ALEJO: “Right. Tell us a bit about that. Who are you fighting and why?”
STORY: He stiffens. “The governor.”
STORY: “I can’t say more.”
STORY: “Yes, I poisoned her. But I did not harm Teka.”
STORY: “And yes, I _did_ try to help Teka control her abilities. We trained. I am not a liar.”
STORY: “All right. Yes, I locked myself in here.”
STORY: “It seemed.. the safest choice.”
STORY: “But now it has been rather a long time, and I very much would like to go.”
TUELLER: “Ejo, your time in interrogation training was well spent.”
ALEJO: She rustled under the sheets and bunched up a pillow for her head. Then she flipped onto her side, an exaggerated but playful exuberance to the move, facing him now, one long leg left stretching out from beneath the sheets. He couldn’t stop admiring the soft curve of her hip. Definitely have to have more hormones than sense to be doing this, he thought.
ALEJO: She studied him, unashamed, the faintest hint of a smile at the edges of her lips. It was a look, he would come to learn, that she reserved for him, the look of someone who was thinking of something that she would never say.
—
STORY: Last session ended with Millie shooting Alejo, then T’chololl, and a mysterious stranger encouraging you to all go back to the ship so they can explain what’s going on.
STORY: Tueller, you’re the able-bodied one here. What do you do?
TUELLER: We have not gone back to the ship yet, I assume?
STORY: We haven’t, unless you want to!
TUELLER: “I fucking hate the mud. Let’s get back to the ship.”
STORY: You get back onboard. Kahn and Tariq carry T’chololl upstairs and start working on the hole in her leg.
STORY: Tariq points seriously at Alejo. “Five minutes, then you get upstairs so I can patch you up.”
TUELLER: Tueller turns to our guest, and sticks out his hand to shake. “Tueller.”
TUELLER: He’s doing this in the cargo hold, as soon as the door slams shut.
STORY: She shakes back. “Lieutenant Rax. I am sorry for your friend’s condition. Let me first assure you, she will be all right in the morning.”
TUELLER: “That’s excellent to hear.”
STORY: “If you are able to secure her somehow for the night, that would be best.”
MILLICENT: —snarl snarl bite bite
TUELLER: Tueller takes a moment, “I’m glad you’re here for this, Alejo, but you get that shoulder looked at the moment we have a moment. You don’t want the doc to give you a metal arm.”
ALEJO: He shakes his head, bashfully, and heads up to get patched up.
MILLICENT: —head cock, then back to snarl bite snarl bite—
TUELLER: “Is this moon-wide, Rax?”
STORY: She nods. “Every night. Half the population, approximately, no idea who it will be or what is causing it. The governor’s mansion has been closed off since it began.”
STORY: “Last week, my commander went up to find out what was going on up there. He didn’t return.”
TUELLER: “Every night randomly half the population goes insane?”
STORY: She nods seriously.
STORY: “Most families have worked out a way to keep themselves away from each other, but others…” She shakes her head.
STORY: “It’s a nightmare.”
TUELLER: “That’s fucked up.”
TUELLER: “Sorry, our smart one is the one who got infected. You got the brawn in front of you now.”
TUELLER: “Every night, huh. At sunset? At a certain time? Whenever?”
STORY: “They go to sleep. Then some rise.”
TUELLER: “Are we your first ship to visit since this happened?”
STORY: She nods. “It has been two weeks. The population is decimated.”
TUELLER: “And people go back to normal the next morning? Shit.”
TUELLER: Tueller shakes his head.
STORY: Another nod.
TUELLER: To himself. “Then those assholes didn’t need killing.”
TUELLER: “Damn.”
STORY: “Our days are spent burying the dead. Our nights, we are vigilant.” She sighs heavily. “I spend the nights patrolling.”
STORY: “If you stay, your crew may fall victim as well. It appears you are not immune, though…” she trails off. “I find that surprising.”
TUELLER: “Yeah, that’s not so great. The Doc…well, she’s special, but mostly in the poking her nose into things sort of way. Not the way you people….well, honestly, I guess I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’m out of my depth here, to be honest, LT.”
STORY: She nods, then glances toward the gangway door. “I must return to my post. If your crew is able to help, I would appreciate it. If not… good luck. Be careful.”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses and considers.
TUELLER: Finally he shrugs. “Well, shit, yeah, we’ll do what we can to help. Earth sent us here for diplomatic reasons, and to learn what we can from you. You learn a lot from people when you’re in the shit together.”
STORY: She nods. “Shall we wait for your friend to get medical attention?”
TUELLER: “Absolutely.”
STORY: She points. “I will be in the square half a kilometer that way until morning. Bring whatever help you can offer.” She nods and looks for the button to open the bay door.
TUELLER: Tueller opens it for her.
STORY: “Thank you.” She departs, hurrying down the road, her flashlight out.
TUELLER: He’s braced in case something is out there.
TUELLER: Tueller heads up to the medbay.
STORY: Alejo! Kahn is assisting as Tariq cleans, empties, and stitches up the wound in T’chololl’s knee. He shakes his head as he works.
STORY: “This is bad, Loll.”
STORY: “I understand,” she says calmly.
STORY: “I’m not Dr. Breedlove – you’re going to have to be off this for a while.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks over, helplessly.
STORY: “I can’t even _do_ this surgery, fuck.” He throws down his forceps and takes a step back.
STORY: “I don’t know what to do here, Loll. I’m a xenobiologist, not a surgeon. I can try to close it up, but if there’s anything left in there you’re going to get infected and lose the leg. I can try to clean it out, but if I nick an artery you bleed out on the table.”
ALEJO: “Tariq, deep breath. You’ve got this.”
ALEJO: “Smartest guy on this boat.”
ALEJO: He struggles to sit up and moves over to get a better view of the action.
STORY: “We need Millie.”
STORY: Tariq pauses, takes a deep breath, then looks up at Alejo. “Does that blue chick know how to wake Millie up?”
STORY: “We need her back. I can’t do this myself.”
ALEJO: “I’ll see what I can find out, but you’ve got to keep moving on this.” Alejo’s tone is friendly and supportive, but also leaves no room for argument. He turns and heads towards the Cargo bay, gingerly protecting his shoulder.
ALEJO: Before he leaves, he looks back to Loll. “Thanks for the assist. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t subdued Millie.”
STORY: “Hopefully I do not lose my leg for the privilege,” Loll responds drily.
STORY: Alejo, you run into Tueller on the way down.
ALEJO: “How’s Millie? Any chance she’s come ’round? Tariq needs her.”
ALEJO: “Loll’s in rough shape.”
TUELLER: “Haven’t seen the Doc yet, but according to the natives, she’ll get better.”
ALEJO: His mood brightens noticeably. “Such good news.”
TUELLER: “Apparently, half the moon goes crazy at night and goes wilding. Wears off in the morning. If you don’t get killed.”
TUELLER: Any idea what got Millie infected?”
ALEJO: He grimaces. “Less good news.”
ALEJO: “No, I’m not sure. I think that she might have been trying to lock onto a signal, but I’m not sure.” He gestures towards the med bay and starts walking, with Tueller that direction, quickly.
ALEJO: “Half the population just loses it?”
TUELLER: Tueller comes with.
TUELLER: “Apparently. We can’t assume that we’re immune, even if we’re not psychics. It might be worth clearing the planet at night, but…well, if it’s an infection, we might have it. So that’s interesting.”
TUELLER: “The LT asked for our help, and I volunteered it.”
TUELLER: “I mean, why not?”
STORY: Tariq sees you return with Tueller, not Millie, and scowls. “Captain.”
STORY: “I need the doctor. Now.”
ALEJO: He nods, absently. “Fuck it.” To Tueller. “Yeah, you’ve got us. Millie is out until morning.”
TUELLER: “Well, let’s go see how she’s doing.”
ALEJO: “Can we stabilize Loll until then?”
STORY: He looks down at her leg. “I can tourniquet her to stop the bleeding, but she’ll lose the leg. I’m not. A fucking. Surgeon.”
STORY: “You understand there are people with the title ‘Doctor’ who aren’t medical doctors, right?”
ALEJO: “Tariq.” Alejo gives him a firm look and with his good hand takes him by the shoulder. “You’re the only Doctor we’ve got right now, medical or not.”
TUELLER: “The Doc isn’t herself right now. She would rip off that leg and try to beat you to death with it if given the opportunity.”
STORY: “And you two aren’t going to pep talk me into medical skills I don’t have. I’m telling you I don’t have the expertise to treat this wound.”
STORY: “We need Millie, or she loses the leg.”
TUELLER: Tueller turns and walks out to wherever Millie is being kept.
TUELLER: He gives Loll a worried look as he leaves, but doesn’t say anything to her.
ALEJO: He frowns. “That turns out not to be true and I’m gonna take your leg off and beat you with it.” He turns to follow Tueller then stops. “Keep that leg intact and Loll alive.”
STORY: Jenny is dragging her up the stairs to her room.
STORY: You reach them as she’s about halfway up to the middle deck.
ALEJO: Alejo is close behind Tueller.
MILLICENT: bite snarl etc
TUELLER: “Noma, you hanging out here?”
STORY: Noma comes in over the ship’s intercom. “Here, Tueller.”
TUELLER: “How’re you doing with this, Noma? Any idea what set the doc….what set Millie off?”
TUELLER: “You were riding with her, right?”
STORY: “She was attempting to make contact with the source of the Nahar’s domination.”
STORY: “I believe it reached out to her.”
TUELLER: “‘It’?”
TUELLER: “Shit.”
TUELLER: “Did it reach out for you as well?”
STORY: “No. I did not attempt to access it.”
TUELLER: “Well. I recommend keeping that way for now. Your call, of course.”
TUELLER: Millie is still crazed, I assume?
STORY: She is foaming at the mouth and struggling against the zip ties holding her arms and feet together.
TUELLER: “Shit. Why’d we have to lose the brains?”
TUELLER: “Jenny, I’ll take her up to her room; can you go back to the room to get a dose of chlorpromazine.”
STORY: “Chlor–” Jenny says, out of breath, then nods, waiting for you to take hold of Millie before she rushes back up the stairs.
TUELLER: Tueller does so, and tries to gently but firmly guide Millie up to her room.
STORY: You have to carry her, she’s bound at the hands and feet.
TUELLER: Well, then I’ll do so. Gently. I am still wearing armor, as well, so she hopefully can’t hurt me too much.
TUELLER: —At some point we should ask ourselves if Dr. Gage set us up.
STORY: She does her best!
STORY: To hurt you, I mean.
TUELLER: Yeah.
STORY: So you take her up to her room – what are you two doing with her?
TUELLER: Millie. Describe your room to me!
TUELLER: I’ve never been there before!
MILLICENT: Millie’s new room?
TUELLER: Well, since the patch job.
MILLICENT: Right
MILLICENT: Well, since most of her favorite charts blew out into space she’s made a real effort to replace some of them with art.
MILLICENT: Millie’s walls arc to form a bit of a dome
TUELLER: Furniture?
MILLICENT: And she’d begun putting up some alien art she found at the station and some of her favorite charts
MILLICENT: She has a rather large bed, too big to fly out the hole and a rather worn desk and chair
MILLICENT: There’s a wooden wardrobe and a military chest thing at the foot of the bed
MILLICENT: That’s it
STORY: Foot locker
MILLICENT: Thanks
TUELLER: “Desk chair it is.” Tueller takes her and straps her expertly and as firmly and gently as he can. This is definitely not the first time he’s bound someone to a chair.
STORY: She struggles a little, but you’re strong and also not tied up, so you win that battle.
STORY: Jenny comes upstairs. “Tariq yelled at me when I asked him for chlor…. promazine? He said we don’t carry antipsychotics and to wake up Millie.”
STORY: “And Loll didn’t look so good. She’s lost a lot of blood.”
TUELLER: “Okay. Get me choloroform and adrenaline.”
ALEJO: Alejo comes into the room. “Noma told me a bit more about what happened. I really think we need to try to remove or turn off that visor before we drug her up.”
TUELLER: “Okay.”
TUELLER: Tueller does so.
TUELLER: Remove the visor.
STORY: You take it off her ear and Millie slumps down, breathing slowly, as if asleep.
TUELLER: “Huh.”
TUELLER: “Well.”
STORY: Jenny steps forward and confidently slaps Millie across the face.
TUELLER: “Maybe just the adrenaline?”
STORY: Millie, you’re awake!
TUELLER: “Or that.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Mille. “Doc?”
MILLICENT: Is it me?
STORY: Yep.
MILLICENT: “Thank you, Ensign Nilsson. I believe I needed that.”
MILLICENT: Do I remember everything?
TUELLER: “Okay, no time to go into much detail, but long story short, there’s a brain thing that sends people crazy, affects half the population each night, at random, you got it, and now you’re needed in surgery because you shot my girlfriend.”
TUELLER: “We cool?”
MILLICENT: “You have a girlfriend?”
TUELLER: “Well, fuck buddy.”
MILLICENT: Millie claps delightedly.
TUELLER: Tueller takes out his karambit, flips it around once, and cuts Millie’s bonds, which were preventing her from clapping.
MILLICENT: “What excellent news!”
MILLICENT: Millie claps for real
TUELLER: “Surgery. Now. Save her leg. Preferably not with a metal one.”
TUELLER: “Tariq is pissy, by the way.”
TUELLER: “Feel free to tell him to go fuck himself, for me.”
MILLICENT: “I will surely do so if he takes a tone with me.” Millie strides out of the room
TUELLER: Tueller sits down on the desk for a moment to take a breath.
MILLICENT: SURGERY
TUELLER: “Ejo, how’s the shoulder?”
STORY: Surgery! You get down to the med bay, where T’chololl has lost consciousness and Tariq is doing his best to slow down the blood loss.
STORY: What do you do, Millie?
ALEJO: Alejo slumps into the chair that the Doc just left.
MILLICENT: I deduct! What is most dangerous in this situation?
TUELLER: —Is Tueller at all capable of assisting in surgery, or am I best out of the way?
STORY: The hole in T’chololl’s leg!
MILLICENT: Neat!
MILLICENT: Millie does surgery!
STORY: Let’s have a Patch Up roll, please!
TUELLER: Tueller wanders down to see if he can assist at all.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: @josh rolled 8 + 2 = 10
MILLICENT: 10!
STORY: Okay! You spend an hour in surgery repairing her knee. Please tell me what you do!
MILLICENT: I don’t install any prosthesis because _some_ members of the crew have been so tetchy about asking first
TUELLER: When Tueller sees he can’t help out at all, he hovers just outside the room occasionally hissing, “No metal”
TUELLER: After ten minutes or so he remembers to put his knife away, even.
MILLICENT: I perform surgical reconstruction! Some of the muscles were damaged severely so Millie had to reroute them, but with some practice she should regain full use of the leg.
STORY: Excellent. Alejo, your shoulder is just a flesh wound, nothing broken and not too much blood lost. If you went to bed, you’d wake up with bloody sheets and the wound closed and be in working order in a few days. If Millie patches you up, you’ll be back in action in a few hours.
MILLICENT: Millie does intend to patch everyone up who’s been injured
MILLICENT: I can’t imagine she’d rest without that done
STORY: Tueller, T’chololl’s leg is saved, but she has to stay off it for a few days.
ALEJO: He’ll head to med bay and, when things calm down, see if Millie is up to patch him up.
TUELLER: Tueller is very anxious about the surgery but also seems to want to get out of the ship and hit something, especially once he sees Loll is responding well.
STORY: Millie, let’s have a Patch Up for Alejo.
MILLICENT: “Mr Ya’Makasi, you may rest easy, your paramour will make a full recovery.” ahem ahem Millie old people tuts around
MILLICENT: YEAH LET’S DO IT
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: @josh rolled 4 + 2 = 6
MILLICENT: 6!
TUELLER: Tueller puts a hand awkwardly on Loll’s shoulder without saying anything.
MILLICENT: That is BAD
TUELLER: Her upper shoulder.
TUELLER: —Woman’s got four arms. She can do things you can’t even imagine.
STORY: Millie, you’re exhausted and cannot close up Alejo’s shoulder. After you stab him a few times trying to put in stitches, Tariq puts a hand on your arm. “Let me, please.”
ALEJO: “Get some rest, Doc. You need it. Thanks for patching up Loll.”
MILLICENT: Millie backs away. “Please accept my,” YAWN “sincerest apologies, Mr. Soto.”
ALEJO: “Nothing compared to shooting me.” He smiles.
STORY: Tariq shakes his head and sits down in front of Alejo. “Hold still.” He does an adequate job sewing up the hole, on both sides. It’ll scar.
MILLICENT: “I was apparently, quite. Yes that.” She smiles.
TUELLER: “The LT was asking for assistance. You want to sleep through that, Doc?”
MILLICENT: “Do forgive me. I can’t remember a thing, though I believe your account. I would never willingly harm you. Or any other member of this crew.”
TUELLER: “oh. sorry. We met the local constabulary. She asked for a hand. I agreed. For the group. Figured it would be a step towards diplomatic relations.”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head and rubs her eyes. “No, Captain, I suppose I don’t. It sounds like you’ve been very busy when I was…psychotic.”
MILLICENT: “What do we know?”
MILLICENT: Millie starts a list.
TUELLER: “Every night, the moon goes to sleep and half of them wake up crazy. Been going on for two weeks. No idea why it worked on you–she seemed surprised by that.”
MILLICENT: “Is it the same half every night?”
TUELLER: “Different.”
TUELLER: “Random.”
TUELLER: “She didn’t say, but also, the crazies didn’t seem to attack each other. Just others.”
TUELLER: “That’s my observation at least.”
ALEJO: “What were you doing right before you . . . lost control?”
MILLICENT: “And I tapped into some sort of signal that drove me off the edge.”
MILLICENT: “So, if we can trace the signal and find the source, we might be able to stop it.”
TUELLER: “She said the governors mansion has been closed up since this started, and she lost a man who went up to investigate.”
TUELLER: “Decent place to start, even if nothing’s there, because we can start negotiating our treaty.”
MILLICENT: “Noma, can you scan for the same signal that I found without accessing it in a potentially harmful way?”
STORY: “I do not believe that would be wise, Millie.”
MILLICENT: “Fair enough.”
ALEJO: “Governor’s mansion it is.”
TUELLER: “Don’t want a psychotic Ghost here, doc.”
TUELLER: “Just as I’ve grown to like her.”
MILLICENT: “Could we have a cup of coffee first?”
MILLICENT: “To go, maybe.”
TUELLER: “I got you a shot of adrenaline if you prefer.”
MILLICENT: “Oh. Ah. Yes, that sounds interesting.”
TUELLER: Tueller offers it.
TUELLER: “We can also do a shot or two of espresso, of course.”
TUELLER: Tueller’s moving towards the Gregor.
MILLICENT: Millie takes a shot of adrenaline and heads for the Gregor
TUELLER: “I think we should ride in style, though, so only the three of us who fit in the Gregor.”
TUELLER: “Jenny. Keep the ship safe.”
TUELLER: “Keep Loll from getting up too early. She’s going to want to prove she can when she can’t.”
STORY: Jenny nods to you, looking hesitant.
ALEJO: Alejo crawls up and into the Gregor as well, careful with his arm, though it is feeling surprisingly good.
TUELLER: “If we’re gone for an entire day, and night is coming, get off the planet. Give it distance. Come back for us in the morning.”
TUELLER: “And try to keep from killing each other.”
TUELLER: “We’ll be in touch.”
STORY: “Yeah. Geez. You guys too.”
ALEJO: “Maybe get some tranquilizers ready, just to be safe.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods. Fires up the Gregor. Waits an appropriate length to make sure no one has anything else to say.
STORY: Go forth and Gregor!
TUELLER: And then heads out to the Lt.
STORY: When you reach the square she indicated, it’s dark. There is no movement, but you see a wooden pole in the central are, where some carts are arranged, all having been closed up for the night. A piece of paper flaps in the night breeze at your eye height.
TUELLER: Tueller drives towards it and reads it.
TUELLER: Tueller’s getting good at driving.
STORY: “TUELLER: WENT TO LOCATION WE DISCUSSED. BACK DOOR CODE, PING wnet-sc90036-tpl.init#2
#ERROR!
TUELLER: “Well, let’s go see the governor.”
TUELLER: Tueller turns the Gregor around so they can grab the paper…not counting on remembering that code.
TUELLER: So, ummm, did she happen to mention where the governor’s mansion was?
TUELLER: “Doc, can you get on the Net to see where the governor’s mansion is here?”
MILLICENT: I think she pointed it out. And then lightning flashed behind her, framing the ominous building in silhouette
STORY: No, but there is a big white building with columns and domes on top of a hill about a kilometer off.
MILLICENT: CRASH
STORY: Noma replies from Millie’s visor. “It is that building, Tueller.”
TUELLER: Tueller drives that way!
STORY: Okay! You head to the governor’s mansion. Alejo! Tell me about the guard situation at this mansion and how you approach.
TUELLER: Tueller’s on edge, a couple of times he turns a corner and punches the shit out street signs thinking they’re people.
ALEJO: We approach quickly in the Gregor. The building looks mostly dark, though there are a handful of outdoor lights illuminating paths or doors. The guard post at the front is unmanned and the gate, about five meters high, is cracked open. The place is huge and empty, crammed in between the dense forest all around.
STORY: Tueller, are you going front door or back door?
TUELLER: Back door!
STORY: You head to the back door. Let’s have a Face Adversity + Mettle to see if you can get there without arousing anyone’s attention.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: @chris.stuart rolled 7 + 1 = 8
STORY: You start to head around the garden path towards what you assume is a back door when you hear a scream from behind you. A Nahar woman is being dragged through the street by two frenzied Nahar.
ALEJO: “Shit.” Alejo turns in the Gregor to try to get a better look.
TUELLER: “Shit. Can’t let that go.”
TUELLER: “Prepare to roll out.” Tueller turns the Gregor and floors it at the frenzied guys, slamming on the brakes just short of them, hopefully to spook them, and pops the back door to Gregor at the same time.
ALEJO: Alejo frees his stun baton and dives out and towards one of the assailants.
TUELLER: Tueller is out shortly after him, passing by Millie as he does so.
STORY: Tueller! Your dramatic fake-out is executed perfectly, and while the woman screams louder and with more fear, the hypnotized Nahar do not notice or react.
STORY: Alejo! Let’s have a Launch Assault.
MILLICENT: Millie cheers! “Go get them, captains!”
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: @ablair01 rolled 5 + 1 = 6
STORY: Oof. Alejo, you move towards the closer Nahar and swing your stun baton at him, but he whips around and launches himself onto you, knocking the baton from your hands and tackling you to the ground. You are now focused on keeping him from biting you.
STORY: Tueller, same roll please!
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: @chris.stuart rolled 10 + 2 = 12
STORY: You resolve this conflict. What happens?
MILLICENT: hahaha
MILLICENT: A study in opposites
TUELLER: Tueller comes out of the back of the Gregor and sees the frenzied person attacking Alejo and dives into the assailtant, tackling him to the ground.
TUELLER: Without using his hands, he roughs them up with a couple of elbow strikes to the head, and then gets off when they stop struggling.
STORY: Going for unconsciousness, not death, I assume?
TUELLER: Yes, definitely.
ALEJO: “Good thing I was a distraction.” Alejo stands and brushes himself off.
TUELLER: He then chases down the person dragging the woman away, and hits them from behind with a flying knee in the small of the back.
TUELLER: He wraps his arm around their neck and just holds them, until they go limp.
STORY: Cool. They’re slumbering in the street. The woman thanks you and runs off.
STORY: She presses a coin into your hand before she flees.
TUELLER: Tueller….doesn’t quite know what to do with that at first, but shrugs and pockets the coin, after taking a look at it.
STORY: It’s a nice souvenir!
STORY: Okay. Back towards the mansion?
TUELLER: Tueller goes to help Alejo up, and goes back to join Millie in the Gregor.
TUELLER: “It worked out, Doc.”
TUELLER: Back towards the back door of the mansion.
STORY: All right! You make it to the door without any other distractions and find that it’s just a door-sized door.
MILLICENT: “Nice work, boys.”
STORY: There’s a small keypad next to it.
TUELLER: Tueller punches in the code on the note.
ALEJO: Alejo stands to the side of the door, stun baton ready.
TUELLER: Dungeon crawl!
STORY: All right! Millie, describe the basement level for me. What’s the decor like, is it dark? Is it twisty?
MILLICENT: Millie saunters out.
MILLICENT: It is dark and twisty! The walls are a mural of this moon’s history.
MILLICENT: Like alien Parks and Rec
MILLICENT: There are little lights above prominent events, but they’re off.
MILLICENT: So the basement has a very forced cheery feel that is made worse by the lack of lights. Forced cheer and creepy
STORY: Okay! Where are you going?
MILLICENT: Millie switches her visor on the scan the area.
STORY: No unknown tech, but to be fair most of the power is off down here.
MILLICENT: Okay, so if Millie’s in the lead she’s heading for wherever she’d put a comms or server room
TUELLER: Tueller’s trying to keep up with Mille and keep Millie from getting attacked.
STORY: Millie, as you pass a hallway you notice the door has bars.
ALEJO: Alejo doesn’t want to be bunched up to tightly, but he keeps a good watch on their six.
MILLICENT: Millie stops and regards the door
MILLICENT: Locked with bars?
STORY: No, like it is bars. http://orcz.com/images/thumb/5/5b/Holdingcellsdayzstandalone.jpg/400px-Holdingcellsdayzstandalone.jpg
STORY: It leads to a hallway with a small table at the end, a chair, and from what you can see, three more cells.
MILLICENT: Millie raps on the bars with her class ring. “Hello! Is anyone sheltering down here this evening?”
TUELLER: —DayZ? That’s ominous.
TUELLER: “Christ, Millie.”
TUELLER: “We’re trying to _avoid_ getting killed.”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs. “I took a gamble. I’d try to lock myself IN, after all.”
STORY: You hear a panicked voice. “Yes, hello? Help, please! Let me out!”
MILLICENT: Millie smiles, then frowns.
MILLICENT: “Excuse me, is this a jail? Are you in a jail cell for doing a crime?”
STORY: There’s a pause.
STORY: “I mean, yes.”
STORY: “But please, no one has been here in weeks! I’m starving down here!”
MILLICENT: “Oh, I think I have a bar on me.”
MILLICENT: Millie pats her pockets
MILLICENT: “Would one of you boys pick this lock so we can go chat with the prisoner?”
MILLICENT: “I swear I had a bar in here when we left. Maybe Rage Millie ate it.”
TUELLER: “Rage Millie was too busy raging to eat.”
MILLICENT: “That makes sense.”
ALEJO: Alejo pulls out his lock multitool and works the lock.
ALEJO: “Anyone else down here with you?” He asks, taking his time with the lock and trying to assess the danger on the other side of the bars.
ALEJO: He’s moving slower than he could with the picking.
STORY: Alejo, you’re not really in a rush, so you can pick the lock with some time.
STORY: “No, just me.”
ALEJO: “Weeks, huh? That’s rough. Whatcha locked up for?”
STORY: He sighs. “Please, I’d rather do this face to face.”
MILLICENT: “I found a bar! It’s pomegranate, though, so I’ve no idea whether your body will treat it as food or a particularly nasty expectorant.”
ALEJO: Alejo finishes with the lock. He gives Tueller a quick heads’ up that it’s done, then stands and gets ready to open the gate.
TUELLER: Presumably this guy is still locked up.
TUELLER: We’re just getting into the holding cell, correct?
MILLICENT: “Now, we’re going to open the gate, but these gentlemen are very armed and presumably they have some threats they’d like to say now.”
MILLICENT: “Gentlemen, the threats, if you please.”
TUELLER: “No threats, Doc.”
TUELLER: “The guy will see me, after all.”
TUELLER: That was quiet, to Millie.
STORY: He shrinks when Tueller walks by. Nahar cap out around five feet tall.
STORY: https://the-peregrine.obsidianportal.com/characters/veni
STORY: He is still locked up, Tueller, and he is standing at the door to his cell, holding on to the bars, awaiting you. Relief washes over his face. “Oh thank god. You’ve got to help me, please.”
MILLICENT: Millie kicks the pomegranate bar to him
STORY: He grabs it and hurriedly opens it and eats it. “Mmph. Thank you.”
ALEJO: “Hi,” Alejo gives a bright wave.
TUELLER: Tueller looms off to the side. “Hello.”
MILLICENT: “Good evening!”
ALEJO: Alejo walks up to his cell, but not too close. “Face to face now. So, mind telling us how you got here?”
STORY: “Um. Well.”
STORY: Alejo! Do you have Intentions for this conversation?
MILLICENT: Sotto, to Ya’Makasi, “You sure we shouldn’t, like, stand threateningly?”
TUELLER: Just as quiet. “I always stand threateningly.”
ALEJO: Yes! I would like to interrogate him, but without much in the way of threats.
STORY: All right! Let’s play this out, but you get 3 data points about Veni, to be used when you like.
STORY: “I’m a freedom fighter.”
STORY: “I’m an activist.” He stands proudly, crumbs on his chin.
ALEJO: “Right. Tell us a bit about that. Who are you fighting and why?”
STORY: He stiffens. “The governor.”
STORY: “I can’t say more.”
STORY: “Yes, I poisoned her. But I did not harm Teka.”
STORY: “And yes, I _did_ try to help Teka control her abilities. We trained. I am not a liar.”
STORY: “All right. Yes, I locked myself in here.”
STORY: “It seemed.. the safest choice.”
STORY: “But now it has been rather a long time, and I very much would like to go.”
TUELLER: —This guy really holds up under interrogation.
STORY: — totally
MILLICENT: —I kind of love this
TUELLER: “Ejo, your time in interrogation training was well spent.”
ALEJO: He gives Tueller a quick smile.
ALEJO: “That’s quite a tale. Who’s Teka? And what do you mean her abilities?”
STORY: He looks frustrated. “Wait. Who are you?”
ALEJO: “The folks who can let you out of that cage. Or not.”
TUELLER: “Technically the calvary, I guess?”
ALEJO: “He’s nice cop.” Alejo gestures to Tueller.
STORY: He takes a deep breath. “Do you have any other food?”
MILLICENT: “You know I think I have a mint?”
TUELLER: “I’ve got some jerky.”
MILLICENT: Millie digs in her pockets
TUELLER: Tueller makes no effort to get it.
MILLICENT: “Again, could be a violent expectorant.”
MILLICENT: Still searching.
TUELLER: “Why’d you lock yourself in here?”
ALEJO: “Listen, sorry, what was your name?”
TUELLER: Tueller’s just fucking up your clean interrogation.
STORY: He massages his temples.
STORY: “My name is Veni. I’m a Sensitive, and I was brought here to train the Governor Parni’s daughter Teka in her abilities. She is also a Sensitive. I… well, I am also here to stop the Governor.”
STORY: “I would say that I sort of succeeded.”
STORY: “I did not mean to cause any of,” he waves his arms around, “this.”
STORY: “I did not mean to harm anyone other than the Governor.”
STORY: “And I will not harm you, if you will please, just let me out.”
STORY: “I thought someone would be by sooner than this. Can I please have your jerky?”
TUELLER: Tueller tosses it to him.
STORY: He eats it as quickly as one can eat jerky, so I guess kind of slowly.
ALEJO: “How did you cause ‘this?’”
ALEJO: Alejo gestures around them.
STORY: He swallows. “I didn’t! At least, I don’t think I did. Teka’s doing it.”
STORY: “I don’t know what she’s doing, all I know is I saw the guards turn and I got the hell out of there. When I went outside, it was just as bad there, so I grabbed some rations and hid down here.”
STORY: “But now there is rather a lot of pee in this cell and I’m out of food and water.”
STORY: “So again, please.”
STORY: “I’m begging you to let me out of this cell.”
ALEJO: Alejo gives a look to Tueller and Millie and then, if no one stops him, he starts to work on the lock.
ALEJO: “Is Teka doing this intentionally, do you think?”
MILLICENT: Millie nods, absently peeling a mint she found.
STORY: “Hard to say. Either she found something in the Weave she liked and wants to keep it, or she’s lost in there and out of control of her body. Either way, I think she’s the cause of all this. Which is weird, because Sensitives don’t become lus–” He stops himself abruptly.
STORY: “Where did you say you were from?”
TUELLER: “We didn’t. We said we’re the ones with the lockpick.”
STORY: “Okay, I was being polite, where are you from?”
TUELLER: “Sol.”
STORY: “Huh.”
STORY: “Long way.”
TUELLER: “You know it?”
STORY: “Heard of it. You guys are new, right?”
MILLICENT: “NewISH.”
TUELLER: “New to the neighborhood, at least.”
MILLICENT: “We’re here to negotiate an alliance with your government.”
MILLICENT: Millie’s tone is…telling.
STORY: “Not my government.”
STORY: “But I understand what you mean.”
ALEJO: “Did you kill the Governor?”
STORY: “Probably?”
MILLICENT: “Well, we’re from not their government,” Millie gestures to Tueller and Alejo, “so,.”
STORY: “I mean, I haven’t been out of this cell in a couple weeks.”
STORY: “But she’s probably dead, I don’t see how she wouldn’t be.”
TUELLER: “How?”
STORY: “Poison.”
TUELLER: “So you harmed the governor, and Teka overreacted?”
STORY: “Piqum, if you’re asking specifically, though I don’t think they have that on Sol.”
STORY: “Like I said, I don’t know. I was in bed when I heard screaming, and I got out.”
MILLICENT: “So you poisoned the Governor and failed to train the Governor’s daughter, who likely is causing all of this and you ran at the first sign of it.”
MILLICENT: “And we are letting you out of this cell, because…”
STORY: “Because if you leave me here, I’ll starve to death?”
MILLICENT: “Oh.” Millie looks disappointed. “Of course.”
TUELLER: ’Plenty of people are dying out there every night.”
ALEJO: “And because you’re going to help us stop Teka. Or help her. Right?” He gives Veni a pointed look.
TUELLER: “I’m not trying to be threatening, but people are dying out there every night in mass psychosis, so even if we let you out, we have to stop Teka, and we’re not sensitives or even know what sensitives actually mean.”
TUELLER: “And while eventually we want to figure out who, if anyone, is governor these days so we can, you know, do treaty shit with them, right now I’d just like the wilding to settle down to normal humanoid levels.”
TUELLER: “So you’re starving, we’re you’re only way out, and I’m tired, irritated, and my girlfriend got shot, so I’m feeling like I’m eight steps behind of everything right now.”
TUELLER: Tueller settles down, quiet again.
STORY: Veni looks confused.
STORY: “So… you want me to help?”
ALEJO: “Yeah. You’re gonna help. At least if you want to pee outside of that cell again tonight.”
STORY: “Oh. Yeah, okay, sure.”
TUELLER: Tueller breaks open the cell door and lets him out.
TUELLER: “It’s a deal.”
MILLICENT: Millie raises her hand guiltily, “I did it. I shot his girlfriend.”
MILLICENT: “_But I fixed her._”