 06, 111 PA (TODAY): GIRLS reach Cadiz; reach Dawson Springs and Beshear Point Mine later in the day
((OOC: I’m assuming that along the way one of y’all will twig onto the idea of compiling notes into something like this. You’re welcome.))

Cullen pulls out his radio and calls for Constable Varrick to join them. The dwarf’s sour expression hasn’t improved any -- if anything it’s worsened -- but he seems to be fairly forthcoming with details.
  • The locks to the garage did not appear to have been forced or tampered with.
  • The garage has some additional security measures (cameras, motion sensors, etc.) focused on/directed at the approach to the garage doors. The camera feeds recorded nothing unusual in the hours between the previous patrol after the last shift change and when Varrick came by to do his rounds that morning.
  • The Magic Miner was kept in a bay with a chain link gate. The padlock appeared to have been either crudely cut off or possibly pulled apart.
  • There were no tracks leading out from the bay, but there were some odd X-shaped skid marks where the Magic Miner was sitting.
  • Beshear Point Mine was the first place they investigated. The only treasure seekers at the mine were a group of dwarves with the standard statement of “looking for the rumored treasure but haven’t found anything yet.” The only tracked vehicle tracks at the mine entrance matched up to one of their vehicles, a converted Northern Gun Cargonaut.
  • All local garages, warehouses, and any locations big enough to house the Magic Miner were investigated as quietly as possible after its disappearance -- even Griswold’s, who had the contract to work on the city’s vehicles and who was one of the few outside of the city’s government cleared to access the secure garage. No traces of the Miner were found inside the city.
Susan Lee wrote:"Standard earth warlock mining equipment, understood. Phallic. Did you happen to put a tracking device inside this extremely expensive vehicle of yours? Did it come standard-equipped with anything like that?"
Cullen shakes his head. "I suppose that seems rather a no-brainer in hindsight, but my predecessor figured if someone did manage to learn the vehicle's location, breach the security, get the vehicle running, and successfully drive it out of the garage it could easily be tracked." He sighs. "Captain Meredith was a good soldier and her heart was in the right place, but she was prone to placing too much confidence in her abilities."
Susan Lee wrote:When he mentions Griswold having left, she stares at him for a moment. "So a giant machine disappears and the person who handles repairing the largest machines leaves the next day. Did you check him out before he left or send someone to take a peek into his shop?"
Cullen raises an eyebrow. "One, Master Griswold only left day before yesterday and the Miner went missing almost a month ago. Two, he was thoroughly vetted before he was awarded the contract to service the city's vehicles. Three, yes of course we questioned him along with his staff and investigated his business."
Susan Lee wrote:"Did you check for Bigby's Sulphrous Transmigration?!?" she interjects suddenly, and rudely.
Cullen's patience is clearly starting to wear thin with Susan at this point. "I am not a mage, Doctor Lee..." he says with discernible effort at remaining calm and professional. "I am a soldier who knows the ways of the sword, the gun, and the robot. I am a man tasked with the security and well-being of Dawson Springs' citizens and I am a man trying his sincere best to extend every reasonable ounce of professional courtesy he can to the group that has agreed to investigate this theft and hopefully succeed where our regular resources have failed to turn up any leads. If your group happens to have a mage on its roster, then I would be more than happy to escort him or her down into the secure garage so that he or she may check for this 'transmigration' you mentioned."

He looks at the group. “Now, do you have any further questions for us?”



Beshear Point Mine

Jez lines out a plan of action, which results in affirmations from Fiona and Analoy while Corrigan only shrugs. “I’ll try if you need me, but it’s not like all us dwarves are in the same dwarf-only club.”
Analoy wrote:When Jez starts to head down, Analoy turns to Becky, Fiona and Corrigan. She was going to just nod to the women, but she notices just how uncomfortable Fiona looks. Giving Becky a smile, she says, "I'm going down there. You stick with Fiona. She'll keep you safe." Analoy turns to Fiona, "We'll give the comms a double click when its safe to come down. Even still, try to stay out of sight as much as possible. Corrigan, if this doesn't go as planned, charge down like you own the place. Your size should confuse them long enough to get things done." Provided they really are all dwarves and it doesn't turn out that dwarves just happened to be the ones that came to the town. But given the guard... She lets her speculation trail off as she turns and starts to slink down toward the mine entrance shadowing Jez.


“Ahhh-firmative,” Becky gives a salute and moves closer to Fiona. “Don’t worry, Miss Fiona, Newt and I will help. Just tell us what to do. I can hit things pretty hard when I want to, but usually I just hit them hard enough to knock them away…” a sheepish expression crosses her face. “I’m real sorry about hitting Miss Jez at the window. She scared me is all. I’m glad I didn’t hurt her.” She looks up at Fiona’s arms and chest. “Your tattoos don’t look like Miss Analoy’s. Do they tell a story? Do they give you powers? Master Roshi says some people have magic tattoos that gives them powers. He calls them ‘Atty-tea-lans’ or something like that.”

((OOC: If Fiona passes her perception check this round, she notices that one of the vehicles parked by the entrance is a TW Zone Ranger that more or less matches the one Czervowski raved about in his terminal logs.))

Meanwhile, Jez puts her extraterrestrial Special Ops skills to the test and makes her way swiftly and quietly to the impromptu watchtower without any signs that her presence has been detected -- her confidence boosted by hearing the not-so-soft sounds of snoring coming from the watchtower itself. Her approach is soundless as she comes up behind the guard, but suddenly his snoring changes into a shudder as he suddenly wakes back up and springs to his feet. It’s a wasted gesture though as with seemingly little more than a flick of Jez’s wrists the garrote is around his neck. Well, around his neck and his beard… but it’s still in a place where it can do exactly what she threatens to do.
The guard nods slowly and whispers somewhat nervously. “P-p-please don’t. I’ll tell you everything I know. I don’t want to die. The boss doesn’t pay me enough to risk my neck like this…” he tries to force out a nervous laugh, but it dies as a gurgle in his throat.

Analoy follows along behind Jez and similarly avoids obvious detection as she approaches the watchtower. She’s got a decent view of Jez coming up behind the guard when he suddenly jumps to his feet and looks around. He seems to make eye contact with her for only a moment before Jez gets his full undivided attention.

From her vantage point, Fiona can see the events unfold at the watchtower as well. At her side she can hear Becky giggle softly. “See Newt? They know what they’re doing. I told you.”
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia is taking notes. Writing it all down. She made a few sketches of the Captain and his surroundings. She sketched a map of the area. She was so busy writing it down she almost didn't look at it. She paused looked at it sideways and started chewing on her pencil eraser. She look over to Kat. Nods a little but says nothing. Time to move.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

At the end of the post, the time will be…
The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
11:00am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
Roughly 1 hour has passed since the group split up; time for checking in
44 degrees F (projected high of 46)

On Today's Episode of 'CSI: Dawson Springs...'
Kat Porter wrote:"This Meredith was your predecessor, I assume?" Kat jots the name down with a question mark next to it.
Susan Lee wrote:Then a huge grin splits her face. "Thank you for your candor!" she says. "Perhaps I missed something, but I don't think you told us about Captain Meredith before or what happened to her?"
Cullen nods. “Captain Ruth Meredith. I’m told she was a Juicer from up Ishpeming way. Claimed to be one of those new ‘Mega-Juicers’ like what they just recently started making out in Kingsdale. Personally I had my doubts when I first signed on, but she was a lot stronger and tougher than any other Juicer I’ve ever encountered. I’ve seen her take laser blasts that would have blown a hole straight through my armor, and it only made her mad. Unfortunately about a year after I got here she started going through what I guess they call ‘last call’ -- only it wasn’t like anything like I’d seen or heard about. First sign was her eyes started glowing really bright. So bright you could see them through her sunglasses. Then the rest of her started to glow and would start to burn anyone who so much as shook her hand. Wasn’t long after that she started to turn the ground she walked on into lava. Finally met her end when we were taking out a gang of raiders camped out on the local roads. She was slugging it out toe-to-toe with a couple of Larmacs in the thick of their camp when suddenly she just… blew up.” He makes an explosion gesture with his hands. “She literally exploded like a detonated fusion block clamped to a fuel tank. Reduced those Larmacs to cinders and melted the armor off the APC they were fighting next to.” He shook his head. “The raiders just threw down their guns and surrendered; I guess they were afraid we’d send more suicide bombers after them.”
Kat Porter wrote:"I'd like to examine the scene of the crime, if you'd be so kind."
“I figured you might,” Cullen says as he stands up. “I’ll need to make some calls to get it set up, please excuse me a moment.” He and Varrick step outside giving Kat, Susan and Cordelia an opportunity to briefly confab amongst themselves for a few minutes before the sound of a hovercraft can be heard outside the door and Cullen comes back inside. “Ladies, if you’ll come with me I’ll take you to the ‘scene of the crime’ as you called it.” Outside is an NG knock-off of a CS Command Car (re-painted to look like a classic police car) with a constable manning the tail gunner station. Cullen takes the pilot’s seat and gestures for the G.I.R.L.S. to climb in as well.

Image

A few minutes later the group finds itself gliding into the secured garage where the Magic Miner was kept. Its bay has crime scene tape across the front and it doesn’t appear to have been disturbed since the theft was discovered. Those who pass their perception checks will notice that what’s left of the padlock is still remaining, hanging on the gate like a mangled decoration and from close inspection it looks like it was physically torn in two. The skid marks are still there as well, with the scratches in the concrete floor being deeper at the outside edges and getting shallower as they go inward. They stop altogether about two feet from each other.

As they inspect the crime scene, it becomes time for the check-in with the other team so Kat whistles up her extraterrestrial business partner to share what her group has found.


Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justic -- er, ah, Beshear Point Mine…
Fiona wrote:"My tattoos? oh some of them tell a story, like this one." Fiona says while pointing at a angel wreathed in flames with a silhouette of a big block engine behind it. "This is the Angel of Combustion, she's the patron of automobiles, she wants me to build the greatest vehicle ever. While this one..." Fiona says while pointing to a bronzed skinned hunchback, with a massive hammer before a blackened anvil. "Is the Forge Father, he is the god of creations, he guides those that create things. I have a few more that have meaning, but... they're a little harder to show you while wearing this outfit." Fiona says.
Becky perks up at the mention of the Forge Father. “Oh I’ve seen him before -- Mister Tom has him on his arm,” she says as she points to her bicep. “He likes to take off his shirt to work when it gets hot in his garage. He’s got as many tattoos as you and Miss An’loy.”

Becky giggles at the mention of Fiona having to take off her outfit to show more tats. “I wouldn’t, you’ll get cold like Miss An’loy. She says she doesn’t get cold, but I bet she does and just says that so she’ll sound tough.”

Speaking of Analoy…
Analoy wrote:"Does he know where everyone is? Are they down in the mine?" If no one else can be seen, Analoy will say, "Still looks clear out here. I'll go find some rope or a place we can lock him up."
After a few minutes of rifling around in some of the vehicles (or at least in the various tool boxes/saddlebags/etc attached to their exteriors) while Jez questions their prisoner, Analoy finds a length of sturdy-looking rope.
Jezebel wrote:Jez keeps her voice low, intimidating, and intimate. She responds to Analoy, but is clearly also speaking to the guard. "We're about to find out, partner. This here guard wisely lives by the principle of self-interest. Nothing is of value if you're dead. Right, friend?" She eases back on the garrote just enough to allow the guard ample room to breathe and speak. And then we reveal the might of Vinayaka's influence on the mortal realm. "If you deal straight with me, the worst that will happen is we might have to knock you out with a drug. If you don't deal straight, I remove your head from your body and bury each separately after the wildlife have picked your bones clean." Jez smiles. "We only want information from you. Not your life. So...some questions. First off: are you required to check in periodically, and if so, how long do we have until your next check-in? Second: We're looking for the townsfolk from Cadiz. Tell me everything you know about where they are and what happened to cause them to leave Cadiz. Third: who's in the mine, what are they after, and how would they respond to us entering the mine plain as day?"
“Y-y-yeah, sure, whatever you say…” the dwarf nervously whispers. “Look, I ain’t no murderer. I ain’t no slaver. I’m just a guy with five kids to feed back home and needed the money. Alright?” He takes a gulp and a breath now that his throat’s not as closed off. “Yeah, I gotta check in every half hour. Just checked in a few minutes ago. There’s a bunch of folks out here helping us in the mine. I dunno if they’re from Cadiz or not. They all just started showing up, like they got some big invite or something. The boss said she’d put out a call for help finding the treasure. I didn’t ask how. All I know is I ain’t no miner, and they were.” He takes another long breath with his eyes closed, almost as if he’s trying to hold back tears. “Please… that’s all I know. I don’t get paid to ask questions. The boss says ‘shoot that,’ I shoot that. The boss says ‘go stand guard,’ I go stand guard. The boss say something and I ask why, she puts her boot up against my head and says ‘I don’t pay you to think, Monroe.’”

Right about that time, Jez hears Kat’s voice on her comlink (as do Fiona and Analoy):
Kat Porter wrote:"Howdy, partner. We got some information, and more importantly- we've got a timeline of events. How's things on your end?"

What are you doing?
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

MINI-UPDATE
(Mainly for Fiona and Haley)


Results of Fiona's EP-aced Perception roll:
  • Everything mentioned in this post (mainly posted again here for reference)
  • The mine entrance is in a natural basin, with only one real way in or out for vehicles. This makes it rather easy to defend from a ground attack, though aircraft and/or flying power armor could strafe the entrance fairly easily... and judging by the bullet holes, carbon scoring and blast marks around the entrance it's not hard to imagine that may very well have happened at least once or twice.
  • There are a number of watchtowers/defensive points along the crest of the basin with rather rickety-looking stairs/scaffolds leading up from the ground below. It would appear that larger, more ambitious attempts to work this mine made dedicated attempts to defend the place in the past. Fiona can't see any evidence that any of them are currently in use (or even anytime in the recent past, either).
  • Assuming 2-4 people per vehicle, there are more than enough vehicles parked outside the entrance to accommodate all of Cadiz.
  • The TW Zone Ranger exactly matches Bella Venezia's that Tom Czervowski mentions in his repair log. His log was meticulous to begin with, and the entry for this vehicle even more so due to his level of infatuation with it.
  • Judging by the vehicle tracks, it looks like most of the vehicles were driven here, parked, and haven't been moved in a while. One of the exceptions is a military style truck with some sort of fabric top over the bed -- it's clearly been in and out quite a bit. And it's rocking slightly, with something bumping against the bottom of the fabric along one side.

You've Seen Better Days

Haley wakes up to a pounding headache... and things get worse from there. She finds herself bound, gagged, and propped up against her Prowler in what looks to be the back of the truck she encountered... how long ago? From the small holes in the truck bed's fabric roof, it's clearly daytime... but how long has she been out? Hours? Days? No way to tell. Long enough to be dried out from the rain -- not to mention sore and stiff from being restrained, that's for sure.

-----------------

It had been a day that seemed all the things that could possibly go wrong were holding a giant "hold my beer" contest. She had just cleared Dawson Springs on her way to MercTown -- and the opportunities it holds for those who choose the way of the sword, the gun, and the robot -- when her Prowler ran out of gas. Not only had her Prowler run out of gas, it had started to rain. Hard, cold, February rain. Hard, cold, February rain through which she had to walk to the nearest pocket of what could even loosely be called 'civilization' (a two-bit hamlet called Cadiz, according to her map) in the hopes of finding a tank's worth of something combustible enough to get the bike going again. Perhaps it was the hour of slogging that was already behind her with the knowledge of several more ahead of her that suppressed her normal lack of trust and prompted her to flag down the truck that happened along. The driver seemed friendly enough at first, but that didn't last long as she was quickly surrounded by several armed short humanoids (some sort of D-bees, most likely) with rather suspicious questions.

"Who are you?"
"Where are you from?"
"Who are you with?"
"Where are you heading?"

Whatever answers Haley could think of, they clearly aren't the ones that put the short bandits at ease.

"What do you think, boss? Didn't you say the call would get everybody from there? She don't act like the others."
"She's not local. Could be a lost traveler. Could be worth ransom. Could be heading to the mine too."

Haley hears a female voice coming from the cab of the truck.

"Whatever else she may be, she's unfortunately a witness now -- and we can't afford witnesses. Bag her and load her up; we'll figure out what to do with her later."

The last thing Haley remembers from that encounter is a sharp blow to the back of her head before everything goes black.

-----------------

As Haley starts struggling with her bonds, trying to extract herself from her precarious predicament, she starts banging herself against the side of the truck. Not loudly, fortunately, but enough to feel it.


Everybody welcome Haley Marie to the game! Haley -- what are you doing?
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

Perception: / 46%
JiC d20/d100: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

(ID Strengths & Weaknesses Roll on bandits when first encountered: Perception: / 71%
Intelligence: / 70%)


This says something pretty damn sad about my life that this isn’t the worst situation I’ve found myself in.

Of course, bound, gagged, no idea of where she is, no allies, no expectations of rescue…it’s not that great, either. Squirming about, she squints through the sun-pierced dimness of the truck bed’s interior. She’s mentally berating herself for not only being so stupid as to trust an unknown encounter but for actually letting a bunch of sawed-off Deebs get the drop on her—

And seeing that they’ve left her tied up alongside all of her gear doesn’t help her mood any. She had been bushwhacked by a bunch of amateurs, and has the aching head to prove it.

All right. If my luck were about to change, there might not actually be anyone on guard duty out there, she muses, trying to spot one of her knives – the one in her boot was missing, and her entire harness had been removed while she was out.

Moving slowly to avoid making much noise – genuine stealth is impossible under her current circumstances – she attempts to maneuver to where she can rock up onto her feet. Once upright, it’s a matter of locating a knife, somehow getting it out of its sheath, and cutting her bonds. If it’s the vibroblade, she’ll have the added thrill of avoiding taking a hand off in the process. What fun!

The twitch of fabric at the rear of the truck doesn’t go unnoticed, however, and Haley freezes in place. She’s a shadow in the dim interior, only her eyes showing much brightness as she takes in what she can see of who’s peering in. So much for the hope of no guard; is this Bosslady, come to take care of inconvenient witnesses?
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia takes pictures of the area and the marks and the lock and... She stops and looks at the whole scene and tries to analyze what she is seeing. this doesnt make sense. She continues to search around and look for the finer details.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

The Weatherman wrote:Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
11:05am (sunrise was at 5:34am, sunset estimated at 5:22pm)
Roughly 1 hour and 5 minutes has passed since the group split up
44 degrees F (projected high of 46)
At the Scene of the Crime…
Susan Lee wrote:Susan nods sympathetically while Robelfur Sherrifson is telling his story about his predecessor. "Sad. And fascinating. She sounds very powerful...and also nice. I'm sorry for your loss." Then, to herself, "I wonder if a dampening forcefield would reduce the chance of damage to bystanders? Perhaps triggering burster-like abilities?!?"
Cullen nods. “Thank you. Like I said, even with all her faults she was a good person at heart. We were all sad to see her go.”

As Susan starts to ponder the use of a force field to protect bystanders, he shrugs. “It’s possible, sure. I’ve never heard of one shielding damage from within though.”
Susan Lee wrote: "It... kind of looks like someone was picking it up while it was shrinking/losing mass," she says, including pronouncing the slash. "I'm still guessing a super-strength being with assisting magic. Unless there's an implosion spell and we're looking for a very small orb of metal and crystal."
Kat Porter wrote:"Copy that. Need backup? Should we try to make our way up there?"

"Also, uploading you a picture, partner. If you see this, it's half our payday. Try not to blow it up." Kat transmits the picture of the magic miner via a compressed data packet.

"Let's assume for the moment it was a theft and not a powerful spell-slinger using powerful magics for petty vandalism. Seems a more straightforward answer, Doc."More brainpower girl, less brain on drugs.

Kat get more precise measurements using her Naruni suit's sensors, and does some on the fly mental geometry to see if Susan's theory about a shrinking tank matches up with the markings.
Cullen looks up at Kat as she radios Jez. “I can give you a lift out to the mine if you need to rejoin the rest of your company. There’s not really much more I can show or tell you at this point unless you can think of something specific.”

After a brief consultation with Cullen (and the data files on a nearby computer) Kat is able to get what information the city has on the miner ((OOC: stats begin on p.25 of The Black Vault -- the city knows the physical stats and that it’s magical in nature, but don’t know the full extent of the vehicle’s capabilities and certainly don’t know where it came from. Another reason its existence is supposed to be a secret.)). Her calculations corroborate Susan’s hypothesis; the end of the skid marks would be where the miner’s treads would be if it was roughly 10% of its original size. The fact that the skid marks get shallower as they go inward would indicate that the weight/mass was reducing along with its size. Following that line of thought, the miner at 10% size would still weigh almost a ton… meaning something would have to be really strong to pick it up without leaving any more tracks/skid marks.

Meanwhile, Cordelia in the midst of her photo-documenting the area to inspect the lock. Her keen eye notices furrows in the lock casing that look like they were made by fingers. Huge fingers, yes, misshapen fingers, yes, but fingers none the less. If someone (or something) had the physical strength to pick up the miniaturized miner, then it’s plausible he/she/it had the strength to rip off the lock.



Meanwhile, at the Scene of the Crime… the OTHER One…

Analoy reaches the ridge just as Fiona checks in on the radio mentioning the movement in the back of the Cargonaut. Becky gasps and her eyes light up as Analoy activates one of her tattoos. “COOL! You’re one of those Atty-tea-lans Master Roshi talks about! He’s told me stories but I never thought I’d see one for realsies! You ladies are the BEST EVER!!!!” When told to hide in the truck, however, she’s obviously deflated. “Ohhhhkay…” she grumbles as she steps back towards the truck. She pauses, looks at the truck, looks around, and then proceeds to hunker down in the front floorboard. Just as Fiona thinks that it’d be odd she would willingly go back into the truck where she’d be alone with Corrigan, she makes the sudden realization that Corrigan is nowhere to be found. She’s gone, her gear is gone, it’s almost like she evaporated into thin air.

Choosing to press onward to their objective, however, the two ladies make their way down to the Cargonaut that showed signs of movement in more ways than one (one more stealthily than the other thanks to her magical enhancement). Fiona lifts up the flap and sees several assorted crates and bags along with a worn-but-in-very-good-condition NG-230 Prowler hovercycle. And… something… behind it.

Thanks to Analoy’s darkness powers she’s able to clearly see what that “something” behind the hovercycle truly is. It’s a human female of average height and weight, trying her best to stand perfectly still despite the fact she’s bound and gagged.

Speaking of said human female, Haley freezes and tries to do her best impression of a BDSM totem pole when the flap opens up. What greets her however isn’t one of the “sawed-off deebs” but rather a short blonde human female with lots of tats dressed like a grease monkey. Not the type of vibe you’d expect from someone called “boss.” Behind her, well, it’s rather hard to tell. If not for the bright sun filtering in through the holes in the fabric, it’d almost look like it was dark-thirty outside the truck.

Meanwhile, the fun game of “Squeeze the Dwarf” continues with Jez as the star of the show. Her efforts of frisking and disarming Monroe produce a surprising haul. There’s a Wilk’s laser rifle propped up behind him, but he’s packing two pistols (one Naruni and one NG) and one vibro-knife.
Jezebel wrote:"Well, Monroe, I do pay you to think. I'm a mercenary now, after all, and so it's the creed we live by. Your boss lady sounds like a real bitch. What the boss lady's name? What kind of woman is she? What does she do? Of what is she capable? I'm already going to pay you with your life for being wise enough to accept defeat and for being straight with me. But I'm going to go a step further and actually pay you more if you can layer on some useful details. For the record, we're here to rescue those miners, so on top of being paid, you'll be doing some good to offset your cowardice at turning a blind eye to this evil bitch's deeds." She pulls her black card from out of a pocket on her harness and waves it before the dwarf's face (Non-Secure Black Card: 5,100 credits). "Pretty good pay day and more than enough compensation for some useful intel, dontcha think? Should be able to do some real good for the kids with this, right?" She replaces the card. "Sound like a deal? Yes? Okay, then rack your brain and spill your guts."
Monroe lets loose a low whistle when Jez flashes the card and stares at it for several long seconds. “Well, little Daisy does need to see the dentist…” He swallows hard -- twice -- and looks back up at Jez. “Alright lady, you got a deal. And call me Miles; I hate it when the boss calls me ‘Monroe.’ She always makes it sound like it rhymes with ‘shithead.’”

“The boss lady calls herself Bella. But to us it’s always ‘Miss Venezia,’ ‘boss,’ or ‘ma’am’ if you don’t want a boot to your head. She’s a mage. And a scholar. She’s okay if you stay on her good side, but it’s not hard to wind up on the other one, y’know? She can cast some pretty strong spells so we do what she tells us. She got wind of the legends of the mine’s treasure. Figured we could actually find it. So we came out here looking for it, but we didn’t find nothin’. The boss wouldn’t give up. She figured all we needed was more workers, more equipment. She said she knew where there was some special equipment to help with the diggin’ and said she knew a way to get a lot of cheap labor. Said her boss knew this ritual that could persuade a lot of people at once. I swear I didn’t know what the hell she was talkin’ about until I saw her pull it off. Everyone from that podunk village showed up and came right on in, actin’ like they were sleepwalking or something. Far as I know they ain’t bein’ hurt -- we feed ‘em, we let ‘em rest, we don’t try to work ‘em to death, the whole nine yards. Hell, the boss says they won’t even remember workin’ out here when it’s all over and she sends ‘em back home.”
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

Perception: [dice=total]0[/dice] / 46%
JiC d20/d100: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

(ID Strengths & Weaknesses Roll on Fiona and Analoy: Perception: [dice=total]3[/dice] / 71%
Intelligence: [dice=total]4[/dice] / 70%


While her first impression of the woman who appears at the opening of the cargo area doesn’t provoke a feeling of imminent demise, that doesn’t mean that Haley is happy to see her.

Great. Looks like some half-dwarf by-blow operator is here to make off with my Prowler, she thinks with disgust, but her blood runs cold at the sight of what the woman has backing her up. Or rather, the lack of sight, a pool of unnatural blackness filling the view behind her and concealing whatever supernatural horror might lurk within.

She barely has time to register the words spoken outside before the truck lurches as the darkness flows inside, seeming to expand to fill the space as it draws closer. This...is going to be a very one-sided fight, in her current circumstances.

When the darkness just...folds away, revealing another fairly short woman, Haley has to wonder if she’s meeting Boss Lady herself, but that notion is dispelled almost immediately by both word and deed on the other woman’s part.

Haley, unsurprisingly, is torn. On the one hand, being freed in this situation is a vast improvement in being bound, helpless, and waiting execution. On the other hand, it’s manifestly apparent that her rescuer is some sort of spellcaster, and her skin crawls at the moments of contact as she’s broken free.

Rubbing her wrists to try and restore a little circulation, the SpecOps trained woman lets her gaze flick over the pair for a long moment before she says anything.

”…thanks,” she says finally, her voice soft, and deeper than one might expect based on her gender and build. ”Haley,” she introduces herself in turn. ”I’m not much one for running, and I’d be pretty stupid to turn over the ones who cut me loose to the ones who caught my stupid ass in the first place,” she admits.

They...might not be as welcoming if they knew who she was – or, rather, what she had been – but she has precisely zero pieces of Coalition gear remaining, and with the patches and tags removed from her BDUs, they look no different than anyone else’s.

”I’ve got my gear right here, actually,” she goes on, indicating the stack of black armour pieces and untidy pile of weapons and harness that screams ‘unprofessionalism’ in a manner that makes her own capture just that much more humiliating. ”If someone can keep an eye out for a couple minutes while I get kitted up, I’d owe you another one.” Knowing just how vulnerable she is compared to someone who can snap ropes with such casual ease, she wants in no uncertain terms to be back under arms and armour again.

She’s not certain, of course, but she’ll lay wager on this being either a mercenary team or a troupe of ‘adventurers’ – the major difference being the latter relying on loot as their reward, while the former has the smarts to get someone to pay them outright, on top of whatever salvage they might encounter.

One can hope for a modicum of professionalism, at least. ‘Jez’ sounds competent; ‘Fiona’ hangs back, likely a support role; ‘Analoy’ is both friendly and adventurous. There’s enough of a group structure for there to be an ‘us’ – she’ll have to see what else she can put together once she’s up and out of here.
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

(Rolls Held)

Haley nods; two minutes, she can do that. She’d better, or the ghost of Sergeant Michaels would show up to kick her ass.

First things first; she locates her battle harness and draws the cheap NG pistol she’s scrounged since—

Haley shakes her head. Time’s a wasting. Setting the pistol on the Prowler’s seat within easy reach, she begins rapidly donning her armour. Fortunately, the asshole she’d liberated it from had been a bit of a runty bastard, and the whole suit fits her well enough.

Locking the helmet into place, she watches the telltales run through their diagnostic sequence as she shrugs into her harness, snapping straps into place and ensuring ammunition pouches and grenades are still securely fastened.

Collecting the sniper rifle where it has manifestly toppled over to the floor during the drive, she gives it a quick scan for damage, pops the e-clip and reseats before checking the charge – and is ready to go. The Prowler, unfortunately, isn’t going anywhere until she finds some fuel.

Melees to don EBA: [dice]0[/dice]
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia hangs her camera by the strap and examines the lock. Fingers? She holds her own hands to the indention for comparison. The difference in size makes her shudder.
"Kat. Check this out."she says pointing to the lock. "This lock was torn open. Who ever did this must have been huge. And probably strong enough to pick up the miner."
She scans around looking at the rest of the room for any tell tale signs of a giant creature being here.
What am I looking for? A beanstalk?
"Has anyone handled the lock since the break in, or did anyone check for finger prints. If who ever did this was a magic user who used a spell to make themselves larger their finger prints may have been here just enlarged to the point that they did not look like finger prints."
Cordelia scowls and frowns. "Do you all keep finger print records out here?"
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

(Rolls Held)

Having donned her kit in an acceptable time, Haley expresses a need to speak with the group’s commander. If she’s going to be worked into their unit as an irregular, she’ll need to be vetted.

Being brought to assembly with the squad deployed about the mine entrance, Haley doesn’t have any difficulty determining just who the commander is; height aside, she is a dramatic and obviously military figure in her highly illegal alien body armour.

Haley takes a breath and checks herself; time to stop that line of thinking. Not illegal, outside the Coalition. Perhaps ill-advised to fund a potential alien invasion by patronising their weapons merchants, but not illegal.

”Haley Marie, sorry to intrude,” she introduces herself with a light tap of a thumb on the chest of her armour. ”I’ve got...a score to settle, with this crew you’re going up against. Requesting permission to be attached to your unit for this operation; I’m willing to follow your orders or those of your designated second for the duration, ma’am.”

She makes little effort to tone down her military background; from what she can gather from body language and speech cadence from this woman, it’ll be far more a mark in her favour than against.
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

(Rolls held)

Popping the helmet seals, Haley bares her face and disrupts the armour's unique sensor cloaking field; but not without a little reluctance, knowing full well what an excellent target she thus provides to a motivated sniper.

"Spoils of war," she replies, her voice and expression both tightly controlled against the emotions roiling beneath. "I'm the only survivor of my last unit, thanks to the asshole who had been wearing this."

She smiles then, the expression a trifle brittle.

"I made sure he didn't need it any more."
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia almost jumps.
"OH! OH! Susan, can you get a DNA sample. There may be small traces of skin or other matter on the lock. It may be a stretch, but it seems feasible."
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Townsend wrote:
  • Date: Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
    Time: 11:15 am
    Temp: 44 degrees F
    Weather: Clear skies with a light wind blowing from the south
    Ley Line info: Nearest known Ley Line about 85 miles to the west in MercTown
    Location: Dawson Springs/mine near Dawson Springs
Out of the Frying Pan Jez, Analoy, Haley, Fiona
Analoy and Fiona find and rescue Haley, giving her a moment to get her gear back on. The woman who removed her bindings is clearly competent in combat without magical aid. While she's not well versed in magical lore, she's seen enough combat reports speaking of people who have been imbued with mystical tattoos to realize that the woman who released her from captivity is most likely one of them. The other woman at the outside of the vehicle is likewise covered with tattoos, but you get the sense that these are not of the magical variety. She also doesn't carry herself in quite the same way that the first woman did, not that this woman is necessarily afraid of fighting, but rather the fact that she didn't train for combat for many years as you make an educated guess that the first woman, who introduced herself to you as Analoy, seemed to have. Then Jez meets up with them, fills Analoy in on the intel she had been able to gather, and is introduced to the captive that they had rescued and proceeds to offer her services so she can try and exact revenge for feeling like she was being made a fool out of.
If Jez gives Analoy the go ahead to scout the mine entrance
Analoy spends about 15 minutes moving down to the mine's entrance moving slowly and with care (speed 1/4 normal, can make the trip in half the time at a normal walking speed of 1/2 for a -10% penalty to prowl, or full combat speed for a -20% penalty to prowl). Upon rounding the final corner before you arrive at the entrance, your eyes confirm what you had been hearing half way down the road, and smelling for half the time you had been hearing it, a group of 3 dwarves are visible bustling about a campsite kitchen that is meant to support a group of people no larger than 80 people. By your calculations there are likely three times that many working the mines. Leaning against the rock wall more than are three energy rifles, more than 30' away from them, and a collection of vibro-knives are strewn about the kitchen, one of them even using it to chop up some sort of meat.

The road to the mine's entrance runs past it for another 100' or so before it ends and the signs of a makeshift can be gleaned. It's tough to see, but it seems like there is a cesspool over there as well.
On the road from El Dorado Kat, Susan, and Cordelia
Kat communicates with Jez at the mine, and then is offered a ride to the mine entrance from Capt. Cullen. As she briefly contemplates the offer, Cordelia tries to get her attention as well as asking the captain a question about forensics. "I'm sorry, but our town doesn't really keep records of that nature. It's not that we don't have access to the technology to store it, but as large of a transient population that we have would render it virtually useless and just wastes time in collecting that information. Our lead investigator can touch an object and get a sense of it's past and was unable to get a read on the lock." Captain Cullen explains. Susan Lee walks up to Cordelia as she listens to the captain, startling her when she realized just how close to her the scholar was. At Susan's comment about being disappointed at the lack of dead bodies to observe, Captain Cullen gives a disgusted look on his face and replies with "I for one am glad that we haven't had to deal with any dead bodies on this case as it is."

Everyone notices Kat at this point is seems to be having trouble staying on her feet as she begins to fall down but is caught by Captain Cullen in his arms as he shouts "Call a medic!" to one of his subordinates in the room, taking her helmet off if needed to check her eyes, breathing, and pulse.


What are you doing?
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

Perception: [dice=total]0[/dice] / 46%
JiC d20/d100: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

Haley stands quietly, silently, a fade-into-the-background stillness settling over her. She had revealed to this company’s commander her Force Recon training and background, but she can’t help but understand why she might choose someone else to run point. After all, she herself is only notably good at the best a mere Human can offer in the way of stealth; compared to dark sorceries that render one completely undetectable, it’s no real contest, is it?

Her back to the cave entrance, her gaze covers the possible approaches that unexpected visitors might take, including keeping a watch on the sky above. Flick, flick, flick, a ceaseless and patient routine of observation that just might keep them from getting killed, should things go poorly.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Cordelia is about to panic. OOHH Crap whats happening!
Deep breaths, keep it together.
"Cordelia, please radio this in. I suspect Kat was attacked magically or psionically, considering the timing of her sudden fit, but I haven't confirmed anything yet. Also, please profer any expertise on TERRIFYING MAGICAL CURSES this could be."
She looks at the radio, push to talk.
"Jezebel, Kat is down, possible psychic or magic attack, Susan is tending to her. Please advise, over"
She turns to Susan, "I have studied lore but never any actual application of magic, Even if I knew what was happening to her I dont know if I could stop it. We must be careful though if its magic, Kat may fall under the Mages control."

Cordelia feels helpless. Whatever happened to Kat, may happen to them and she shudders in fear. She clenches her eyes in concentration, "Did she touch anything? something may have been cursed."
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

(rolls carried)

As Jezebel reads out operations assignments, Haley can feel something loosen within her chest that she hadn’t even realized was clenched tight. Yes, this woman is some kind of deeb, potentially possessing some unknown, inhuman abilities…but she’s also military, and having clear lines of action laid out by a professional is almost like coming home again.

”Stealth, check,” she replies, fitting her own helmet back into place and locking down the seals, disappearing once more from everything but the naked eye.

Stay stealthy and observe -- Ma’am, you just described the one thing in this world I do well.

By the time Jez finishes reassuring a remote unit of her team that seems worried about their…cat?...and turns her attention back to those at hand, Haley can be seen heading into cover on her side of the mine. She's clearly still rattled from her capture, or no one would have seen her go until she was long gone
OOC Comments
Prowl to Vanish (AT) [dice]0[/dice]/85%
Moving more slowly than the Commander and keeping her eyes open for any signs of trouble, Haley covers her side of the mine entrance. If she spots any trouble, she’ll go to ground and report back what she observes.

(Contingent Rolls)
Prowl to Hide (AT) [dice]1[/dice]/95%
Intelligence [dice]2[/dice]/60%
Detect Ambush [dice]3[/dice]/55%
Last edited by Haley Marie on Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Quick GM Mini-Update: THE MAP!!!!

This is roughly what the surrounding area of the mine entrance looks like.

It can also be viewed here: Dawson Springs Mine
Attachments
Dawson Springs Mines.png
Dawson Springs Mines.png (323 KiB) Viewed 370941 times
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Townsend wrote:
  • Date: Wednesday, February 5th, 111 PA
    Time: 11:25 am
    Temp: 45 degrees F
    Weather: Clear skies with a few whisps of clouds blowing in from the south.
    Ley Line info: Nearest known ley line is 85 miles west in MercTown
    Location: Dawson Springs/mine near Dawson Springs
Damn it Jim, I’m a Doctor, not a Medic!

As Kat collapses, Susan rushes to her side, body checking Capt. Cullen out of the way and causing her glasses to fall off and slide next to him. Capt. Cullen says ”Geez, I take what I said about dead bodies back! I’m sorry!” He picks her glasses up and hands them back to her, saying ”You might be able to see better with these on.” Cordelia relays the information of what’s going on to Jez as she frets about, seeming to be at a loss of what else she can do to help.

In Susan’s examination of Kat, she finds what seem to be nanites from an IRMSS kit going haywire, causing Kat’s own body to put herself to sleep or a light coma. Reading the information off of the controller nanite, it seems that they were supposed to activate 24 hours ago, but because they had been modified and messed with the internal programming, causing their internal clocks to be off.

It’s All Swirling Down the Drain

Jez and Haley perform their sweep around the exterior of the mine on either side, staying aware of threats, but neither of them notice any, although Haley does notice something that is a little odd. All around her side of the mine entrance, at the very least, are the bodies of dead creatures, some human, possibly even from Cadiz, but most are supernatural creatures or other similarly hardy creatures. None of them possess any sort of wounds that would have been made by technological weapons, and the few wounds they do possess look like five small dots and a rough semi-circular arrangement, roughly 6 inches in diameter. Four are clustered together in an arc on the right side with the fifth all the way to the left. In addition to these wounds, about one fifth of them also possess some sort of other wounds that are hard to identify. They both are able to see the vehicle path that leads down to the mine entrance, which circles the entrance about four times before it hits the bottom, as well as a set of scaffolding that is set up for people to use to bypass the road.

Fiona follows the stealthy tattooed warrior down the vehicle path the winds its way down to the mine entrance, constantly kicking loose rocks and having a hard time finding solid footing that was away from the edge of the path, overlooking down to the entrance. At the bottom Analoy observes the three dwarves, and after nearly 30 seconds came to the conclusion that while at first it looked like they were cooking, they were not. The dwarves continued to act busy, every so often taking a nervous glance around, like they are expecting something to happen.

What are you doing?
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

Perception: [dice=total]0[/dice] / 46%
JiC d20/d100: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

While, strictly speaking, uneventful, Haley’s recon doesn’t set her at ease. The bodies she keeps encountering are troublesome enough, but the decidedly odd manner of their deaths has her hackles raised.

She has been trying to remember where she’s seen that naggingly familiar wound pattern before when it suddenly clicks – stretching out her hand, she hovers it overtop of the odd wound pattern. Fingertips.

Fairly small fingertips as well, which isn't comforting considering how dangerous some of the creatures had been in life. She starts wracking her brain for something that might match both the compact size and…energy draining capabilities, perhaps?
OOC Comments
Lore: Demons & Monsters [dice]3[/dice]/50%
Her comms click open – and then closed again, the callsign of a person she no longer is dying upon her lips. This group of mercenaries…don’t seem to have callsigns, which disturbs her on a level she wasn’t even aware of.

Comms open again. ”Haley here. Periodically encountering corpses of monsters, dead with only minor marks on them. Placement of some of the common wounds suggests the fingertips of a splayed hand, but the trauma should have been far insufficient to cause death.” She pauses.

”Caution is recommended.” The comment should have been wry and tongue-in-cheek, but with a fairly unknown group of mercenaries involved, she believes she might be best off erring on the side of caution and assuming such a warning might actually be warranted.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

Slowly Cordelia regains her composure. Her heart stops racing and her mental faculties return. Her cheeks, which were flush now slowly return to their normal color. A deep exhale.
"Jesus Christ Susan. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
As she slowly returns to normal and straightened her posture, she changed her appearance slightly. She made herself look just a little more austere.
"Well, at least you have it under control. As for what happened yesterday, we were still in Merctown. I wasn't with her all day. Your guess is as good as mine."
Townsend

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Townsend »

Mini-GM Update

Through Susan's efforts, Kat begins to regain consciousness. She still feels a little woozy as she comes to, with Susan right over her, and Capt. Cullen on the opposite side a little further off. Cordelia is behind Susan as her face goes from worried to more like that of a disapproving parent. When Kat tries to sit up, Capt. Cullen says "Hey, hey, take easy there. Listen to the doctor, they're better than medics, or so I've been told." The captain's voice at the end of his sentence sounds like he's talking about some inside joke that Kat is not privy to.
Cordelia

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Cordelia »

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]
JIC: [dice]2[/dice]

As Kat wakes, Cordelia feels a giant weight removed. Being so rookie here she would not know what to do without a little help. She takes a couple pictures and beams happiness. Her austere appearance is replaced with her normal sunshine complexion.
"Kat, I radioed Jezebel about you being unconscious, but she sounded busy. So I haven't radioed her back yet.
They may be into something at the mine so I will leave it to you if you wanna call her back."
She smiled a little hoping she was doing well.
Haley Marie

Re: First Op: Where Have All the Cadizians Gone?

Post by Haley Marie »

(rolls carried)

Finishing her side of the patrol and listening to the rest of the reports as they come in, Haley works her way back around to the mine entrance. It comes as somewhat of a relief to realize that Jezebel, at least, uses a call sign -- although she's not entirely certain she wants to know the meaning behind this particular one.

Rather than following the rest of the group into the mine shaft in a dangerously condensed cluster, she instead takes up a position where she can clearly see the entrance and proceeds to make like a piece of the landscape. Her rifle is carefully positioned so as to allow the surroundings to break up its profile, but its bearing is that of the gaping mouth of the tunnel.

Haley sets in to wait; patience is something she has had trained into her long ago, and she is willing to wait...and watch.

Prowl to Hide (AT) [dice]0[/dice]/95%
Detect Ambush [dice]1[/dice]/55%
Locked