MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● M I S S I O N   4 . 2

INTRO • THE DREAM DEFERRED • YOUR WAKE UP CALL • FYI

// INTRO. WELFORD BRANSON  

It is barely past twilight in Scorpion’s Bend, the twin suns having just set, taking their light with them — but the moons delay, and so darkness lingers over the town as Lan Xichen’s conversation with one Welford Branson comes to an abrupt end. At the same time, all around the town, the team will notice the town natives around them stilling — some freezing in the middle of a sentence, a man with a fork in the air, a woman mid-step on the street, some youngsters with their mouths open in laughter. All of them become statues in less than a heartbeat; still, eyes vacant, like everything that made them seem alive has been taken away.

And then — a reverberating sigh, echoing heavily in the ears of all the Orbers. What follows are words, spoken by a chorusing voice now familiar to most of the team —

“Well now you’ve done it.”

The orb’s echoing sound is filled with disappointment, even annoyance.

Some may see that amidst all the frozen townspeople, an old man runs, clawing at his thinning hair. Some of you may hear his words, muttered, desperate:

“I don't understand, I thought 'twas just a bad dream, everyone was fine, don't understand, what in the name of the Eight could've done somethin' like this —”

The disbelieving mumbles trail at his wake, making it clear he does not know what is going on at all — in fact, you may have a better idea as to what has happened than he does. But as you turn to follow him, open your mouth to yell at him to stop... everything around you shatters.

The lights in the buildings grow dim and break; the smell of food disappears; the horses in the stables simply fade away. You notice that if you were wearing or carrying something you bought while here, it too disappears, your clothes turning to those you had on upon arrival, all equipment shimmering away slowly.

But perhaps most importantly… the frozen statues of people crumble into ash right in front of you. It may fill the floors of the now-silent, dusty and worn-down houses, or it may blow away with the harsh desert wind — whichever it is, sans the team, the town of Scorpion’s Bend is now devoid of people.

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// PART I.THE DREAM DEFERRED  

The town that now surrounds the team is very different from the one it used to be — the houses are quiet, filled with sand and dust; doors broken, tables turned over, drawers open and mostly empty, aside from anything not valuable. The beds in Thornbush Inn are ragged, insects of various sizes skittering along the floors. The Saloon is dusty, furniture broken, and a lone piano stands in the corner, half its keys having crumbled away. The door to the Mayor’s office is ajar, a banging sound repeating as it hits the wall in time with the wind.

1.0   In the corners of the Sheriff’s office, the school and the church, the embera slither along, searching for food; owl-shrews hide from the Orbers on the streets, while feathered coyotes howl at the five moons now lending their light to see the town’s destruction better. The team may be the only living humanoids, but they are not the only living beings in the town anymore; in the absence of people, animals have made the town their home. And coexist they must, now, to survive the rapidly dropping temperature of the night that has fallen upon them.

2.0   The next morning, as the moons disappear underneath the horizon and let the two suns bring out their scorching rays once more, the team wakes up to the reality of having to survive Scorpion’s Bend… with very little supplies. So search the empty houses, for they still stand; the fire that has burned away the people has not touched the buildings… but they have not been immune to the passing of time, or the harsh weather in the desert. You may find clothing, basic equipment, pots and pans left on a now-cold stove; but no valuables, no money, no gems, no jewelry, no weapons.

But amidst your search through the town, remember that what you need, first and foremost, is to find water and something to eat — it will not be long until the suns are high in the sky, and some of you are already in desperate need of proper nourishment, without being left to endure the scorching temperatures the days on the planet of Badrock bring.

3.0   But should you want to brave the heat, you’ll find it is now possible to leave the town and venture out into the desert. Out there, the rock dragons search for prey, while bald vultures circle above your head in groups of three or four, their shrieks growing in volume the farther you walk. If you show weakness, any weakness, they strike — and the dragons, sensing their chance, are not far behind.

And when you least expect it, the ground underneath you trembles, like a small earthquake is approaching you… and then you see it: from the sand, a whale surges up, then another, and another, arcing through the air like suspended there, before the sand swallows them once more. Should you get too close, you too may be swallowed underneath the sand; unless you’re very, very careful, or have in your arsenal something else that may help you to deal with these near-immortal giants that have swam across the deserts for hundreds of thousands of years.

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// PART II.YOUR WAKE UP CALL  

Time passes at a snail’s pace without the comforts of the town you were used to. Scorpion’s Bend is now a wasteland you must survive, and it clearly isn’t easy. Some of you might question whether retrieving the orb is still an endeavour worth pursuing after all of this, but the rest of you know that it is. That you’ve come this far and you’re nearly there; you just need to band together and form a gameplan.

As the suns begin to set over the horizon on yet another grueling day of scorching heat and rough, dry sand in the ghost town of Scorpion’s Bend, you might begin to hear a distant thunder that has nothing to do with an oncoming desert storm or otherwise. It rattles at the already weakened structures of the old Saloon and the General Store, bits of broken glass and debris vibrating with the raucous sound of clattering hooves, feet, and paws. And as the sound of the invasion grows louder – you’ll hear the unmistakable manic howling and bellowing in accompaniment: these are the Bouldersnakes that some of you have already heard much of.

4.0   The Bouldersnakes are not a group to be taken lightly, and have garnered the fearsome reputation that they now hold for a reason. Kicking up dust, they arrive like a cloud of chaos in different sizes, shapes, and forms. Some have the ability to shrink and grow in size to match their opponents in physical size and weight. Other Bouldersnakes are agile and quick; and others yet are superhumanly strong and robust – either way, they make for formidable opponents when you, yourself, have been weakened from weeks of a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The individual members of the Bouldersnakes are like a band of bloodthirsty brothers: from all walks of life and all colours and creeds, with a severe and mean streak to them, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

What goals, you ask? Should you listen carefully, their leader, riding a winged lizard-like creature, shouts to their underlings:

“Find it! This is where it told us to come to. We missed it last time, but no more! I don't care what we have to do, we're getting our hands on that thing!”

As it so happens, you are not the only crew in search of that elusive orb; the Bouldersnakes have been tracking down the whereabouts of this mysterious and all-powerful object themselves, burning through towns – quite literally – to get it. News that Scorpion’s Bend has seen a resurgence of life and might still be the resting place of the orb has the bandits seeking out the town again. Their first round through Scorpion's Bend about a year ago had them coming up empty-handed (save for a few bits and baubles), but this time they are determined to find what they've come here to find. Though if there’s anything left here to salvage... they’ll ransack as they please.

Whether you confront them head-on or they catch you in hiding, they won’t easily back down from a fight. It will be best to keep your distance if you can manage it, and hope that they’ll pass you by. But the Bouldersnakes have their weaknesses too: once maimed, they still bleed, and none of them are immortal, though they are notoriously difficult to kill based on their talents alone... and when they carry weapons, too, well — those not accustomed to battles may find it best to hide. And even for those with fighting experience under your belt, teaming up with your fellow Orbers and combining your shared skills will be your best chance at survival.

5.0   By the time the suns have disappeared and the moons have risen, the Bouldersnakes invasion will make the bandit attack from the other night seem like a childish tussle. The Bouldersnakes don’t play nice and have adapted to the harsh lands as ruthless survivors. They arrive like a wave, many equipped with weapons: guns, sabers, pistols and small knives. A few others have engineered their own specially crafted weapons made of metal and magic (in the shape of guns, blow-torches, and blades) that wield a special element harnessed from mined ore called ‘pulsefire’. It is this pulsefire, glowing a deep blue (like the hottest colour of flame), that has the capability to destroy all living beings and allows the bandits to systematically ravage unsuspecting towns down to ash, reap its benefits (either for the town’s riches and wealth, or and especially: for any supply of ore), and then leave without a trace.

The best way to fight against pulsefire is to acquire weapons of pulsefire of your own and best a Bouldersnake before they best you. (Think high stakes, noon-time duels of the pistol.) Of course, this is a very risky and very dangerous affair as one shot by pulsefire could mean your untimely demise and the element itself isn't easy to put out either, so it might be best to work in teams to strategically disarm and swipe a pulsefire weapon to use before they manage to overwhelm you.

NOTE:   If your character is alive, your character will be vulnerable to the effects of pulsefire. Unliving things such as buildings and infrastructure will not be affected. Pulsefire has a slow spread-rate over unliving things, but its effects on the living are instant. Once in contact with the element, pulsefire quickly consumes the living body and spirit until it is turned to ash. Putting pulsefire out over unliving things is relatively easy, but once pulsefire has touched the living, there's little to no chance of making it out in one piece.

All through this, you must still remember your goal — it is not to stay in Scorpion's Bend, or even fight the Bouldersnakes, but to find the orb... and that means finding Welford Branson. How will you convince him to give you the orb, when all signs point to him not even knowing what it is, or what it has done? That is what you must decide... if you survive the Bouldersnakes in one piece, of course.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place ICly right after the end of the NPC thread.

• The voting for how to get the orb is now open! Please head HERE to submit your idea for how the team should proceed to get the orb, or +1 others’ ideas.

• The conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on February 13.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪

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Comments

[hatejakku]

[ Finn nods, understanding what Jim means, before he makes his way to the kitchen.

It's just as small as it appeared from the outside, but that at least means he won't be here for very long. So Finn picks a corner and begins going through every pantry and cupboard that he could find. The spoils aren't unexpected, anyway. No weapons, no significant personal affects, no random orb just sitting there waiting for one of them to grab it. But he does find some food, though, every can of which he places on the table as he finds them, sorting into groups of things that are probably fine and probably aren't. Not enough but it's something.

When he hears footsteps and turns, part of him entirely expects for James to be standing there even though the rest of him knows exactly where his lover is. So, really, he shouldn't be surprised when he sees total strangers carefully stepping through the entrance. They look familiar enough for Finn to place them, though, and it doesn't make him feel better. ]

Bandits in the house. Front door.

[ The quick text is sent to James in warning, kind of hoping that the other will run but well aware that he will not. Finn, for his part, decides now is a good time for his hand to inch towards the gun at his hip. The movement itself garners attention from the first one to enter, though, and there's three of them inside now.

The first shouts loud enough to echo through the house as he turns his gun on Finn, who ducks around the wall for cover just in time, a shot ringing that he could swear flies hardly an inch from his ear. He's got his gun in his hand now but he's pinned and trying to think through a few options before one of the bandits will decide to just shoot him through the wall. ]

[winscenario]

[ The rooms are a bit farther away, or at least separated enough from the main door that it takes him longer to notice someone has come inside. Finn's warning rings in his mind just as he hears more footsteps than just Finn's, and he abandons the few blankets he was collecting to grab his phaser instead.

Of course he's not running. That Finn would think that he would, even for a second, is the real shocker.

He doesn't get to answer Finn's warning before shouts ring out through the house, and the first shot pierces the air, almost too loud in Jim's ears. He's still quiet and careful as he makes it back to the front of the house, and thankfully the three Bouldersnakes are more focused on Finn than their own surroundings, so Jim manages to sneak up on them from behind with relative ease.

Just after that shot, there's a smoother sound of shots being fired, this time from Jim's own phaser. He's set it to kill, not wanting to take any chances, and he shoots at the one standing farther behind the others, hitting him square between the shoulders. ]

There's another one—

[ That's all one of the thugs says before a few other shots ring out, one of them turning to retaliate against Jim. Hiding as best as he can around a corner, he ducks out again to fire at them both repeatedly, if nothing else then at least hoping to disarm them. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Finn's not surprised by the sound of Jim's phaser but he is really panicked about it, especially when the attention of their attackers turn away and towards their new threat.

He manages to use the surprise to his advantage, shooting and killing another of the bandits, but there are too many. One of them will get a lucky shot in. One of them could kill James.

There is no plan. He acts on instinct, gathering the thought of what needs to be done and simply making it happen. Maybe he's getting better at this. Either way, one of the bandits is swept off his feet, slammed into a wall for seemingly no reason and doesn't move again. Another, one disarmed by Jim and stumbling from what just happened, is shot. The third-

The third drops his weapon as he rises from the floor, Finn's arm outstretched to him with eyes angry and just as afraid as the bandit clawing at his throat for air. ]

[winscenario]

[ Jim is as shocked by the first thug getting thrown right into the wall as the group seems to be. Eyes wide, he startles, his phaser lowering as the situation descends further into chaos. A shot rings out and he lets out a sound, whipping around to see the second shot dead on the ground, and the third held up in the air, struggling desperately.

But Jim's eyes don't linger there. They go to Finn instead, heart lurching up his throat at the way he's clearly got a grip on him. And that look in his eyes—

He rushes over, a hand wrapping around Finn's wrist, not quite trying to tug it down. He knows it would be pointless anyway, and he would rather Finn did it on his own. ]

Finn! Finn, Stop that. Stop that now.

[hatejakku]

[ It takes a beat from when Jim starts speaking for Finn to realize what he's saying. When he does, no sooner than the words have left Jim's lips, the bandit falls back to the floor. He's alive, on his knees, gasping for air, and Finn would do something about that if he could stop staring for long enough.

He doesn't realize what just happened, what he had just done, until the bandit begins to make a run for it. Even though he jolts as if to follow and stop him (they must be scouts, he can't report back), Finn feels the pressure of Jim's hand around his wrist and ultimately doesn't move.

It feels a little like it had happened to someone else but... no. He used the Force and he used it to choke someone, far more than was necessary to kill. There's a long list of reasons, excuses, but it doesn't really matter. Especially since... James had seen the whole thing.

He doesn't speak up. He doesn't know what to do. The anger's gone but the fear is left, only a different sort for different reasons. ]

[winscenario]

[ Jim feels genuine relief that Finn promptly eases up and lets go of the bandit. He knows it's bad if they go back and report that they've found people here, but murder wouldn't have solved the issue. Whatever group they belong to would be equally suspicious, if not more, if they didn't make it back eventually.

It's a double-edged sword, and they were screwed either way they went about it from the moment they laid eyes on the pair of them.

Either way, they're definitely in trouble now. The added urgency to all this means that they can't just stop and talk about what's just happened, and despite Finn's shocked stare meeting his own wide eyes, Jim chooses not to address any of it. He releases Finn's wrist instead, gripping his phaser tightly again. ]

Come on. It's only a matter of time before more show up, and we need to let others know.

[hatejakku]

[ At least if no one reported back, maybe they'd have time or the element of surprise. As it is, Finn can't see the bandits lingering on an attack. It's coming. Today.

This knowledge doesn't snap him out of it, though, as much as he'd like it to. Finn's far too caught up in what he'd just done, the repercussions of it, what this says about him, what this says about everything he's been going through for the last week and a half--

Jim letting go of him feels... cold? Less warm. Either way, it brings him back to the moment. In a perfect world, he should probably have a moment to freak out and process, but there is no time and he's almost grateful for it. An excuse to put off reality in favor of what's about to happen. Which... the ensuing attack feels like it's on a much smaller scale than what could be coming, like he'd just thrown a pebble in an ocean and the tsunami is on its way. Isn't that what Kirigan said he was? A tidal wave?

Dammit, stop, focus. He blinks hard and takes a deep breath. ]

We'll send a message out. [ They weren't the only ones gathering supplies. The Orbers are scattered, and the minutes are flying by fast.

He steps over the bodies to make a hasty exit. ] We'll secure the practice and saloon, build a line, work our way out from there. [ Medical supplies and provisions. They can't lose that stuff, not if this fight's going to be as bad as he thinks it will. ]

[winscenario]

[ Not good enough leverage to be worth the witting murder of any of these thugs, no matter their motives or how far they might be willing to go. That would make them no better, after all. But Jim knows he's the outlier when it comes to that, that most people would think Finn's reaction reasonable and justified. Not quite self-defense, but close enough to look the other way.

Jim's just going to put that away for later. Add it to the list of things they absolutely need to talk about once they're back on the station. ]

Do that. Those three ran into us, but it's likely there are more sneaking around, checking other areas of the town.

[ And the practice and saloon are definitely top of the list of concerns. If they get there, it might mean losing all their supplies, either stolen or destroyed. So that's straight to where Jim's headed, as they make their way out of thehouse. ]