thisavrou_log | ( february intro log )

Entry tags:

( february intro log )

Who: Everyone
When: February 1st and on
Where: The Moira + Emiri
What: The crew finds themselves on the planet of Emiri
Warnings: Mentions of a corpse. Please label your content!

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famed & framed
"There will be no prison which can hold our movement down."

The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar.

Yet, unlike most new crew arrivals, this one is in the middle of chaos.

Despite more recent events, the planet of Emiri is not as peaceful as it once was. Frederick Link is still missing, and the authorities of Emiri have yet to lift the interplanetary ban they have placed on all space crafts docked at the aerospace. The captains previous held a meeting asking crew for any and all information that might help them locate the Komai, a mysterious group determined to undermine Link'd Inc's work providing flourishing matches across the universe by causing random acts of violence and protest across the three main cities: Harashan, Avelle, and St. Murtel. These things have led to mass arrests as well as an unsettling atmosphere spreading across the planet, and since a previous broadcast, things are beginning to escalate.

A downward spiral of these events begins as soon as new arrivals start to leave the Ingress—an unmarked box arrives in the cargo bay addressed to the inhabitants of the Moira. As per his job, Niko Bellic is the one to discover this box and open it. For some, the contents may be particularly gruesome. Link’s body is inside, clothed in a simple white button-down and pants (no shoes), and it looks as if letters have begun to bleed through the material. Anyone with expert knowledge of torture may note that Link was, in fact, tortured for information, and those letters? The writing itself spells out the name St. Murtel.

The captains, having been alerted of this, make an attempt to contact those at Link’d Inc. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done.

☄ First: MISCOMMUNICATION

Somehow, whether intentional or not, the Komai have once again hacked public systems and networks to brand those of the Moira as the ones behind these terroristic acts. They still use their own name, but the images are different, focusing on familiar faces wearing the ship’s uniforms and traveling to the Aerospace to return to the Moira. Not only that, there are short recordings of Link’s final words that mention a very recognizable name: Captain Thán. The Komai have redirected the blame to the Moira and its crew for their own means, and in response, any and all crew who are captured by authorities will immediately be detained and shipped out to unknown locations. The Captains send a message via MID and request everyone return to the ship to prevent this from happening. Yet, not all messages will be delivered depending on how far away they are.

With everyone’s safety hanging in the balance, the Captains have decided to take things into their own hands and find a way to lift the block on the Moira so they can leave Emiri’s orbit and avoid further repercussions regardless of whether or not any one of the crew wants to stay.

☄ Second: DECOY & DISTRACT

After learning that Benjamin Link, son of recently deceased Frederick Link, knows how to unlock the ship so they can leave, the captains ask for volunteers to act as decoys on a mission to the Aerospace in Harashan. Their job is to distract guards and Emiri citizens, leaving the path clear for Benjamin to get to the computers. The captains reiterate that they are to use nonfatal methods as they don’t want a repeat of the events on Caducus Primary. Without his help, the ship won’t be able to leave, making this mission critical and extremely time sensitive.

☄ Third: RESCUE

During the mission, Benjamin informs the crew that the Komai aren’t incorrect in their claims that Link’d Inc uses unforgivable means to obtain information in order to make their matches perfect. The children the crew dreamed about are just two of many—the offspring of Emirian citizens who had gone missing. It has long been suspected that Link’d Inc was involved in their disappearances, but only recently has the Komai done anything to shed light on these gruesome rumors. Benjamin, after successfully unlocking the ship, disables the security systems in St. Murtel, which will allow the children a chance to escape. They’ll need assistance in getting out of St. Murtel and to a pre-designated area in Avelle where a group of Komai and Emirians will be waiting for them.

But be careful. If anyone is recognized as part of the crew, they will be placed under arrest for treason and possibly never heard from again.

☄ Fourth: BREAKING OUT

Now that the computer systems in Harashan’s Aerospace have been used to release the Moira, the entire crew are being called back via MID for an expedient exit from Emiri. Crew will be asked to assist other Moirans in getting back to the ship as quickly as possible via transporters or other small crafts as leaving is their only option at this point. In the escape, Emiri launches an attack on the Moira in an attempt to stop them. The ship’s previously unused defense systems activate, and those assigned to those positions are required to man their posts. Perhaps even those who don’t have the clearance are needed. Either way, it’s time to leave.

☄ Fifth: REFUGEES

Now that the ship has finally escaped Emiri’s orbit, the crew will notice a group of stragglers in the main hall. During the crew’s quick exit, about fifty Emirians have taken refuge aboard the Moira, and the captains have agreed to take them to the closest planet so they may start again or live a life free of Link’d Inc “rule”. The captains ask the crew to help get them clothes and food for their short stay, no longer than a day at most, and to occupy them as best they can. Tell jokes, sing songs, bring up the kittens so that everyone can attempt to wind down after this series of unfortunate events. Light entertainment won’t be provided, but on request, some crew members may do just that.

( ooc; This plot is spread out over the first half of the month of February, and follows the order of the prompts listed above. Feel free to take as much time as you need to with your characters and use the info above for posts/logs at your discretion. For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's glad to see Snake, even if he'd write it off at the moment as just needing to tell him what happened. But it's sort of good to have someone that he can speak about this shit to as if it's nothing. Sometimes when people have bad reactions, it starts to actually bother him. And his small sense of self-preservation has been rooted entirely in the idea that it's completely normal for the world to be a fucked up place and he (and the people around him) will inevitably get dicked over.]

[So he's all ready to kick it into high annoyance, switching out of some irritated brooding.]

They fucked us, that is what happened. Someone left a box with the dead body of the Link guy in here. Carved something into his chest, and that wasn't even what killed him.

So you can expect the rest of our stay? Not going to be a very fun time.

[ This is definitely not the first time that someone's started an explanation to him with they fucked us, and it probably won't be the last. Snake lets out a breath as he mentally shifts into low-level crisis mode.

The body of Link'd, Inc's president left at their doorstep probably counts as that. ]

The Komai? [ It's really more of a rhetorical question. Who else would it be? But why the hell are they trying to drag the crew of the Moira into their little revolution? Snake understands that they're fighting for a good cause, but his sympathy might start to dry up depending on how this all plays out. ]

What was carved into him? And what actually killed him?

[ Snake gets the sense that their situation here is about to get really ugly. ]

I don't know. Not really. It seems stupid, but consider that his son is here. Maybe someone made it look as if his son is meant to be involved.

[He's irritated. And sort of wishes that he could have just disposed of the body. It would have been easier in the long run. Who knew that his ill-gotten skills could be so useful, except in the way that he's not actually been using them. Maybe he should have insisted. But the fact of the matter is he assumes the same as Snake; things are going to go bad.]

I don't know what killed him, but the words St. Murtel is carved into his chest.

[And also he doesn't know why the Komai would give them that location. Misdirection? Something actually there?]

The more things change, they more they stay the same, ah? [He crosses his arms and leans back against a box.] I didn't like this place, anyway. There was so much wrong with this obsession of matching. Maybe I am a sentimental guy but ah... Genes. Tests. These things shouldn't make why two people are together.

And they sure as shit should not be a reason to go to war and kill people over. [All the bitterness in the world. Genes, especially.]

[ Don't even talk to him about genes, Niko. After one conversation with Liquid, Snake has heard more than enough about them for his entire lifetime. ]

Whoever they're trying to implicate, they're dragging us into it too. [ Snake hasn't had any interaction with Link's son, but he knows Niko did. He wonders if he's been told about what happened to his father yet. It might be better to keep him in the dark for now, cruel as that might be. Not that Snake has control over how any of that goes down. ]

St. Murtel is definitely the shadiest of the cities on that planet. But we all figured that out already.

[ Niko isn't the only person who's expressed this particular feeling about how Emiri functions. Danny had said something similar, and Snake holds the same view. He may not be sentimental, but he still knows that this is wrong. ]

People will find any kind of reason to start fighting. Doesn't take much. [ He shakes his head and lets out a sigh, finding that familiar craving for a cigarette. ] So what happened to the body?

It is in cryo. I think I should have gotten rid of it. But it was moved.

[He can tell this system is corrupt. Leaving any evidence is idiocy. They're already framed. Might as well cover up themselves.]

[Unfortunately Link was in the captain's company when he was told. Otherwise Niko would have agreed. He had thought about how he'd felt about seeing his aunt's body in her house, how he couldn't stand for anyone else to see what those men had done to her. Benjamin had to see that.]

Newcomers are pretty easy to implicate in general. As an immigrant, I know this all too well.

[He also knows that he's actually good at doing what he's accused of. An endless cycle of suspicion; the lack of decent work driving him to his profession, and then his profession increasing suspicion.]

You ever been in a situation like that? Being framed or being scapegoat?

[ Whether or not it's a good idea to hold onto the body remains to be seen. There might be some extra information to be gleaned from it, and it's possible they'll need it as evidence to prove their innocence. Covering it up could only serve to make them look guilty.

When Niko shares his experience as an immigrant, Snake heaves out a breath. He'd grown up in the States and has never known how it felt to be an outsider, at least not on that scale.

Even so, Niko prods him for information. Snake gets the feeling he's asking out of pure curiosity rather than for some ulterior motive, so he doesn't hesitate too long before he replies. ]

More times than I can remember. [ The entire Tanker incident had been a ploy to frame him and Otacon as terrorists, after all. ] It never stops leaving a bitter taste in your mouth, though.

[ Snake turns to face the rest of the cargo bay, wondering how likely it would be for some force from Emiri to come storming through its doors. ] So what's your plan now? Keep your head down?

I've been in set-ups before. A man I worked for had me kill his partner, and then he tried to turn me over to a man who wanted me dead. Asshole. But I don't think laying low will be an option. We can move to another part of the city, can't leave. We're stuck.

[And it's concerning, to say the least.]

[He's a little glad he can talk to Snake about that sort of thing, in that detached way that comes with people who have had to live their lives like that. It's how he copes, being able to normalize it, to make it an average part of life.]

[If things like this are normal, are the way the world works, then they don't crush him.]

I guess we will need another plan. What was that suit you were wearing by the way? The ah.... [he hesitates calling it his slinky spy outfit.] I noticed the soles kept you quiet. [He just has his cheap sneakers for that.] It might come in helpful again.

[ This is really the only life Snake has known. As far as he's concerned, it is normal. He'd never been given the chance to be anything other than a killer. It's why he can talk about someone's death almost nonchalantly. People die every day. Which is why he barely blinks at Niko's story about how he'd been set up. ]

We need to figure out a way to get unstuck. We've already spent way too long on this rock.

[ The longer they stay here, the more they'll get dragged into Emiri's internal politics, and that's the last thing that any of them want. On the other hand, Snake doesn't think they've uncovered everything about this place yet. He doesn't like to leave a job half done. ]

It's called a sneaking suit. [ Not a particularly inventive name. ] If I know where I need to sneak into, that won't be a problem. It's what I'm trained for.

If we do that again? [He motions between the two of them.] I'll get better armor or something. That way we can do better.

But I think we did pretty good as it was, you know? I've worked with people before. But I only did so good with a few other guys. And you know? I got a pretty good feeling about you. That you got a good head on your shoulders. [Calmer than Niko's, anyway. He fights like a berzerker, his best trait in an all out battle being that he's incredibly difficult to stop.]

And you seem like the type that would stick by your friends. [He assumes he's Snake's friend. He's tolerated Niko badgering him for entertainment enough.]

[ It's a lot more than Snake's expecting to hear. He doesn't make friends easy, never has, but it's become more doable in recent years. Maybe because he's shifted the playing field, allowed himself to be more than some pawn ordered around by other people. He can live his own life now, and that means picking the people he spends time with too.

Sure, he and Niko are both here in the cargo bay because it's their job, but it doesn't feel like much of an obligation. ]

I'm used to working alone. With radio support, sure, but as the sole person in the field. You held up well. [ It's the closest he gets to a compliment, sorry.

After a moment of awkward hesitation, Snake draws closer and claps a hand on Niko's shoulder. ] Don't worry, I'm not the sort of person who leaves someone for dead -- not if we're on the same side. [ And they are. ]

You are quite the sweet talker. [He elbows him a little, before folding his hands in his lap.]

I was part of this unit when I was a kid. Sort of a unit- we were all boys from the village in a militia. I had just turned 18, we were already veterans even at that age. One of us turned on the others. Sold us out to the enemy.

Fucked off with a thousand dollars, and in exchange all of us except me and another who ran ended up in a mass grave somewhere on a hillside. After that, my village had no protection. The enemy could invade freely. I lost my home. The reason I am such an slimeball now is because I did whatever I could to take care of my family after that.

[He doesn't look at Snake when he's saying it, instead he's watching the damned robots. Because they're something else to look at.] I spent ten years hunting that asshole down. So what you say, even if it's a little bit, it means more than you think.

[The loyalty, that he wouldn't be betrayed, the intensity of how Niko latches onto his friends in general. Oh he's killed for lost loves, threatened family. But he didn't gracefully except the deaths of these young men he grew up with, even if they were fellow soldiers. They weren't expendable, the battlefield didn't turn people into pawns like leaders seemed to think. And if Snake was willing to get out there with him? He deserved that same sort of loyalty.]

[ The elbow to his side doesn't quite earn a smile from Snake, but his eyes do look a little lighter for a second. It's been a while since anyone kidded around with him like this.

Except then Niko starts in on a story, not the kind that you would read in a book while trying to forget about your life, but a story of his own screwed-up history. It's not like you can know a child soldier when you see one. Snake never would have guessed with Raiden, for instance, but every time he hears about another case like this it makes his heart a little harder, a little more angry.

Niko may not be looking at him, but Snake watches him silently as he explains, his own expression drawn and sobered. ]

I wouldn't call you a slimeball for fighting for what's important to you. [ What better thing to fight for? Not for money, not for glory, but for something that mattered. For something you believed in. ]

Did it help? Getting revenge? [ In Snake's experience, it doesn't actually fix anything, but he's curious to hear what Niko will say. ]

[He's a slimeball and he knows it. He fought for what he believed in the beginning, but after the war was over? Just a merc. Smuggler. Worse, sometimes. But when he remembers Darko?]

...I let him go.

[He's almost ashamed to admit it, because he didn't really feel any better. Not worse. But not better. Just that he didn't kill someone else in front of his pacifist cousin.]

Second time I had a chance for revenge, I went for it.

I don't know, I cam out feeling a lot of the same. I guess I am lucky in that I am not really a paranoid guy, just when someone I trust fucks me over, I am not too forgiving. I give everyone a fair chance first.

You shouldn't feel weak for sparring someone.

[ Even if Niko had eventually done the deed, which is what he seems to be implying. It turns out that Snake's theory had been right: it usually doesn't change much, getting revenge. Forgiveness isn't always easy either, though. There are definitely people in Snake's life who he could never forgive, although the list probably isn't as long as some would think. ]

A second chance is one thing. But when you deliberately ruin someone's life...

[ Snake trails off and shakes his head. Killing is not a sport, it's not something anyone should enjoy, but there are times when it's necessary. The way he sees it, better he dirty his hands than someone else. They're already covered in blood. And Niko probably feels the same way. There was never another chance for either of them. ]

I guess I feel more like I wasted so much time... I just didn't want to show my cousin more violence. Kill yet another person from his home.

Even if that person was a complete assholee.

[He glances over at Snake, mouth pursing up a little. He has that sort of understanding that comes with a man that's had to do things he regrets.]

Do you still do it? ... You know, when we're not moving big boxes and shit? Back home? Or did you get out?

[ Snake nods in understanding, because that urge to protect those who haven't already been tainted by war and violence is something he's struggled with too. He and Otacon have argued about it; Otacon's take is that he already designed a death machine, there's no pretending to be a civilian now.

As for Snake, that was never even an option, so at Niko's question he shakes his head. ]

There's no such thing as getting out for someone like me. The difference is that I'm fighting for my own ideals now, rather than carrying out someone else's orders for their agenda.

[ It might seem like a small distinction to someone who hasn't been in Snake's shoes, but for him it's huge. ]

I don't think I will ever stop being angry or wanting to fight. But it would be nice to at least not do it for just money.

[Seems like a simple wish, doesn't it? Sounds like Snake has everything going the way he wants. Niko's almost envious.]

The only reason I've been okay with this job is that it gives me more control over when I want to fight. On the other ship I was on? There was no choice.

[ It's never been about the money for Snake, that's for sure. Still, he's brushed elbows with enough mercenaries to know that not all of them are complete scum. He's in no position to judge Niko anyway, so he leaves that topic alone.

At the mention of Niko's previous ship, Snake goes to sit down on a supply crate and eyes him, curious not just because of the potential information but because he's gotten close enough to Niko to genuinely want to know more about him.

That's always a strange feeling. ]

What did they force you to do?

They blew up planets.

[There's absolute revulsion there, disgust he can't hide.] Had a system worked out where if you refused them, then they take your planet to destroy. If you resisted them, then they take your planet to destroy. You do not do what they want well enough? They torture you, maybe kill you to make a point. You kill yourself, you're breaking contract, they get your world. Your best luck was to die by accident.

But to tell you the truth, it just looked like a lot of what I already knew, except on the scale of whole worlds.

They had destroyed two places by the time I was brought here. In comparison, this isn't so bad. But even if we didn't have a choice... There are five of that crew on this ship now. I hope they don't come looking.

[ Snake remains silent and respectful as Niko explains, the horror of the situation settling somewhere into his bones. Niko has a point about it being the same sort of thing that they see every day, just on a larger scale, but it still involves millions of lives being taken, assuming these planets were inhabited.

Five of them are here? The Moira is definitely an upgrade, but Niko's probably right to be paranoid. ] What were you told when you were transferred? Or was it sudden the way that my arrival was?

[ If the captains here had taken Niko away from that situation, then Snake could understand why he might feel indebted to them -- or at least not dislike them as much as Snake does. ]

Sudden.

I am getting a little tired of being monitored against my will. I look forward to being free again. Maybe then I can get a better idea of how I want to use my skills.

[Then he shifts the subject, not wanting to dwell too much on the Nehada, the feeling of hopelessness he had. Because, to be honest, this is the most hopeful conversation he had in a long time. That maybe his violence, his ability to wreck things, wasn't entirely a force for terror.]

What's your real name, by the way? I have to think you have one.

...Mine is Nikola. Niko is a nickname. It means "nobody". Is okay, I like it. And some people call me "Nicky" or "NB". I'm good with those, too. But my real name is Nikola.

Assert your freedom here however you can. The captains might monitor us, but they don't intervene that often.

[ Even if their antics on Emiri might have gotten the locals worked up, the captains of the Moira hadn't had much to say about it. They can still make use of their skillsets here.

At the question about his name, Snake's gaze dips down to where his hands are clutched together in his lap. It's probably more of a shock that Niko didn't ask before now. He deserves to know, especially since he offers more insight into his own name. ]

My real name is David, but... a lot of the time, Snake feels more like my actual name. [ He shrugs and then glances up, a wry smile appearing on his face. ] You don't mind that your name means "nobody"?

Yeah. There is that.

[Though Niko's got a bad habit of asserting himself even when he shouldn't. He doesn't know how many interrogations he's gotten out of by being a smart-ass.]

My brother, when he was alive? He was a very smart guy and read a lot of books. So when I was being called "Niko" as sort of a mean joke, he pulled me aside and told me there was a normal man once who blinded a cyclops. When this big pissed off cyclops yells to know who did this to him? The guy says, "Nobody did." So then the cyclops runs off to tell all his asshole friends that Nobody blinded him.

And it's kind of true. I take down pretty important people. One after another after another. Men that thought they would be unbeatable. But they keep saying some dumb immigrant or peasant asshole did it. But it was just me. [He thumbs at himself.]

[A nobody.] And if you want to piss on some big man's grave, that is the way to do it.

[ As Niko explains the tale of the cyclops, Snake nods along. ] I know the story. [ He might be a soldier, but that doesn't mean that he's completely uneducated. Reading is something that he tries to do in his free time, although Mei Ling had still been able to surprise him with some of her proverbs.

It makes sense, though. If people forget about you, if they can't even remember your name, it makes it that much easier to get the job done. The best thing is to be underestimated.

After a pause, Snake bows his head and makes an admittance: ] I'm kind of jealous, actually. Where I'm from, people know my name. [ A beat. ] My codename, anyway. They think I'm some kind of legend. Makes the whole stealth thing a little more difficult.

[ It's not something Snake usually talks about, since the whole idea is enough to make him uncomfortable. Kids like Meryl and Raiden, they believed in his legend, and he can't figure out if he's done right by them or not. Still, it had been appropriate to bring it up here. ]

Really?

I always hated it. I mean... it is pretty obvious sometimes that it bothers me, that I don't like when people look down on me. But sometimes I wonder what real respect would feel like. I guess in ideas as well as how good I can kill people.

I can see how it would make things pretty shitty when people have made everything to expect for you. [That's something like English.]

You seem like a pretty normal guy to me.

[Normal to a Balkan psychopath.]

( february intro log )

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