Letter Bee

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Natasha Zhang

Seeing a chance to seize back the initiative, Natasha said, "The difference between the short route and the long route is that the former is three days, the latter is a full week if we have a Spacewarper - Which this ship is. And your powers can definitely reinforce the 'pseudo-stealth' system that this ship has, Miss Avelyn." A smile, "I like the way you think."

It seems that the 'Star Marines' are supremely intelligent as well as literally magical. But why kids? Are kids the only ones who can gain Kaisoken-type Magic? Something pricked at her, something at the back of her thoughts. She considered it a while longer, then cast it aside to look at Ashton and Flame, "Avelyn is right. If the Ascendancy crushes the rebels on Plenty, or even begins a new counteroffensive, while we're away, we'd be toast - This means we're choosing the shorter route."

Ashton and Flame

Ashton nodded at that and said, "Understood. We should also be concerned about Rebel lives - Plenty's population should not pay the price for resistance to abuse." A pause, "Very well, I change my vote."

Flame, meanwhile, looked at the scenes of consolation and cuteness happening close to him, before saying, "I am still skeptical, but Ashton is right - We can probably get through the enemy cordon just fine if, say, Grand Admiral Laguna or one of her subordinates are the ones leading the blockade detachment." He shuddered at that, "Note that being captured by her is a fate worse than death - I and Ashton used to serve under her, so he knows what we're talking about."

His boyfriend turned towards Flame, then said, "Indeed. I do not wish to elaborate." Then Ashton looked at Natasha and said, "Now, would you mind if I and Flame sleep now? For that matter, what are the room arrangements for this 'freighter'?"

Natasha Zhang

"Plenty of living quarters," the Captain said as she continued, "This ship is 75 meters long, and while most of that is cargo space and specialized systems, there is plenty of space for extra crew members. However, note that you're not just fighters - You're crewmembers now. That means my ship, my rules. You'll all help in cooking, maintenance, accounting, and computer stuff. The medic here," she gestured to Doctor Millard, "Will also need help with doctor stuff if any of you know how to magically heal."

Then she turned to Amy and said, "Amy, you might need to take care of the kids when old issues or traumas rear their ugly head - I trust you with that." Then to Moonstrike One's hologram, Natasha spoke, "Well, we've chosen the route. Is there anything more to discuss?"

"Nothing more," Moonstrike One said in her modulated voice, "Moonstrike One, out."

And the hologram blinked away.

@Letter Bee@Th3King0fChaos@The Man Emperor@Landaus Five-One@FalloutJack@Conscripts@dragonpiece@Starlance@supertinyking@samakama@jdh97@6slyboy6

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Ashton and Flame (Emergency Post)

Ashton said, "Sure, I'd love to have some lemon bars," before taking a few from Abbadon. Then Finbarr transformed into a kitten, more new members came out of the woodwork, and finally, there was the strange new beautiful woman with a maternal aura about her, an aura which reminded Ashton of his own mother. With a smile, he greeted Amy, saying, "Hello, my name is Ashton Andrews, and the redheaded boy with me is my boyfriend, Flame."

Flame walked over and offered his hand to shake, even as his eyes struggled to focus, his perception almost piercing the mental veil which Amy's abilities cast on him. But said perception latched onto a different target when he saw Nero reacting to someone without scorn, without sarcasm, and with something approximating respect. The young man smiled at that, then turned to his fellow 'Star Marine' to say something -

Only to find the subject suddenly changing. So the young man added, "Moonstrike One, are you still here? I would like a calculation as to whether other prisoners survived or not."

Moonstrike One, whose hologram had not blinked out yet, responded, "Not even we know for sure. However, we consider it unlikely that there would be other survivors of the crash - Realist was built within a Perfected Electrum chassis, after all. Either way, yes, we can mobilize our contacts in the rebellion on Plenty to spirit away Realist until your team can arrive - Fair warning that both Ascendancy Operatives and mercenaries have been dispatched to take him away, and they might exact reprisals on the rebels as a result. Then again, the rebels might also 'take care' of other possible surviving prisoners, thus resolving that specific problem..."

Ashton and Flame both nodded at that, and the former said, "Then I vote for the long route."

Flame continued, "Same - A direct confrontation with a military which can still blast us out of space is not within our skillset. Now if we had a fleet of our own..."

They can see Natasha sigh at that, even as the woman said, "Can't we just bet that the Xuanzang and its systems - Including heat sinks which trap heat and prevent it from being detected by sensors - Are stealthy-ish enough to evade the military cordon?"

@Letter Bee@Th3King0fChaos@The Man Emperor@Landaus Five-One@FalloutJack@Conscripts@dragonpiece@Starlance@supertinyking@samakama@jdh97@6slyboy6

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@Letter Bee

I know this is kind of stupid to ask, but I'm not entirely sure... would being specialized to this extent in Mind Magic protect Amy from other's Mind Magic, or do I need Exceptional Willpower for that?

If she does still need it, I might ask for those skills after all, just to keep the character's flavor together.

@6slyboy6

It protects, but only if you focus, if that makes any sense.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@6slyboy6, Approved, you can use the Child Soldier Template. If you want to opt out of Bonus Ex. Skills, you can do so, too.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@The Man Emperor, Approved. You're eligible for Bonus Skills.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@jdh97, Accepted. You are now eligible for Bonus Skills.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Ashton and Flame

Ashton and Flame introduced themselves as well, with Ashton saying he's a close combat specialist and Flame saying he was a marksman...

Natasha Zhang

A few eye-blinks as Natasha saw that the 'Star Marine' named Avelyn was a mind-reader. That ought to be useful, as well as a source of anxiety for her as, well, she valued her privacy. Either way, it seemed as though some members of the group were disappointed by how there wasn’t a fight today, so it was best to drop the bombshell. She cleared her throat further and spoke, “Either way, now that we’ve all gathered here, it is time to get in contact with Moonstrike One and ask her for our mission briefing. Any objections?”

A few seconds of waiting, and then Natasha pressed a button on the table’s edge, a button which turned on the holographic projector at the center of the meeting room table. As it lit up with soft blue-white light, the projector displayed a symbol of a moon and two crossed longswords shaped like an ‘X’ underneath.

"This is Moonstrike's symbol," Natasha said. "Kinda fancy, isn't it?"

A voice, clearly female, but modulated to be more artificial, then sounded from the holographic symbol - Natasha still found that eerie and suspected that 'Moonstrike One' had seen too many old-style (and thus censored) Space Opera films. Either way, it was time to suppress her skeptical sense of humor (as she saw it) so that she and her crew can finally receive their first mission.

"Ahem," 'Moonstrike One' said, "As I was saying, greetings to all of you, Star Marine and Freedom Fighter both. I am glad you have chosen to join us to fight for the freedom and liberty of all Humanity against the stifling hand of the Ascendancy and its tyranny. Now, as many of you are eager for your first mission, let me jump straight to it so that we can finally start your part in the struggle for freedom."

The display changed to a planet with two vast supercontinents, very few mountains, and vast green plains. "This is the world of Agri-World of Plenty, a planet once dedicated to producing foodstuffs for the Ascendancy of Man, but which has now rebelled due to the higher taxes imposed by the President-for-Life. We have been providing the rebels with salvaged weaponry from 'lost' Ascendancy arsenals from the recently-concluded War, including crude surface-to-orbit cannons, as well as more sophisticated prototype vehicles like the Kirin - The Xuanzang's ground vehicle. This has been having an effect in cutting off the flow of food to the Ascendancy military -"

Ashton and Flame

Ashton raised his hand and said, "Moonstrike One, forgive me for interrupting, but I notice you didn't mention the civilian impact - Is there any?"

Flame said, "If there is any, you don't have to sugarcoat it - We're soldiers, after all."

Moonstrike One continued, simply nonplussed, "There are many Agri-Worlds dedicated to civilian production. Food is being diverted from there to the Core while the Frontier Worlds are largely self-sufficient, including Natasha's own Qingdao."

Flame nodded and said coldly, "We'll take your word for it."

Ashton, meanwhile, looked at Nero, knowing full well the other boy would be exasperated at this interruption. So he said in turn, "We have no more questions, yes."

"Thank you," Moonstrike One continued. "Either way, there is a Prison Ship called the Circle of Hell which has been brought down over the planet of Plenty. In that Prison ship lies one of our members, a Renegade AI called Realist, and we must retrieve him from the Prison Ship's crash site - In Peanuthaven, one of the few hilly regions of the planet - Before the Ascendancy sends a team to retrieve him. And so, that is your first mission - The reward for retrieving Realist is another hundred million dollars in addition to your regular salaries of 20,000 galactic credits every week, and yes, we do know about your recent financial transactions."

Natasha Zhang

"We have free choice as to what route to take, then?" Natasha asked Moonstrike One. She then faced the 'Star Marines' and her fellow crewfolk, and said, "Because if so, I'd like to pick the shortest route to Plenty possible - The Garden Route."

The Garden Route led to the planet of Maiden's Reach, a planet whose flora and fauna was so beautiful that 'collectors' from all over Ascendancy Space would come over to pick flowering trees and shrubs and exotic pets. While Maiden's Reach didn't have Wyverns, it did have Psuedo-wolves, noble canine creatures that oozed an intoxicating perfume from their pores and whose teeth can tear through meta-material plastics and metals.

"Maybe we can 'poach' a few 'Big Dogs' on the way..." she muttered.

Ashton and Flame

Ashton noted, "What's the long route, then? And why is it so inconvenient?"

"Yes," Flame said, "We need to know all our options - And in my understanding, the short route is also the most dangerous one precisely because it's so short. I mean, poachers could be waiting for us near Maiden's Reach, right?"

Natasha Zhang

Natasha gave it some thought and said, "There's a longer route to Plenty, but I heard there are more ships - Traders and a few military folk, mostly - Passing through it for some reason. I don't know why, which in turn is a mystery."

She sighed and said, "So, which way do you all want to go? And would you like to ignore the 'safe route' as I do?"

@Letter Bee@Th3King0fChaos@The Man Emperor@Landaus Five-One@FalloutJack@Conscripts@dragonpiece@Starlance@supertinyking@samakama

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@jdh97, About to be accepted pending a talk on Discord.

Edit: And completion, of course.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Conner's Bonus Exceptional Skill List:

Profiteer (Exceptional Trade x2)- Conner makes excellent decisions, which keeps his Hadley In-Vector Corporation to keep making profits. If anything happens to be wrong, he corrects the inbalances to make as much profit as possible. As well, he definitely plays by the book in terms of keeping his MegaCorporation Profitable.

Presidential Connections (Exceptional Politics x2)- Conner talks directly with the President for Life, Emmanuel. As such, it makes Conner one of the chief supporters of Emmanuel's vision of what makes Humanity greater than all the alien filth in the galaxy.

@Landaus Five-One

Accepted.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@Landaus Five-One, Accepted.