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meadowlarklogs2019-11-30 12:31 pm
EVENT LOG 007 | AFTERMATH
WHERE: New Beijing, a train, and then New Amsterdam.
WHEN: The tail end of the operation and the two days after: January 26th-28th.
WHAT: Finishing up the operation, hiding out, and going home.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence and unstoppable soldiers. More to be updated as necessary.
At the turn of midnight in New Beijing, the true risk to this plan comes to light. There was always a chance, always a point of awareness that Cassius wouldn't be able to buy his foot soldiers enough time. He knew that this could go poorly, so he was prepared for just that. He knew that the Displaced would, potentially, treat the UNA soldiers as personal enemies. They showed this face with their foolhardy desperation during the EMP's effects, and given an opportunity to assault a weaker, unexpecting bunch, they wouldn't hold back.
After all, not killing the soldiers hadn't been a suggestion made by Cassius showing some sign that he had a conscience or was worried about the death of citizens. No, killing the soldiers would make his job harder: and it did.
After scrambling the distress call for forty-five minutes, Cassius' efforts finally fail when the base finally gets the word out for reinforcements. Switching gears, Cassius sends along a word to the Displaced still in the base, letting them know that their time is running short. They need to get moving, and the UNA has wisened up to Cassius' tactics with the fabricated terrorist attacks on the other side of the city. If it were just one thing, the UNA may not have turned back, but their installed software quickly began to recognize many of the tactical patterns that Cassius employed: they weren't that different from the ones executed by radicalized Morningstar agents in other cities.
The lack of traffic in the city means the deployed soldiers return swiftly. Unlike the ones at the base, these soldiers are heavily armed and prepared for the worst. Even though Judas is definitely offline by the time they arrive, their systems remain operational for now. After all, Judas wasn't online as it was, as he was isolated from the world on a localized quantum server. The weight of Judas' impact on the UNA and its systems are still up in the air for anyone to guess. It's hard to tell what they might have been using him for, and just what weight his own additions had made on their current operations. What's clear is that these soldiers can still move, act, and attack, and there are hundreds of them rushing back in a steady stream of military might.
For anyone in the base, it's time to move. Being caught here probably will mean the end of the road for everyone involved.
◉ The soldiers who show up are not beatable. They will be working in formation and predicting most of what's coming their way, and given the numbers sent out, they will be unstoppable. Unsurprisingly, the larger the unit, the stronger their ingrained instincts happen to be. Think of these soldiers as the boss battle you can't even beat for an achievement. It's the one where you're meant to lose, if you engage at all.
◉ We're fine with any degree of Judas Hot Potato that goes on in the final stages of the base, and recommend that you all work that out on our event aftermath post.
◉ As for who finally hands Judas off to Cassius, we have sign ups at the aftermath post, too! The person who wins that doesn't need to be the person with the potato in the end; some creative juggling can go down for that stage, too!
◉ Anyone who dies on the base will need to be dragged out and taken to a medi-unit or they will be permadead. We are not asking for anyone to have their characters killed here! Everyone can get out safely and unharmed if they haul ass. Or even if they don't! Maybe they got lucky.
◉ Cassius will be wiping any records of the interlopers, making it so that their existence can't be traced. He'll be covering the surrounding areas of the base for a three mile radius. After that, everyone is on their own: they'd better have a plan of escape.
While Cassius will be covering the immediate area of the base, everyone will want to make sure that they don't appear suspicious as they hit the streets of New Beijing. The best place to hide? The lower levels of the city. Despite the frequent police raids, someone can move through the lower levels until they're close to their hotel. All they need to do is move up once they're just beneath their temporary residence. Discarding any unwanted goods along the way down there probably wouldn't hurt.
For anyone who's been injured by the soldiers or by their fellow Displaced, they'll want to stop and do some quick first aid on themselves. Hitting a hospital or clinic like this is risky. For the dead, it's not as if anyone has any choice, so their pal better cook up a good story for what happened along the way. The good news in all of this is that injuries and all, none of the hotels are likely to ask too many questions. The drones that do the room service aren't sentient, and the people who work the front desks simply aren't paid enough to care.
By 9 AM, all the news beats around the city refer to a series of attacks that rocked UN landmarks. While the attacks on the UN government buildings had the mark of Morningstar radicals from New Prague and New Johannesburg, they are not citing them as the individuals most likely to be culpable for these attacks. There is no information about what happened at the UNA HQ, though it seems unlikely that none of that information would have gotten out during the flurry of hasty exits.
Even so, it's likely a good idea that everyone lays low for the final couple of days in New Beijing. That doesn't mean that everyone needs to say cooped up in their hotels. Still, they'll likely want to be cautious while the city is on high alert for suspicious activity.
As for whoever has Judas, they'll get a message late in the evening of the 26th telling them to meet with one of Cassius' resources in the morning. Cassius won't be up for much conversation when the message comes in. Despite all previous communication, any messages sent to him now will be a dead end.
Eventually, it's January 28th and everyone will be headed back to New Amsterdam on a train. It feels as if there's almost a lack of closure, as Judas is most likely gone, the devices that were meant to hold him unable to go through customs. Unlike the previous train, this ride will be an non-stop express from New Beijing to New Amsterdam, and will be largely uneventful. The lack of stops along the way makes it impossible for any temporary havoc to break out. Even the Displaced who didn't pick up express tickets will find that their itinerary has been changed. While the more luxurious seats will remain the same and will offer a bed for anyone looking to rest over the long journey, everyone else's upgrade will treat them to neck pillows and thin blankets to help them stay comfortable.
An event-free ride probably won't mean much for the feelings stewing among the Displaced. Everyone is bound to be feeling something after everything that just happened, so there's still a lot of room for tension now that everyone's been crammed in close quarters on a non-stop train ride. Let's just hope it doesn't get too nasty in there!
◉ El will purchase all of the newcomer Displaced tickets for the way back. All of them will be traveling to New Amsterdam for new job opportunities in the wake of the city's losses, and will be directed to make a statement of intent to move to New Amsterdam permanently.
◉ El won't be purchasing that upgrade, though. If anyone thinks it's Cassius' doing, just blame it on Cassius.
◉ Everyone will be arriving in New Amsterdam around 4 PM with varying amounts of jetlag (or trainlag).
◉ Upon arriving, everyone will begin to see garrish advertisements for both Valentine's Day and Carnival.
Thanks for the great event, Larkers! We have a lot planned to spin out of this one, so we hope that you enjoyed what we cooked up here. Our OOC Aftermath Post is live, which is where we'd like you to direct all of your aftermath questions. We also encourage you to discuss any loose ends for the plot and plan anything else out that's needed!
Otherwise, we intended for this to be more of a low key log while everyone continues to thread out the event. Our next log will be up on December 13th featuring our new arrivals, giving everyone some time between now and then!
no subject
You.
[ Of course she's on Cassius's side. Well, if Catra is declaring her allegiance, and Rey's only weapon is air, then air will just have to do. She's already expended a considerable amount of stamina just getting this far, however, and when she reaches out to draw air out of the space around Catra, sweat beads on Rey's forehead.
It's also a localized effect, and easily escaped by hopping down off the fan case. ]
no subject
Aw. Are you mad? That's cute. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have him. I passed him off ages ago. Choking me out isn't going to have any affect on the outcome... though, I do understand the urge. Lashing out is so satisfying, after all.
[ She gives a little girlish chuckle.
But that begs the question, then-- if that's true, why is she still here? ]
no subject
But just as before, now that she isn't under the influence of the rage virus, she turns away from it. Catra has given her the information she needs; Judas isn't here. Retrieving the AI needs to stay her priority.
Rey turns on her heels and books it for the exit of the server room, back out into the hallways of the base. If Catra doesn't have it, someone else does. It could still be close enough. ]
no subject
[ As Rey runs, Catra follows her from above, scampering on her hands and feet over the tops of the servers. Just as Rey gets to the door, Catra pushes off from her vantage point and jumps down, aiming to land heavily on Rey's back, her claws fully extended. ]
no subject
This couldn't be less about Catra's grudge if she tried. Already when she pushes to her knees, Rey is glancing beyond her, trying to search out other signs of life in the base. There are soldiers coming, reinforcements, and she has no idea who actually has Judas.
It's a little insulting, really, how dismissive she's being of Catra's revenge. ]
no subject
There's a slightly wild look in her eye that says she's enjoying every bit of this, and when Rey looks down the corridor, Catra's grin gets even wider, her feral teeth glinting in the light of the base. ]
Where are you looking, Princess?!
[ Catra takes another swipe at Rey's torso with her claws, this time at close range. ]
Your opponent is me!
[ And there's a blue glow in Catra's chest as she says it, but nothing seems to happen. ]
no subject
Rey leaps to her feet and dodges -- not graceful, but quick. A habitual fighter. Anticipation bubbles up in her chest when she sees the glow, and --
And nothing happens?
Frowning, wary, Rey ducks another swipe and makes one of her own, pulling Catra in a single firm tug against the wall, like throwing her there without her hands. She's running on fumes, and the glow in her chest is a little dimmer for it. Short-sighted as ever, Rey hadn't planned an exit strategy. ]
I don't have time for this. [ She tries to keep up down the hall, taking for granted that the pull into the wall will disorient Catra long enough to get her on her way. ] We can work out our problems later.
no subject
Oh, but I have plenty of time for this.
[ The wall shove only keeps her down for a beat, and she's fast on her feet, so it isn't long before she's catching up with Rey again, her laugh echoing down the corridors along with the alarms. ]
What are you so afraid of? That you've failed?
[ There's that blue glow in her chest again-- once more nothing seems to happen, but the word "failed" may seem to ring heavily in Rey's head, moreso than usual. ]
no subject
She shakes her head, trying to dismiss it.
They break into a cafeteria. Rey's chest glows blue as the chairs all raise behind her, crowding the air like asteroids, then start pelting randomly in the direction of where they'd come, blind shots at Catra that are just as likely to go wildly astray as to actually hit her. ]
no subject
Who knew military bases could be so much fun? Oh wait-- I did!
I grew up in a place like just this, you know. I know all the nooks and crannies. You're on my turf now. I'm just taking my time. I wonder which door you'll pick next? Ooh, the right one? The left one? Maybe the one in the middle, or by the stairs? Which one leads to victory? Spoilers: it's none of them.
Face it. I have the upper hand here. There's nothing you can do to win.
[ There it is again-- the blue glow, the way Catra's words seem to have a strange weight to them when she says "nothing you can do." ]
no subject
So she pulls the shock baton that Daisy had made her from her back and extends it into a full staff with the press of a button. One tip crackles with electricity.
Rey turns around and faces Catra fully. ]
Who has the AI?
[ She raises the staff as soon as Catra is close enough and takes a swing. Her powers are too exhausted to be dependable right now, so she resorts to going back to what she's always been good at. ]
no subject
Ooh. Electro-shock staff. I like it. Now it's actually a challenge!
[ Just like Rey though, she trained with a staff from the cradle growing up, so Rey's movements are easy enough for her to read, and she dodges with practiced an ease and grace that's obviously about more than just her quick reflexes. She knows staff combat, inside and out. ]
Aw, wouldn't you like to know?
[ She evades and taunts, but she doesn't make a move to strike back-- Rey's range now far exceeds hers. But staves are heavy, and require both hands. She'll let Rey tire herself out first, wait for an opening. ]
no subject
She continues to take powerful, well-aimed swings, explicitly trying to force Catra backwards with each one, conquering more ground. If she can, she'll crowd her towards the kitchen area. Rey has a theory that maybe she can work smarter with her power instead of harder, barricade Catra in the same way she and Sora had the pair of UNA soldiers that they ran across.
As far as Rey is concerned, Catra is just the distraction; Rey acts accordingly, giving up on conversation in favor of the jab of her staff. ]
no subject
Aw, you were so close that time!
[ She could have dug her claws in to Rey again when she landed on her-- could have done some real damage. But she didn't. She doesn't seem to be interested in ending this as quickly as possible, despite the sirens blasting around them. She really is like a cat playing around with a mouse-- she wants to draw it out. ]
no subject
That's enough.
[ She's running on empty. She should stop. But she needs to get past Catra and deal with this -- Rey doesn't see looking after herself, just trying to get away while she still can, an option. She also hasn't considered what she'll even be able to do to help retrieve Judas if she burns herself out the rest of the way here.
One thing at a time.
To try and handle this now, to end it quickly so she can move on, she reaches throughout the whole room and like she'd done when they first met, she weighs the gravity down, except for around herself. It doesn't matter where Catra dodges; while her arms are free, she'll find herself anchored to her spot, weighed down and slower for it.
Rey advances with the shock staff, and a faint red stain blooms in one of her nostrils from the effort. Close enough, Rey swings the staff. ]
no subject
[ She feels the tension increase in the room, notices it when Rey grounds everything. It doesn't surprise her this time. She only waits, ready for it, eyes intense.
For a moment, it seems like Catra is going to dodge the staff swing again-- but that's impossible, surely, with all that force weighing her down. Instead, she leans forward-- moving past the electric tip, and catches the staff mid-swing. Then she pulls, hard, yanking Rey towards her until their bodies are pressed together. ]
Aw. Look. We're dancing. I didn't know you felt that way!
no subject
Twisting the staff, Rey attempts to shove Catra back, using the leverage she has as a result of lighter gravity on herself. But when she twists, she disorients herself, and blinking, dazed, she loses her grip on that gravity she'd used in the first place. It returns to the natural equilibrium of the planet. ]
no subject
Oops.
no subject
The electricity cracks through her body, enough to jolt her slightly away from Catra, enough to sap her consciousness, enough to drop her immediately. It'd have to be -- the thing was designed to drop a UNA soldier, and Rey is a fraction of their size and worn down.
On the way down, her head smacks against a piece of cafeteria furniture, leaving her in an undignified heap between tables. If she's lucky, someone who isn't UNA will see her before the base settles back into its usual routine. But it's not exactly a likely thoroughfare. ]
no subject
[ Catra crouches down then, over Rey's unconscious form, and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear. ]
Bye for now, Princess.
[ Then she stands, and makes to go. ]