Mission 02 - Stacy Says Follow the Yules

[cityship]

There is a resounding mental alarum that sounds through the ship. Nearly "deafening." Lights flash from places for extra emphasis, making it impossible to ignore.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

It's entirely likely that she won't stop repeating the announcement until, well, everyone reports to Obs Deck. Outside the windows, a very Earth-like planet is visible, hanging in space. The mouth in the huge statue opens, revealing a screen. On it, the dossier for the mission flickers into display, understandable to every person there. Smaller copies of the dossier appear in holographic form in front of everyone.

The planet's stats, right next to a rotating holographic picture of it, marbled blue and green, are as follows:

Planet Designation: Earth-78734XM45
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens. [Various translations of "human" appear here so everyone understands it]
Water: 69.5% of the planet's surface.

Climate: Earth-like, in the throes of a mild nuclear winter [Click here for cultural equivalents for non-Earth cultures.]
Landscape: Varied.
Air: Normoxic concentration. Slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide.

Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue. Often overcast.
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.

Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous. Humans can be hazardous. A human cultural and legal database is available. [click here]

Mission: Revive the spiritual entity at the North Pole.

--

Following that, there are various maps and things visible. The version of Earth this world is may be very recognizable to some, but vast cities dot its surface.

||Attention, podmates. Attention.||

Apparently Stacy wants their attention.

||It is critical that you pay attention at this time.||

A few people will be able to avoid the call by being in the right place at the right time, but most will be gathered up on Obs Deck.

[ooc: Organization Post | You can post into the gathering thread. I'll add more subthreads with explanations of aspects of the mission as we go. Note: If you don't have time to post to this mission briefing but still want to have your character in the plot, that's fine. You can just pretend they were there the whole time. If you DON'T want your characters to be in this plot altogether, however, don't have them in the briefing--Stacy could have missed snagging them.]

Comments

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

Aeneas had, by this point, been pretty much buried. This was not as bad a thing as it sounds.

His head and long neck briefly popped out from the top of his improvised snow fortress and, dodging a few projectiles from those that noticed, happened in on a conversation.

“I quite honestly have no idea what this is supposed to accomplish!” Aeneas’s purr carried surprisingly well over the clamorous battle around him, “But it is fun and it keeps the core warm, does it not?”

True, this long-furred alien was plenty well insulated (and obviously quite adept for this environment). He was more concerned about the nigh hairless creatures around him than himself—for good reason. The way the humans stumbled awkwardly about on their little stump legs through the snowdrifts almost made Aeneas nervous for their safety.

This thought soon vanished as a certain Billy Cranston (whom he’d met at the Chemistry Safety Lesson (”http://community.livejournal.com/trans_9/215402.html”)) beaned Aeneas’s exposed maw. Instant retaliation came in the form of a pile of snow flung with the alien’s large tail—a tactic he seemed to favor.

Moments later, as if in response, the original human female that had lobbed Aeneas in the cheek buried him once again.

This means war.

Aeneas tunneled under the snow, moving quickly and invisibly through the drifts. His thin body and light blue fur made him both streamlined and well camouflaged in this setting, so he had the natural advantage—that being, one of surprise.

The large alien appeared in front of the young female atop the hill and, not realizing the danger, dropped an armful of snow down her shirt. He popped back within the drift seconds afterwards.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[telekinetic_badass]

Flying was cheating!

Ok, well, no, it wasn't. But it didn't mean that anyone still aloft in the air was out of the line of fire.

Julian planted his hand into the snow on the ground, and seconds later, parts of the snow pack were launched into the air, aimed at whoever was unfortunate enough to still be up there.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[goddamnwingman]

Really, everybody needed to stop playing around and get back to what they were doing. Blowing off steam was helping everybody, but they had a job to do.

Still. This was something Dick didn't get to do very often at all, and the white suit helped to keep him at least a little under cover as he made his way through the snow, coming up behind two of the combatants. With a grin and a shout, he tackled Tim and Jaime both into the snow.

Really. He'd shout at everybody to pull it together in a few minutes.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim and Jaime have been holding their own pretty well, despite the snow spout, and the avalanches of snow.

Until Dick tackles them to the ground. "Hey!" he cries out, laughing. "No fair!"

[el-escarabajo.livejournal.com]

"Whoomf!" Yeah, he's tackled. "It's just as unfun on the ground as it is when it's being thrown at you! ...And also likely unfun when stuffed down your coat."

Which he proceeded to try and do to Dick.

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

...Oh Katara. AND Julian. You both hit Superboy. Superboy who has no powers right now, on account of the lack of sun. Superboy who has pretty good aim anyway.

He tends to aim for the face, by the way.

One of those snowballs might also pelt one Lex Luthor in the back of his bald, stupid head, and pretty hard at that, but while there's far more mean-spiritedness to that, Kon didn't sink low enough to hide any ice chunks in there or anything.

[telekinetic_badass]

It wasn't like Julian had meant to hit you that time, Kon. But since you so kindly got his attention with a snowball to the face, now he's actually aiming for you.

And he will gladly use his tk to turn you into a snowman, dude.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

And Zuko will gladly use his firebending to melt all your snowballs.

"Hah. You guys have nothing on a platoon of waterbenders."

Is it possible he's actually enjoying himself? It just might be.

[imperious_lex]

Lex actually took it surprisingly well. Despite him being known for a massive ego, he took getting hit with a rogue snowball all in stride. He didn't bother to participate in that mess in the moment, though, only deciding to distance himself further after getting hit. He did have more important things to prepare for, after all.

[starlightace]

As Nanoha was the only one in the air still - as far as she knew, anyway - she found herself facing a barrage of snow courtesy of Julian. Using a Barrier would have been cheating (and more importantly, not nearly as much fun) so the aerial mage tried to weave between the attacks, almost entirely succeeding... but not quite, as one glanced off her shoulder.

In her aerial avoidance, though, she'd swooped down closer to the ground, reaching a hand out to try to scoop some snow up. Magic was all well and good, but it was just more entertaining to throw it yourself, right?

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

Nanoha picked the wrong time to bend down close to the ground. There would be somebody waiting for her.

The ground heaved from underneath the human female as Aeneas exploded to the surface like a breeching whale after a wounded seal, sending with him his own wave of slush and powder and excited screeching.

“Surprise!” came a pleasant trill as the alien gracefully cleared the floating one and disappeared within the deep snow behind her.

[starlightace]

Nanoha's reaction time was quick - she began to pull up - but not quick enough. She gave a startled little yelp, and as she started to climb into the sky again, it became clear why: She was covered in a very wet, very cold coating of slush and powder.

Okay, maybe that hadn't been such a good idea after all. She still had snow in her hands, though, and she whipped around to throw it in the ... general direction of someone below her. Sports weren't really her strong suit.

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie hadn't had a chance to answer Nanoha before - he'd gotten caught up in trying to dodge some of the larger amounts of snow being tossed around. Once she comes down far enough that Aeneas gets her covered, however, he's highly amused. "Och, ye look much better covered in snow, lass."

Since he's looking at her general direction, he does see the snowball she throws - and attempts to get out of the way. He's not quite quick enough, and it pastes him good on the side of his neck. Wincing slightly, he rubs at the area. That stung a little more than he had anticipated. Still, he's not badly hurt, and he grins up at Nanoha - then goes to scoop up more snow for another attempt at retaliation.

[starlightace]

"Then take a good look," she called down, swerving to the side to dodge his retaliatory strike, now only 15 or 20 feet above the ground... and while her words are taunting, there's a smile on her face and a barely-restrained laugh in her voice. "You won't see it again if I have anything to say about it!"

"Stardust Fall."

Yep. It's another magical barrage of snow, everybody!

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

Katara had sensed the alien (bird?) coming, but before she could react, he had come at her with a snowball...down her shirt. It was a moment of cold, cold, and Katara's teeth chattered. She closed her eyes a moment, deciding to channel her anger right now. Most girls, after all, would have killed Aeneas for this, but she was not one to be violent, not when she was having fun.

Revenge on the other hand, she could do. Aeneas, who could tunnel under the snow, could not actually move as swiftly as she could on the snow, and the moment he tunneled back to the drift, Katara was waiting: with slushballs coming at him relentlessly, and capturing him now in a dome of snow.

"You should never put snowballs down a girl's shirt," Katara said, grinning.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

The creature’s head reappeared atop his fortress only to get pummeled with slush. He was buried for the umpteenth time once again.

Several moments of quiet passed as the surprisingly skilled female calmed her maelstrom of snow. Then a webbed hand popped out from the wet mound and limply signaled in the air.

“I shall remember this for future reference,” came the muffled purr from within Aeneas’s prison. His arm promptly went limp and he stopped moving.

Aeneas did not move for some time. If he was lucky (and the female had an ounce of compassion and/or morbid curiosity), he would be able to draw her in close. When that happened, there was an explosion of fuisti-propelled snow waiting for her.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

Oh, Katara had compassion, She did decide to walk over, as Aeneas had not emerged from the snowdrift yet. Of course, she was also not stupid: she walked toward him in stance too, so if he did come at her with another volley, she would be ready.

"You all right?" she called out.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

Aeneas’s tail burst from the mound, bringing with it a shotgun-like spread of mushy snow careening towards the unfortunate female. If he was lucky most of it would hit her; even if he wasn’t, the mass of it would cover his escape.

The alien appeared shortly thereafter behind her.

“Indeed!” Aeneas trilled loudly, lobbing a snowball at the back of her head. He didn’t stay to see if it hit; instead he disappeared, coming back up to her left with yet another singular attack.

This was turning into a really unnerving game of ‘Whack-A-Mole’, apparently.

After the third or fourth onslaught, Aeneas stayed up for a moment longer than usual.

“You move quickly in this environment for your species!” he called through slicked-back feathers, “It is really quite impressive!”

Two snowballs came at her this time, though with the delay and bit of monologue there was a good chance that her retaliation would soon follow.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

This was a moment Katara was REALLY glad that she had been having exercises with Sheeana and Tess, not to mention listening in on Toph's intructions to Aang. She knew now the importance of waiting and listening, key word being listening. The moment she felt the rustle in the snow, she knew it was game time, and reacted with a sidestep, and now her hands were ready to begin her work. It was offense/defense time.

She knew she wouldn't have long. She turned quickly, bring an ice stream along with her, deflecting the snow. Now she had to be even quicker if he came at her with another volley. She formed an ice wall, and the snowballs hit them and exploded harmlessly upon impact. He was quick, definitely, and if it hadn't been for Sheeana's training, she would certainly have been hit a few times.

At his words, she smiled. "Training is important for every species! And it helps to be good at what you do!"

She did away with the ice wall now and came at him with several volley's now, copying (nowhere near perfectly) movement she had seen her trainer use, and her hand, already fiddling with the pouch, exploded water into a whip thatm when hitting Aeneas became snow, then ice, freezing him in place.

Katara grinned. She hoped there was no hard feelings. This was actually the happiest she''d been in a long time, and she definitely wanted to talk with him after all of this.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

Aeneas was fairly impressed. He had hardly expected for this female to be able to control ice—no, water—and at this point he was still trying to figure out how. Her abilities reminded him somewhat of Prince Zuko’s (”http://community.livejournal.com/trans_9/197162.html?thread=16823850#t16823850”) power over fire, only…well, literally the opposite.

“I could not agree more!” Aeneas popped up to another vantage point, too cocky to notice the oncoming pile of quickly freezing slush, “This is why I am so—“

He froze solid within moments of impact.

There was a few moments of quiet. Then, dribbling out of the corners of the alien’s mouth, spit began oozing into the prison’s crevices. The extremely caustic (and highly reactive) fluid, upon contact with the extreme cold, underwent an interesting nuclear process that resulted in extreme heat. The ice bubbled and cracked violently, dissipating within roughly a minute into a nasty, smoking puddle at Aeneas’s feet.

“—well adapted to deal with these surroundings!” the alien continued, as if never interrupted, making a sluggish dive for yet another snowdrift. He was tiring out a lot quicker than he would’ve liked—clearly Aeneas was unconditioned, and for obvious reasons.

Deciding that coming from the sides was not good enough, he appeared from below instead. When the powder settled a curious set of lavender eyes would be staring curiously into the icy blues of the female.

“Can I ask what your name is?”

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

Katara watched the ooze in earnest, surprised despite herself. She couldn't get over how different everything was on the ship, with teammates that were mutants and superheroes and aliens riding motocycles...it was all so much to take in half the time.

She reacted immediately when he had finally released himself, ready to go at it, but even she was taken aback by the coming from below. She was ready to get another volley ready in case of the snow in shirt incident again, but now he was just curious. He was an interesting looking creature, and she felt like she liked him immediately.

"Of course," she said, smiling. "Katara, Southern Water Tribe."

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

The snowball fight drifted into the background.

“…Katara? Really?” Aeneas blinked, awkwardly backing away from the female so that she could recover properly (as he was now), “I believe a certain Matt Olsen told me about you (“http://community.livejournal.com/trans_9/202055.html?thread=16975431#t16975431”) once—I have actually been meaning to find you for a while now.”

His muzzle turned rosy pink. “—Anyway, you may call me Aeneas.”

A snowball flew past his ear.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

"Oh he did?" Katara clapped her hands dellightedly. "Oh, he would do something like that, such a nice guy! I'm really glad that he pod popped, his girlfriend Will is a friend of mine. She missed him a lot."

She had, of course, no idea what Matt said about her, whether good or bad. But Aeneas seemed to think well of her, and was even...blushing?

No way.

Katara gave him a short bow. "I'm sorry, I was rude to talk about that so quickly. It's nice to meet you Aeneas! I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you before. Why did you want to find me? Did you need something?"

Not that she knew what she had to givve, other than healing and pep talks.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[enter-aeneas.livejournal.com]

“Yes, so I understand,” Aeneas scratched his ear and returned the bow (just in time to avoid yet another projectile flying over his head), “But it is not so much what you can do for me as what I can do for you.”

That may or may not have come out really weird.

“Matt…ah, Matt told me about Aang,” the creature flinched—he was well aware at this point what Katara was capable of should he accidentally prod a sensitive subject, “And I offered my assistance in finding him. It was—it was the least I could do, for all of you.”

And yes, Aeneas really meant that. Katara probably didn’t realize that she had indirectly rekindled an almost lost hope that the alien had—one that, if anyone noticed, was enough to significantly lift his mood from several weeks ago.

Re: SNOWBALL FIGHT! Jump on in y'all

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

"What you can do for-" Well. That had to be the first time that anyine was offering to help her without getting to know them yet. What was he willing to do for her?

But at the mention of Aang, Katara's confusion was gone. Her face, lit with playfulness changed noticeably. Despite everything: training, snowfights, friends on the ship, nothing rang in her mind more deeply than seeing Aang again. Even the threat of the Nightmare King couldn't defeat her need to see him. So when she heard there was yet another person wanting to help look for him, Katara was struck speechless. When she opened her mouth to talk again, her voice wavered with emotion.

"You would do that...for someone you don't really know? That's...why?"

She had to know.