Geartopia : The Case of the Assassination Plot

[cityship]

||Attention, Attention. Would the following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Please bring with you any weapons and tools you might need. Attention, Attention. would the following personnel please report to the Observation Deck:

Allenby Beardsley
Maridian Gladespring
Ellyn Vitner
Red Robin
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
Kanoe Zouichi

Attention, Attention, would the following personnel...||

Stacy's voiced called the entire crew, until all of them were gathered at the Obs Deck. Then, a dossier appeared on the screens, along with the image of a rotating planet.

Planet Designation: Geartopia
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens, Homo Animalia, Machina Erectus.
Water: 20.6% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like, Arid desert
Landscape: 70% Desert..
Air: Normoxic concentration.
Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.
Warnings: Wildlife, humanoids and plant-life can be hazardous.
Mission: Find out of town mayoress Nomalanga's suspicions of foul play are correct. Full shore leave will initiate once this is problem is resolved.

Once the entire team was ready, they were whisked of to the planet with little fanfare, their ship landing close to a town, where a woman...well not quite a woman, but a cross between a woman and a hyena dressed in a strange outfit, greeted them along with three other figures behind her. They had arrived near the end of the day, and the sun was beginning to set behind them, staining the sky a deep orange color.

She greeted them with a bow and a wave.

"I think you for coming 'ere just barely an 'our after I send out my distress signal." She mentioned for them to follow her, while the three other figures remained behind.

"I will make this quick, as we are short on time. My name is Nomalanga, and I'm mayoress of Utorian, 'ave been for the past five years. We have asked for a small team to aid us cause some of Snidley's damn dogs have been trying to upsurge the town from my grasp. "e's was the mayor before me, but was removed for having no 'onor. He still has control of some sections of the town due to loyalty and fear, and some townsmen still suspects I threw 'im out to get more power. Now 'e's trying to regain it all, but I have no proof except for a tip I was given by one of my own that says the attack's in two days and there's enough clues stuffed in the 'aunted cave to get the entire town behind me."

She pointed to a cavern on the far left, covered by the dunes of soil and desert sand.

" 'Alf the townsfolk believe the place to be filled with ghosts at night so no one enters unless they have to. But during the day we go in and get our supplies of underground water. The entire place is a maze. I wish I could 'ave send the distress beckon sooner, but we had problems with space pirates recently."

"There is also another problem...the tip also told me one of my own three is a spy. If you could also find out which one, we could end the terrible man's grasp on the town and myself. I am pretty sure they already suspect that I have doubts, but you may find clues inside the cavern. You can also speak to them and ask a few questions, but you should get into the cavern as soon as possible, as not to get too many ghosts attacking you. And there are also men-eating bears spotted inside. My people are strong, but our technology is nothing compared to yours. Once we have more time I can explain to you how I was able to contact you at all. But for now, I can supply you with guns and torches, if you don't have any."

She seemed like a truthful woman, even if her speech was strange and spoke of someone who had lived a harsh life, despite the clothing she wore.

"My three don't trust you at all, due to our stance with outsiders and our last distress signal falling into pirate ears. I understand if you refuse, but if you accept I will make it worth your while, and the rest of your comrades on your ship will be welcomed with open arms one justice and truth is brought to light. My people do not have much but we can offer clothing and animals from our lands in exchange for your services."

[And done! There is no posting order, feel free to all start you own threads to ask questions, or butt in each other's threads while they talk back and forth]

Comments

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was odd. But. "Have you seen a little girl? She just turned seven last month. Short, black hair. Someone's daughter is supposed to be under guard and in need of rescuing."

[battorch]

Well, apparently blowing up the wall might have worked after all.

Tim nodded his greeting to the others, but remained otherwise silent. He'd wait for the answer to that question.

[combustible_me]

"I didn't," Ellyn said, turning to glance at the paladin, eyebrow arched. "Wha' 'bout you, steelbuns? You seen a kid?"

She didn't expect that he had, but there was always a chance he'd covered something she missed.

[cityship]

Suddenly, they could hear voice from below, although very faint.

"Hey Mal, you hear something moving upstairs?"

"Nah, probably just those damn bats again."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi glanced at the others, then began moving down along the tunnel cautiously, toward the sound of the voices. Two of them, like the note had said...

[battorch]

Tim frowned, raising his hand to silence anyone who might still be talking. He followed Zouichi, absolutely silent, listening closely.

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

Mar, for his part, stuffed his sword back in his pack (where it didn't seem like it should fit), and instead hefted his mace and shield. Then he moved ahead, seeming intent on reaching the front of their party.

[cityship]

As the group got farther down, they could make out two figures busy playing cards. On the far left, there was a child, wrapped up in a lot of cloths. A single bottle was on the side and the child appeared to be sleeping.

"So ya really think dah boss is gonna let the kid live?" one of them asked the other. The other spit in the ground.

"Nah, soon as the deal's done with, he's probably gonna kill it off to show the guy who's boss, ya know?"

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Don't rush in don't rush in don't rush in. They might just kill her. They probably got guns. Allenby clenched and unclenched her fists, a silent snarl twisting her face. She resisted the urge to crack her knuckles in case the noise alerted the two slimeballs.

"Hey. Distract 'em and grab the kid?" It was probably the most angry hushed whisper ever.

[battorch]

Tim was quick to pull out his recorder again. The quality may be poor due to interference, but if he could catch any of this, he'd be making the effort. In the mean time, he kept his temper in check. It wouldn't help here.

"No," Tim hissed quietly, though the fact that he hated to say it was probably obvious in his voice. "We go in, she might get hurt. It sounds like she's still useful to them-- so we have play it safe." They'd get the kid.

There was no way in hell he was letting anything happen to her.

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

"I can take them both out long enough," Mar said simply and quietly, as he slid his mace and shield away. Instead he drew his other other sword: Quel'delar. "One will be out for about a minute. Then I'll bubble the kid and HoJ the other one, and taunt them on top of that. No danger to her."

[battorch]

You have no idea how tempted Tim is to let Mar just do that. As it was, he struggled to suppress the emotions-- an objective view would work better here.

"We see if we get more from them, first," he said, very quietly. "First sign of trouble, though..." Then they'd go in. He rose his hand, though, in a gesture of silence once more. They were close enough that he didn't want to risk tipping them off that someone was listening.

[combustible_me]

Ellyn gave another, quiet grunt, then spoke softly. "C'n make 'em not wanna touch their weapons. Too hot ta handle, e'en from back here."

But considering she agreed with Red Robin on getting more information from them, she was perfectly content to let the mooks jaw more.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi was all right with waiting, provided the child wasn't in danger and there was the possibility of getting a full confession.

But he unhooked a flash device from his belt just in case. Killing these guys probably wasn't the best idea, because who then would be available to point fingers at the man in charge?

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Allenby growled quietly, but she had to admit there was sense in waiting to see what else they said. But if they move, if they try anything, they're mine dammit. MINE.

Or Mar's, or Ellyn's, fine. Or whatever little gadget Z had pulled out... well, there still might be a good excuse to get in there and pound the daylights out of these guys, never mind 'taunting' (although considering Mar, it might be some kind of magic brain-frying taunt and hey that might be fun to see). "Fine," she muttered, and strained her ears for any more talk.

[cityship]

The voices continued to speak, too engrossed in their game to notice much of anything moving by. By now they could see who they belonged too; one was a robot creature, huge just from the guess of how he was sitting. The other looked like a Bulldog with only a face a mother could love.

(Did we mention that Mal still had a bat attached to his hand. It hadn't moved yet.)

The two were playing poker and from the looks of it by the golden coins, the bulldog was winning.

"Yeah boss isn't a fan of the guy either. Thinks the minute he takes his child's life he'll probably go insane. It's too bad damn Langa took the other kids for hidding eh? But she's kinda stupid. We were smarter than her."

"It feels nice to be smart."

"Yeah well that's because Snidley's smart you idiot. Gotta thank the guy for being so secretive too, Langa might know his wife was pregnant, but she probably didn't think she'd given birth a two days ago and we'd forge her to keep pretending she still was."

"Yeah she must be so scared sitting in that dumb Langa's protection area still having to pretend."

"Yeaaaah. Full house."

"Oh goddamn!"

"Eh eh eh eh You're an idiot. Now gimme your coins."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Sounded like it was Allard's kid that they had hostage. But the robot guy was good. You could take off robot limbs and they wouldn't even bleed to death.

Zouichi quietly unholstered his gravity gun.

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

One hand gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly; the other was half-raised, just waiting the sign to slam the bulldog with holy magic that would force his mind into a state of paralytic meditation.

He wasn't gonna leave the kid no matter what.

[cityship]

The goons continued to play cards after this, not saying anything else that might be very informative.

...well unless if you wanted to know where the prettiest girls in town were.

[battorch]

Tim definitely wants to know

Tim kept his hand up in a universal, firm gesture of patience to the others. It was fairly obvious they were getting impatient, but he was determined to wait it out until they were sure there was no more information to gain. Which, apparently, there wasn't.

Tim just hoped no one-- kidnapper or otherwise-- got hurt.

"I'll set a distraction then," he said, prying a smoke bomb from his belt. Cause some confusion amongst the two criminals to give them a few more seconds to overtake them.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

DO IT TIM

[cityship]

Well they heard the words Golden Mane

"What in blaz-" Both men didn't have time to speak as Tim's precise throw made the smoke bomb explode right under the table.

"GET THE GUNS!"

They could hear them grabbing said guns.

Shots were fired, although rather blindly do to the smoke. Some of them were pretty close to where the child was too...

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi took immediate action, darting into the smoke and after the robotic henchman to tackle him and wrench the weapon from his grasp.

...also to wrench the arms out of his robotic circuits because clearly that was the best way to make him stop being a threat.

[battorch]

Tim was quick to swing himself over the edge, hitting the ground with a roll as he did so. One hand immediately flew up to launch his throwing discs at the men, aiming to hit their arms, to knock away the guns, using the lenses in his cowl to see through the smoke better than he would have without.

In the meantime, he detached his cape again, throwing it over the kid. It wasn't perfect, but it had some bulletproofing and could protect her from the smoke, if nothing else.

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

"No you DON'T!" Smoke-bombing, cape-throwing, arm-wrenching... all it needed now was pair of fists! Which Allenby was only too happy to provide, launching herself forward at the dog-looking one and unleashing a flurry of punches.

Smoke schmoke.