DreadStormers [IC]

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Hua and Botha are both taken to a small compartment on the port side of floor 14. She is surprized to see that while five of the emptied brick chambers are open, one is closed and locked, and guards already posted. Did they already arrest somebody?

Botha is locked in one small compartment. Hua is locked in another, and she is told to sit tight until they are done investigating. She's assured that if she is innocent she will be fine. Botha knows they're probably also waiting for the suppressants they just watched her eat to kick in.

She has a bucket, in case she really needs to use the bathroom. The room is less than 10 by 10, and has the weird smell of hydrogen brick stabilization catalyst.

I begin wondering aloud who's in the other cell, in the hope that I'll be told simply to shut me up. [Acting to act like I'm just being curious?]

[224] 20-12-18 01:35:49 CET
Acting
3d6 <= 16 : 5 + 1 + 6 = 12 ... success

And then I sit down and try to relax a little. There's nothing I can do now.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by GnomesofZurich

Daymar will suggest to the guard to comment quietly to his companion that he doesn't see the person they are looking for. He is then going to try suggestion on the other one, accepting the penalty for multiple uses.... success

The two suddenly stop scanning person by person, and finish their scan of the room from where they are. Daymar sees them look directly at him, but the mind control keeps them scanning. They then talk to each other, and tell the officer something quietly. The officer scowls, and says something back, but they persist.

The officer orders the security guards to return. After all that fuss, and after shooting someone, they will have to move on emptyhanded.

Originally Posted by TGLS

I begin wondering aloud who's in the other cell, in the hope that I'll be told simply to shut me up. [Acting to act like I'm just being curious?]

And then I sit down and try to relax a little. There's nothing I can do now.

Hua is told "Sorry, but we can't tell you. Maybe after we've sorted all of this out."

She is left in the room for what feels like about an hour.

At the end of the hour, four security members and an officer come in, and they start grilling her with questions about her background. Deep questions, like where she grew up, what teams she followed, and so forth. They're trying to trip her up, and doing a much more through job than the cursory interview everyone had after the fire.

Please roll acting, and if you want to make complementary rolls for filling in details or other tactics, go right ahead.

Originally Posted by Hide

IC: That was awesome! Why did you pick that song (Nejora), by the way?

Nejora looks at her like she's dumb: "'Cause its a cool song."

(OOC: As in Zybo will hear about Pacifica soon? Or as in everybody is waiting for the chance he fails, to make an example of him?)

As in everyone likes to talk about him. There are two contradictory stories of how he got his scar. Some people whisper he might actual be Malu, and was assigned on this ship as a precondition for military support. There are four different stories about who his malu father was. When speculating about minor ship policy changes his name always come up. Some of this can't be true, but surely just a little of it is?

He's that kind of guy.

I guess this will eventually help me in gathering more passwords and critical information, besides building a (good) reputation.

1 + 6 + 1 = 8 ... success

She is fairly successful at spotting people who could use a little help with procedure and paperwork, and helps to smooth their work out. It becomes normal for her to be up and walking among the desks to visit specific people and help them out. She has five people she helps regular, mostly gunners, with a few more she helps occasionally in navigation.

None of them are NCO's, but she is hoping to walk past a gunner NCO station at the right moment very soon...

Stealth +4:
3 + 2 + 2 = 7 ... success

Pacifica makes it to that first meeting, and to the others as well. The status for the others are as follows:

Daymar has mind controlled enough people around him that the cooks in his mess aren't using the pills properly, and his mess mates don't notice that he doesn't eat the flour. He's been busy mind controlling random people on the ship to cause chaos and hopefully provide cover for the real Dreadstormers.

Hua is still working on getting rid of the suppressants from her system. She's replaced all of the pills in her mess hall with fakes, and his hoping to have her powers by the time they meet up again. She also previously burned up half of the flour stores. Once she has her powers, she plans to disable large portions of the armory. And hopefully steal daymar a weapon as well.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Hua is told "Sorry, but we can't tell you. Maybe after we've sorted all of this out."

She is left in the room for what feels like about an hour.

At the end of the hour, four security members and an officer come in, and they start grilling her with questions about her background. Deep questions, like where she grew up, what teams she followed, and so forth. They're trying to trip her up, and doing a much more through job than the cursory interview everyone had after the fire.

Please roll acting, and if you want to make complementary rolls for filling in details or other tactics, go right ahead.

Well let's throw in:
-> Political Geography 12, to pick a remote area of Zorbani space that would explain poor records
-> Cooking 13, to pepper in some particular dishes I ate back "in the homeland"
-> Antique Electronics Connoisseur 13, to fill in details about primitive technology I had to deal with
-> And Literature 12 to cover books I enjoyed reading.

[225] 20-12-19 01:39:57 CET
Political Geography
3d6 <= 12 : 6 + 4 + 3 = 13 ... failure
[226] 20-12-19 01:40:21 CET
Cooking
3d6 <= 13 : 2 + 4 + 1 = 7 ... success
[227] 20-12-19 01:40:54 CET
Electronics Connoisseur
3d6 <= 13 : 4 + 1 + 6 = 11 ... success
[228] 20-12-19 01:41:19 CET
Literature
3d6 <= 12 : 4 + 3 + 2 = 9 ... success

OK, so that's a net of +2, for total of 19 Acting.

[229] 20-12-19 01:42:55 CET
Acting
3d6 <= 16 : 4 + 4 + 1 = 9 ... success

OK, success by 10, hopefully enough.

[Hide]

Originally Posted by ericthered

She is fairly successful at spotting people who could use a little help with procedure and paperwork.

OOC: Who are these people? I would like Pacifica to make friends with them, for example inviting them to the table when it’s time for lunch. I would like these people to tell me more about their lives in the navy (including Nejora). I would like to pick some shibboleths, and some extra food for Pacifica.

Originally Posted by ericthered

He's that kind of guy.

IC: (Thinking) Which of the rumors about Zybo would be the most plausible? (OOC: Trying to put exposition sense into play).

Originally Posted by ericthered

Pacifica makes it to that first meeting, and to the others as well.

OOC: You meet Pacifica, a ginger-blonde and relatively short girl (5' 2"); she is very fair skinned, green eyed; If you get to close to her, you will find she has a pleasant smell (she has the “attractive” advantage and the “sanitized metabolism” perk). After rolling the watchwords, she introduces herself as if presenting an elevator pitch. She speaks in a quiet voice, making sure what she says is heard only by the people in the room:

IC:

• Nice to meet you, I'm (protocolary name you should provide among Dread Stormers), fully operational combat ESPER: I can fight blasters bare-handed; armor is virtually nothing against my melee attacks.
• I am a clerk in deck 9 (Navigation, Comms, and Sensors), this is my name *pointing at her uniform tag*, I rest in deck 18.
• Currently, I'm collecting passwords in my section and profiling the people so we can take over the ship more easily.
• I like gambling, literature and singing.
• I am pleased to work with you, FOR THE GLORY OF THE REPUBLIC.

OOC: After introducing herself, Pacifica extends her arm to hand-shake her teammates, whoever shakes hands with her will find Pacifica looking them in the eyes, with a steady hold. For those who don't shake hands, she will greet them by placing her hand in her chest.

Once she listens to her teammates, she suggests a plan.

IC: Maybe (eventually) you could have a couple of brainwashed guys fight amongst them, that should draw the attention of security officer(s). Then imagine you place a third person taking the officer(s) by surprise with a sleeper choke or something more appropriate, this way you could turn him, right? They could be the guys smuggling the guns, or luring other officers to our traps. What do you think?

On the other hand, if we destabilize the ship as in having “random” people wrecking chaos, what are the chance they abort the mission?

OOC: Pacifica bids farewell, thanking them for them for their brilliant contributions.

Before leaving, Pacifica feels like it would be nice asking her teammates how they (personally) feel about the mission; but she resists the idea.

Pacifica's Obsession (CR):
3d6 <= 15
4 + 2 + 1 = 7 ... success

[GnomesofZurich]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The two suddenly stop scanning person by person, and finish their scan of the room from where they are. Daymar sees them look directly at him, but the mind control keeps them scanning. They then talk to each other, and tell the officer something quietly. The officer scowls, and says something back, but they persist.

The officer orders the security guards to return. After all that fuss, and after shooting someone, they will have to move on emptyhanded.

Nudging Pothi, Day says, "Well, all that for nothing, huh? It's kind of scary to think there are Dreadstormers on the ship!"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Well let's throw in:
-> Political Geography 12, to pick a remote area of Zorbani space that would explain poor records
-> Cooking 13, to pepper in some particular dishes I ate back "in the homeland"
-> Antique Electronics Connoisseur 13, to fill in details about primitive technology I had to deal with
-> And Literature 12 to cover books I enjoyed reading.

OK, so that's a net of +2, for total of 19 Acting.

OK, success by 10, hopefully enough.

They grill her up and down, and while she's fairly sure she messed up some geography, it probably worked to her advantage in the long run: what sort of infiltrator knows pop culture but not maps and geography?

They keep questioning her for what feels like hours, and then leave. She's pretty sure she answered correctly, but she's not sure how paranoid they are. Nor how persuasive Botha might be.

Originally Posted by GnomesofZurich

Nudging Pothi, Day says, "Well, all that for nothing, huh? It's kind of scary to think there are Dreadstormers on the ship!"

Pothi is white as a sheet. "Really, nothing? A guy gets shot running for it and they don't find anyone in here? Something isn't adding up. Maybe there is a dreadstormer in this mess. He looks nervously around the room. "But who?" he whispers. "I know its not me, and I know its not you. Anyone else you're pretty sure its not?"

Originally Posted by Hide

OOC: You meet Pacifica, a ginger-blonde and relatively short girl (5' 2"); she is very fair skinned, green eyed; If you get to close to her, you will find she has a pleasant smell (she has the “attractive” advantage and the “sanitized metabolism” perk). After rolling the watchwords, she introduces herself as if presenting an elevator pitch. She speaks in a quiet voice, making sure what she says is heard only by the people in the room:

IC:
• Nice to meet you, I'm (protocolary name you should provide among Dread Stormers), fully operational combat ESPER: I can fight blasters bare-handed; armor is virtually nothing against my melee attacks.
• I am a clerk in deck 9 (Navigation, Comms, and Sensors), this is my name *pointing at her uniform tag*, I rest in deck 18.
• Currently, I'm collecting passwords in my section and profiling the people so we can take over the ship more easily.
• I like gambling, literature and singing.
• I am pleased to work with you, FOR THE GLORY OF THE REPUBLIC.

OOC: After introducing herself, Pacifica extends her arm to hand-shake her teammates, whoever shakes hands with her will find Pacifica looking them in the eyes, with a steady hold. For those who don't shake hands, she will greet them by placing her hand in her chest.

Do the other two dreadstormers have a response?

I think we have two dreadstormers who like gambling. Oh, as a note, Daymar's bet for first shot fired was day 23: the eventful morning is day 14, so he's lost.

Once she listens to her teammates, she suggests a plan.

IC: Maybe (eventually) you could have a couple of brainwashed guys fight amongst them, that should draw the attention of security officer(s). Then imagine you place a third person taking the officer(s) by surprise with a sleeper choke or something more appropriate, this way you could turn him, right? They could be the guys smuggling the guns, or luring other officers to our traps. What do you think?

I'll highlight this as needing companion responses.

If I may expand on what it sounds like as a GM, you're suggesting the right way to take over the ship is to mind control all of the officers one by one?

Notes about the plan:

• Security is not "officers". They're a different section with special rights. They outnumber the officers, for what its worth. There are about 90 total.
• Daymar doesn't need a target to be restrained to mind control them. He only needs to touch them.

On the other hand, if we destabilize the ship as in having “random” people wrecking chaos, what are the chance they abort the mission?

It depends on the mission, and its timing element, which you don't know. They haven't turned the ship around yet, but they may have diverted her to meet up with another ship, and they may turn her around if this fateful morning gets bad enough... which would give you another 10 days or so to strike.

Before leaving, Pacifica feels like it would be nice asking her teammates how they (personally) feel about the mission; but she resists the idea.

I'll expect one of these rolls on each meeting you have after this.

IC: (Thinking) Which of the rumors about Zybo would be the most plausible? (OOC: Trying to put exposition sense into play).

Probably the story about getting his scar in a bar fight among the officers years ago. Or the rumor about him having inside contacts with the malu empire, that's just a probable speculation, not a real rumor.

OOC: Who are these people? I would like Pacifica to make friends with them, for example inviting them to the table when it’s time for lunch. I would like these people to tell me more about their lives in the navy (including Nejora). I would like to pick some shibboleths, and some extra food for Pacifica.

Well, most of them don't eat with you. Nejora does, and another guy named Jipo Kogorzi does. Jipo is part of navigation. He's a thin fellow, and a bit nervous, and claims the black kraken from back home gives him and this ship luck. "Don't worry. I've seen the black kraken, and she likes me. We'll be fine".

[Hide]

IC:

(During the lunch)

Hey Jipo, tell me more about the "Black Kraken"! Who is this? And how did you meet with her? Is she the same as this "guy" in Nejora's tattoo? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

(Thinking)

How are people in my section, do I find tension or rivalry among individuals?
Are there other "Malu people" in my section?

Have they provided us any special information after the launch?
What kind of information have I been working with during my shifts?
Have I noticed anything special along the data I have been processing these days?

What was the name of my immediate superior? I would like to get their password.

I would also like to spot terminals (other than mine), that would let me log as another person either for emergencies (countermeasure maneuvers if things get complicated for the team) or to acquire vital information for the mission, without being suspected of breaking the rules.

OOC:

For the password, the idea is asking for some help with a procedure that may require their ID. For example, supermarket clerks need their supervisor's ID to cancel items, to apply discounts, etc. I am aiming for something like that, within the casual stuff of Pacifica’s job. For the terminals just tell me what to do!

PD. Thanks for your comments/notes in my earlier post.

[GnomesofZurich]

Originally Posted by Hide

OOC: You meet Pacifica, a ginger-blonde and relatively short girl (5' 2"); she is very fair skinned, green eyed; If you get to close to her, you will find she has a pleasant smell (she has the “attractive” advantage and the “sanitized metabolism” perk). After rolling the watchwords, she introduces herself as if presenting an elevator pitch. She speaks in a quiet voice, making sure what she says is heard only by the people in the room:

IC:

• Nice to meet you, I'm (protocolary name you should provide among Dread Stormers), fully operational combat ESPER: I can fight blasters bare-handed; armor is virtually nothing against my melee attacks.
• I am a clerk in deck 9 (Navigation, Comms, and Sensors), this is my name *pointing at her uniform tag*, I rest in deck 18.
• Currently, I'm collecting passwords in my section and profiling the people so we can take over the ship more easily.
• I like gambling, literature and singing.
• I am pleased to work with you, FOR THE GLORY OF THE REPUBLIC.

Daymar thinks Pacifica's greeting is a bit odd - we're all generally aware of the others' capabilities (I think), so there's no need to 'sell' us on what she can do. "Uh huh. Well, I'm in EVA and working with the hyperspace engines. If we really need it, I've figured out how to disable them without too much evidence, it'll probably take them offline for at least a day."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Hide

IC:
Hey Jipo, tell me more about the "Black Kraken"! Who is this? And how did you meet with her? Is she the same as this "guy" in Nejora's tattoo? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Jipo launches into a story of a fishing expedition he went on a few years ago. To hear Jipo tell it, its like hunting down big game rather than simply throwing a hook in the water The Black Kraken seems to be this legendary squid with psychic powers and great intelligence, or so the locals say. Its also reported to have a temper.

"I saw the great tentacles rise up from the ocean in the middle of the night, throwing splashes in the waves. I was terrified: Had the black Kraken had come to eat us! But she must like me, because she just twirled her tentacles all the way around exactly two times, and then sunk back into the water. I knew then that I was destined to live. She showed herself as an omen, and I went and joined up with the void navy right afterwards"

Nejora scoffs when asked about her tattoo. "<explicative>! No! I wouldn't put Jipo's <explicative> <explicative> fairy godmother on my arm!"

How are people in my section, do I find tension or rivalry among individuals?
Are there other "Malu people" in my section?

There are probably other folks with a little Malu heritage in your section, but its not immediately apparent: shift matters as well as section, and includes around 150 people.

Rivalry is everywhere, especially in navigation: people come up with lots of plans, but only one person's plan gets used. That makes for strong rivalries. The most notable is between Zibo and the NCO in charge of your navigation shift. You're not sure why it is, but they always seem to argue with each other.

Have they provided us any special information after the launch?
What kind of information have I been working with during my shifts?
Have I noticed anything special along the data I have been processing these days?

after launch? There is the speech the captain gives:

Captain Thuto comes on the speakers.
"Now that we are isolated in hyperspace, I can inform you of your mission. As many of you have heard rumor of or guessed, this is a combat voyage. We have a glorious part to play in this noble war to crush the puppets who claim to represent the Jakorbi and unite them with us, their Zorbani brothers. May fortune smile upon us! we may play a pivotal role in finishing the Unification of the Zorbani!"

He continues in a rather pompus fashion for a few minutes, before calling on his spacers:

"To be vigilant! This is not a mere training exercise. We do not only expect to see combat, we hope for it! We revel in its glory! this combat may take many forms. We may engage other capital ships. We may drive off a cruiser squadron. We may engage with orbital defenses. Or we may have spies hidden in our midst. Be vigilant, do your duty with pride, and we shall be able to overcome them all."

He continues for several more minutes, before wrapping up.

The sorts of things you are planning for in your job change after launch, and generally focus in on long routes, quite a bit longer than needed to simply reach Zorbani space. You also get access to higher quality maps than in peace time.

As for things she's doing. To quote:

One common task is tracking which hydrogen block cells have been emptied. She is also tasked with drawing up potential use plans: when the fire burned out a bunch of the flour she was assigned (along with a bunch of other people) to come up with multiple rationing plans for the officers to look over. She also frequently gets assigned to reconcile inventory on hand with on paper inventory for machinery, emergency gear, and other supplies (but not food, weaponry, or other "sensitive" supplies). She also gets assigned to draw up sample duty shifts when things get tight (like after that fire. Life was easy before that fire).

He's constantly asking you to calculate hydrogen expenditure for different hyperspace times, particularly for getting into a system quickly and then getting out as soon as possible. The requests from other officers are usually about various duty shift plans.

************************************************** *

What was the name of my immediate superior? I would like to get their password.

Tukorpor Vuporvo. You already have his password.

I would also like to spot terminals (other than mine), that would let me log as another person either for emergencies (countermeasure maneuvers if things get complicated for the team) or to acquire vital information for the mission, without being suspected of breaking the rules.

You can log in to most terminals as any NCO. logging in as an officer requires an officer's terminal. Additionally, most functionality only has terminals in the relevant areas, so actually running a hyperspace plot requires a terminal in the stardrive area. These terminals are generally quite public: officers have private terminals in their quarters, but those are of limited functionality, and don't have officer privlidges. On deck 9 there are a few empty NCO terminals at any one time.

Yes, this was done to make it difficult for one person to find out too much: the designers of the ship were paranoid about small groups taking it over.

For the password, the idea is asking for some help with a procedure that may require their ID. For example, supermarket clerks need their supervisor's ID to cancel items, to apply discounts, etc. I am aiming for something like that, within the casual stuff of Pacifica’s job. For the terminals just tell me what to do!

Your NCO's password is yours already, and that covers most situations Getting an officer's password...

You can certainly try asking for help with a procedure that requires ID from an officer. It might raise suspicion for you to try though: You are explicitly not a member of security/morale, who they generally have do that sort of thing. Can you think of an appropriate task, based on the things I've listed her as doing already?

[Hide]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Jipo launches into a story of a fishing expedition he went on a few years ago (...)

OOC:
Having heard his tale, Pacifica recalls whether or not she's read about the Black Kraken:
Literature for Pacifica:
3d6 <= 13
1 + 5 + 3 = 9 ... success

As Nejora is cursing, Pacifica pokes her with her elbow and says:

IC:
Nejora, is that a metaphor? Fairies can be dreadful too. Some of crawl over your body silently, at the darkest hours, to steal your teeth.

OOC:

Acting for Pacifica:
3d6 <= 15
4 + 3 + 3 = 10 ... success

As Pacifica says this, she rides her own arm with her two fingers mimicking walking motion... until her fingers/hand "jumps" to her own jaw ending with a pulling something from my mouth motion.

She speaks in a scary/lugubrious voice.

IC: (to Nejora) Do you have creatures like these at your homeland? Also, what other creatures like this one exist at your homeland, Jipo?

Originally Posted by ericthered

Can you think of an appropriate task, based on the things I've listed her as doing already?

Yes, I would like to request access to all of the shifts (plans, schedules, names) in the ship, to deliver an improved "master shift". I am doing this couple of days after I'm told the officers are pleased with my "circular economy" plan, I tell the officer I have also noticed the requests from other officers to improve the shifts, and that he can assess the quality of my job from my work on Zibo's hydrogen calculation requests, and from the help I provide to my colleagues.

I am including the management roll for the "master shift" task.

Administration for Pacifica (luck 2 of 2):
3d6 <= 14
1 + 2 + 1 = 4 ... success