Under Siege Part 1

[cityship]

||Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck.


Kang
Bight
Sofia
Aibghalien
Thom
Astrid
Hiccup
Guru Clef
Ruffnut
Ronnae
Nokosi
Nehaalista
Saber
Cowabunga
Sandry
Fuu
Celena

Attention, Attention…||

Stacy's voiced called the group, 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: Halatun
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Yes
Water: 53.8% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like.
Landscape: Varies.
Air: Normoxic concentration.
Air Pressure: 93.8 kPa (kilopascals) = 13.6 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Light purple.
Sun: A class H2N, red star.
Warnings: None.
Mission: Assist in the defense of Nasat until reinforcements arrive. The team is not to reveal the existence of more advanced technologies, or that they are not from Halatun. The team will claim to be from a group of nations on a small island on the east side of the Plekorus Mountain range, who have formed an alliance with each other.

Comments

Arrivals

[cityship]

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae arrived not long after the announcement was made. She made sure to get suited up in her own armor, keeping the plantsuit in choker form until needed, and grabbing her weapons.

Once there, she took note of the information and remained silent. It seemed as if they'd be landing on a place where they would have to keep future tech a secret, which was fine by her. She wondered, however, what type of place would they be helping.

[everdistant_utopia]

It didn't take long for the petite knight to arrive -- the advantages of being not only a Heroic Spirit, but a class that excelled at speed -- and even less time to summon her armour and trusted weapon. The stoic mask did not so much as budge as she read over the dossier; secrecy had been part and parcel of the previous war she had participated in. In this instance, it would not be too difficult for her; when she reverted to her Servant form, nothing remained of what scant technology she carried. Unless the culture's technological level was earlier than the Roman period, she would have little trouble completely blending in.

Or she would, if not for the fact that she looked like a little girl.

Her mask only dissolved when she laid eyes on a familiar face. "Hello, Ronnae," she greeted the half-orc girl with a subtle smile. "It seems that we will finally be fighting alongside one another."

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

The sight of the familiar friend and her voice did a lot to ease the thoughtful half-orc girl who had been wondering about their mission in silence.

Ronnae returned the smile with a pleased one of her own along with a respectful bow towards her friend. "Heya Lady Saber, I was actually lookin' forward to such. It'll be a great honor to stand by your side in battle and work together."

Specially since Ronnae had grown fond of the petite knight over the course of their friendship. One of the few people on the ship that she trusted entirely.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

Luckily the Obs Deck was a large place. In a flap of wings, a pair of dragons, one marked red, one marked blue, landed just outside to make their way in.

"I don't think I've been off the ship since Lirath," the one with blue markings commented to the other.

[curiousredsoul]

"Indeed, neither have I, such are the ways and demands of projects," The one with red markings replied, chuckling to herself as she observed the briefing that showed up.

"It seems we are to assist in the defense of a town, while keeping that we are not from the world from the populace, interesting,"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"I would tentatively assume by the ship's selections for this mission that magical and supernatural elements such as wizards and dragons are not out of place," he said, turning his head to regard the viewscreen. "It doesn't confirm it, but to disguise most of the people on this mission would require a substantial expenditure of ongoing resources."

[bequiet_hescreamed]

"What is the technology level?" Clef asked. It was presumedly low compared to that of the ship, but this hadn't been explicitly stated.

Having somehow recovered from the last mission he was sent on, he was relieved to see that this mission did not offer anything 'fierce'. Whether or not pants and comfortable shoes were permissible was a question that crossed his mind, but he ultimately decided against asking it.

[governorkang]

Kang looked around at the assembled group, noting the clothing and weaponry. He had on his tunic and kilt, with his battle-axe in the harness between his wings and his flamberge at his side. "I'm assuming similar to the worlds we all come from. You'll learn quickly that Stacy doesn't always provide us the best intel."

[bequiet_hescreamed]

Clef was wearing a pair of pants decidedly more modern in style from the kind that would exist on his homeworld and nothing but a vest and the top part of his plantsuit to cover his upper-body area, in contrast to the five million layers of clothing he would have worn at home as a male of high social standing. He looked around and caught sight of Fuu - he wasn't too familiar with Earth, but he was under the impression that their level of technology was very different from that of his own world.

"My next question was going to be whether or not we could use magic," he said, "but since we are apparently meant to assume whatever is convenient, I suppose I'll just do as I see fit."

Re: Arrivals

[monster-san.livejournal.com]

So I'll be going to another planet. Sometimes Fuu felt unusual, already having experience in being abruptly snatched from her world and landing in someone else's. This time, at least, there was tme for preparation.

She didn't like the way the announcement sounded, though. They would be helping to fight a war? Of course, it was inevitable; that was what she'd been rescued by Stacy to do... she clasped her hands tightly in front of her, trying to look impassive. At least she wouldn't be entirely among strangers, even though she would have felt more secure with Umi or Hikaru with them as well.

Re: Arrivals

[bequiet_hescreamed]

Clef saw Fuu standing over there and went to stand in the same general vicinity. He had missed her while he was away on the last mission, and a couple of weeks felt like forever when you didn't know anyone well.

Re: Arrivals

[monster-san.livejournal.com]

Fuu smiled when Clef walked over, but it was a smile of politeness and not very long-lived. She wanted to talk to him, but it was hard to think of something to say--apprehension and uncertainty was difficult to put into words.

"This will be my first mission," she said after a few moments of silence.

Re: Arrivals

[dragonlordbight]

Bight had made his way to the Observation deck not long after the announcements had gone over, his great sword strapped over his back just in case, doing away with his Governor's robes for now, wearing instead his preferred golden tunic and leather pants along with a pack that contained his chain mail.

The confident air that usually surrounded him could be seen by those who knew him to be somewhat diminished, though he welcomed a task to take his mind of the matters at hand. Not a day earlier, his wife, Linsha had been taken once more. Whether to run tests for the constructs or be put back in the pods he did not know for sure. Still he could console himself with the knowledge that she was at least safe and on board.

Re: Arrivals

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista came dressed in her armor, more comfortable in that that what she'd wore aboard. She had her mace on a hip, her shield held against her heavy, purple hammer on her back. A small sack of clothing and her jeweler's kit (because she knew that she'd get bored easily if she didn't have something to occupy her hands) hung off her shoulder. The load was relatively light for her.

[Councilor,] she greeted him politely. [It seems Stacy's chosen a number of us this time around.]

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Arriving shortly, Astrid came with her special axe and shield and stood near the Councilor and Nehaalista, looking rather diminutive next to the Draenei female. "And with this number of us let's hope we can get this over with quickly."

Frankly, she was a little miffed she had been chosen right now. Another distraction when she had - in Astrid's strong opinion - other crucial plans she needed to take care of.

[magic-weaver.livejournal.com]

It was her first real anything without Daja being nearby, and while Sandry wasn’t exactly frightened at the idea of not having her sister nearby, she was somewhat nervous. Why Stacy would pick her to go when there were others with more to offer in the way of fighting skill was beyond her, but she knew there were plenty of ways she could help. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be a people opposed to magic. Judging by the flicker of silver that surrounded some of the others in the room, she probably wasn’t the only one who would be wondering.

She smoothed out the sleeve under which her plantsuit was condensed and watched the others with some mild form of awe. Some were people she had seen in passing, but what really caught her eye were the dragons. They all knew there were dragons on the ship, but seeing them up close... Sandry made the gods-circle on her chest. Real dragons and what sounded to be a very real battle on the planet below them. This would be an interesting mission indeed.

[gifthasacold]

Thom could not figure out why in the name of the multiverse this ridiculous ship would pick him for a mission, especially since he still had incomplete control over his magic.

Spotting Sandry gave him some measure of comfort, which he of course immediately squashed. Just because Sandry was here didn't mean that it would go any better. Still, he crossed the room to her.

"A small island on the east side of what?" he asked irritably. "Does this planet have some sort of magic? How are we supposed to defend it if we cannot expose ourselves as different from the population?"

[magic-weaver.livejournal.com]

Sandry couldn't exactly say whether she was relieved or not at seeing Thom. Her vision automatically adjusted to check the glimmer of his magic, and she smiled softly at him as he approached. It seemed he never did stop storming about.

"Good day, Master Thom," she greeted him, carefully hiding her amusement. "I'm afraid we haven't yet received much of an answer to any of those questions yet, but I'm sure Stacy has her reasons for choosing the group that she did. Many of those gathered have magic, and one could only guess that the planet must have some form of it."

[monster-san.livejournal.com]

Sandry wasn't the only one who was missing a 'sister' right now. Fuu was still looking around, trying to figure out what sort of people were being sent on this mission. She knew that there were people here whose worlds didn't even have an equivalent to penicillin, never mind space travel--Cephiro was one of those. Possibly those were the candidates for this mission, she thought as she glanced at the dragons in conversation too.

The unfamiliar gesture from the other young woman caught Fuu's eye, and she moved closer. "Is this your first mission as well?" she asked with a polite smile.

Re: Arrivals

[ruffntumblenut.livejournal.com]

"This sounds like my kinda mission." Ruffnut spoke out loud to no one in particular. She popped a gummy candy into her mouth chewing it thoughtfully as she looked at her hand, "I wonder if this means I can't use my lightning though..." After all if they had to be undercover it might be an issue.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

He was honestly surprised to be called down to the Obs deck, but once he'd (slowly) read the information on the screen, his face split into an ear-to-ear grin.

"Oh yes! It sounds exciting, does it not?" Nokosi peered over her shoulder at the hand she was examining, then looked to her. "Your hand shoots lightning?"

Baron Archand

[cityship]

For those who had not experienced departing via the Observation Deck, they would find gravity disappearing; it could be a rather disconcerting experience. The team's leader, Councilor Nehaalista, was particularly distressed by it. The deck touched down 30 miles from Nasat, in the dark hours of the morning.

After a ten hour walk, the team reached Nasat:



They were greeted at the entrance to the curtain wall by a serious-looking man on a white horse, surrounded by a personal bodyguard.

"I am Baron Archand, and I welcome you to Nasat. My advisors received your missive two days ago; we are very grateful for your assistance."

He didn't seem bothered at all by the non-human members of the group, merely giving a few of them brief curious glances, especially those more draconic in nature. The serious look disappeared, replaced by an honest, cheerful smile, and he dismounted his horse. "I do hope your journey was not too taxing. We have rooms set aside for you in the keep, and our cooks are preparing a small feast in thanks. If you'll follow me, I will take you to the keep and explain our dilemma more thoroughly. Who do you call your leader?"

[OOC: First reply goes to Nehaalista. There's no posting order after that.]

Re: Baron Archand

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

She hated the observation deck's detachment. To put it succinctly, it sucked. The loss of gravity, and the sudden sensation of being pulled through the pit of one's stomach had her death-gripping several of the crew members.

She could show valor in the faces of demons, elementals, monsters of various forms and even the dreaded spider. But a sensation like the Exodar crashing all over again? No, thank you.

She'd had time to become unfrazzled once her hooves were on terra firma again, and let several of the crew ride with her on the Light-blessed Elekk she sometimes called a mount. Upon meeting the Baron, Nehaalista stepped forward and signed, [I am Vindicator Nehaalista the Kindly One, and leader of this group.]

Re: Baron Archand

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

Aibghalien had assumed his elven shape, it being both his natural one and, he presumed, less alarming. As the Baron greeted them, he bowed in return, opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again as the draenei spoke up.

All forces help him if he could figure out why a civilian authority had just taken charge of a military situation over the people he knew for a fact were substantially more trained in warfare, such as for example Kang, or a king who had commanded an alliance of nations in battle. He had a sinking feeling that this mission was about to become a very long string of "not listening to the people with knowledge and experience in this exact situation".