( july event log )

[hownkai]

Who: Everyone
When: July 2nd and on
Where: The Moira + Caducan ship
What: The crew prepare to fight the Caducans.
Warnings: Death, Body Horror. Please label your content!

E V E N T

the glass menagerie "I want the world to be fragile. There is no place to hide a dark heart." After the missive from the people aboard the vessel carrying those from Caducus Secondary, the Moira is alive with preparations for defending the ship. No matter how big or small, each individual is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting themselves and their fellow crew members at all costs. With the Captains having divided them into teams to devise appropriate Plans of Action, they have decided to merge all the ideas into a singular strategy and have relayed it to the entirety of the crew via the MID. Everyone has been given a vital part to play, and although the Captains realize that some aboard are passive, now isn’t the time to be idle. Now is the time for action. ☄ Step 1: Negotiate & Infiltrate With this part of the plan enacted, a small number of those who have volunteered to attempt negotiations have been heard by the Caducans and have been temporarily “invited” to board their vessel. However, due to this highly stressful situation, a portion of the offensive team have been asked to accompany them in order to disable as much of the opposing ship and its crew to force them to evacuate onto the Moira. Regardless of time and what reparations are offered, negotiations ultimately fail. The Caducans want the debt of their planet to be paid by the people of the Moira with their very lives. While boarded with the Caducans, they will attempt to incapacitate the negotiation party through violent means, and it will be the responsibility of this particular team to attempt disengage the Caducans’ ship to prevent it from attacking the Moira. However, despite all efforts to sabotage their systems, the ship itself shuts its primary units into Lockdown Mode. All Moirans are forced to make a decision: stay and be shut inside an unfamiliar ship with the remaining Caducans who are still out for blood or make an attempt to flee to the emergency escape units on that ship with the other Caducans who have used them to head straight for the Moira. ☄ Step 2: Offense & Defense Meanwhile, back on the Moira, the crew must work to secure the ship against the incoming assault by the Caducans after having left their ship via emergency escape units. This means that some of the defense team will have disabled the gunnery to make it look as if the Moira is defenseless and secure the rest of the area with those on the offense team. There is no place for mercy; the Caducans will board the ship through the Cargo Bay. They are not interested in granting it to the crew after all the losses they suffered at Caducus Primary. The only choice will be to fight for their lives (kill or be killed) or find a way to lure the Caducans into the Ingress room to send them to some unknown place where they will no longer be a threat. The Captains have given all members of the crew leave to use whatever means necessary to protect both themselves and the ship’s systems from the invaders. Failure is not an option. ☄ Step 3: ???? & Step 4: Profit In the aftermath of the fight, the Moira is in a state of devastation. Bodies of the Caducans as well as some of the Moira’s own crew can be found in the hallways. Those who were stuck aboard the Caducan ship have either been rescued or rescue attempts are underway. This is the time to recover, to calculate what has been lost and come together as the crew the Captains have wanted since the Ingress had brought them aboard. Any and all Medbay personnel will be at the crew’s disposal, though the Captains will be focusing their attention on the Ingress room and what has become of it after having thrown so many people inside it. The Ingress technology is broken. Various events on planets and on the ship have shown that fixing it is near impossible, and that it is entirely unpredictable in nature. The Moira’s Ingress had recently turned off, sending the ship into a slight freefall before it restored and righted itself. Hours after sending the remaining Caducan crew members through the Ingress, the swirling blue light goes still and emits a pulse that ripples out in waves as far out around the ship as a few miles. For one lingering breath, it’s impossible to move, a near blinding light surrounding every crew member. The rush of wind is the only sound that can be heard. Moments later, every Moiran, even those that were on the Caducan ship, are now in the same place. The Ingress has malfunctioned, causing time and space to overlap—the two ships have twisted together into something unseemly and new. ☄ Shattered & Swept Aside Parts of the Moira have ceased to exist. Areas of the ship have become crystalline and transparent. There are rooms that were never there before. The Mess Hall is gone, replaced by a single empty room devoid of all furniture. The tree at the center of the garden is still there exactly as it was except it is now made of glass. The floors are a jarred mess of glass and steel, and there is broken glass littering the ship. The air filtration systems are going into overdrive to clear out the miniscule particles floating everywhere. So, sometimes, too deep a breath may end with inhaling shards of glass. The clothing you’re wearing might have turned to glass, doors are sealed shut, and it’s hard to discern where the Moira starts and the Caducan ship ends. Everyone has only one job: be careful of the glass. ☄ We Break Fast, We Are Glass The crystalline glass that is woven into the ship is now possibly a part of the crew. The transition from skin to glass might be painful or feel as if it’s always been that way. Hair has turned to glass, and arms, eyes, patches of skin or entire bodies are now transparent and reflect light. Joints may be stiff, or flex and move as good as they did before. If a crystalline hand is smashed against a wall it might break, or dent steel. For those who need medical attention, all staff have been summoned to the Medbay once more to help their fellow crew. Prosthetics and coverings will be made and offered to ensure that the glass doesn’t get broken or to prevent further breakage. Crew may assist each other in finding a way to remove the glass, or leave it as it is until a permanent solution can be found. ( ooc; When it comes to barracks, each player can decide if their room has ceased to exist for the event or not. Characters that have roommates need to decide together what they’d prefer. The amount of glass that a character has turned to is up to the player, as well as if it is painful or uncomfortable in any way. For questions, please go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! ) ( Other helpful links: Original Negotiation Plan | Defense Plan | Offense Plan )

Comments

leia organa

[imahologram]

just before - locked to clara

[When she sees Ben among their party, her stomach drops. He's not negotiation, and he's not offense. Moreover, he's a danger to everything they're doing here--and he's putting himself in danger by virtue of shadowing their leader.]

Clara, can we talk? [She can't show her concerns in her face or voice; it feels like they end up in her chest, taking up the space her lungs should have.] Privately.

among the caducans

[Negotiations are like talking to a brick wall, though Leia gives it everything she has. Eventually, she's even willing to bring it to much more personal levels--what else do they have to go to?]

Your grief is one we share closely. My planet was destroyed before my eyes several years ago...

[Telling the story does nothing except exhaust her. On a break from negotiations, when she's out of sight of the Caducans (and, she hopes, her teammates), she lets her eyes close and her shoulders slump. This is exhausting.

But not nearly so exhausting as the realization that the they're locked into a strange ship. Leia's first concern is the negotiators whose skills don't extend to battle; with a limited number of escape pods, everyone who can't handle blaster fire or hand-to-hand combat needs to return to the Moira.]

Go--go! If you can't fight, get out of here now.

[And then they're trapped.]

How are you doing? When's the last time you ate something?

[There's no telling how long they'll be here. Their best bet for the moment is to keep out of the Caducans' sight and make sure they're at full strength--or the fullest strength they can manage, anyway.

While she's at it, she sends a text Han and Luke's way.]

Negotiations failed.
Ship in lockdown.

glass

[She's barely back on the Moira by the time the Ingress malfunctions, standing in the cargo bay and in the middle of saying something to someone--who, what, the details are nothing compared to the sudden light and the long moment when everything seems to freeze.

And then they're in a sparkling, not-quite-right cargo bay. The place is riddled with glass.

Leia can hardly turn her head to look around. When she tries to speak, the sound is muffled and incoherent; her jaw is similarly near-frozen in place. From her temples down to her shoulders, her flesh has been replaced by glass. It's translucent, leaving the colours but not the details of the scenery behind her visible.

Her eyes widen when she realizes something's wrong. One hand goes scrabbling to her throat, the other reaching toward her companion. Help me.]

glass........

[redshitlord]

[He's lucky. Ish. About as lucky as someone can be, in this situation. Just the tips of his armor turned, nothing vital. It's entirely cosmetic. Unlike the other damage -- the bullet holes and damaged arm.]

[Nevertheless, however, he's looking for anyone. Survivors. Friends. Anyone still moving.]

[His expression brightens when he sees her. Leia. She's okay! She's...]

[That expression falters in a heartbeat.]

Leia! What --!

[He's trying to get to her. What does he do. How does he do...]

[imahologram]

[Whatever happened--she can't see the damage, only feel the way a few of her joints have grown near-immobile--it's left her skin smooth and cool to the touch, with none of the give of skin. Something cold settles in her gut, something she refuses to call fear or worry.

When she hears Sideswipe call, she looks up, wild-eyed, and tries to yell his name back. Two indistinct sounds escape her as she points at her mouth. Maybe he'll understand what's going on.]

[straightouttacarbonite]

On my way.

[She can't be surprised at that, right? For once he replies in text, because that way it's easier not to argue, that way it won't give her away if she's not alone. But, yeah, he's coming. The Falcon has been clinging to the side of the Moira, just waiting for the word that negotiations had broken down.

He's planning on doing his part, too-- disabling any weapons systems he can target, taking care of any light craft the enemy sends his way-- but, priorities. Leia's on that ship-- probably other people, too-- he's not doing a damn thing until they're safely off it.]

[imahologram]

Flight deck

[She jabs the letters in as she makes her way there, no more willing to argue than Han. The best thing they can do, at this point, is get off the ship--nothing is going to change now that everyone's been thrown into an uproar. They're sitting mynocks as long as they're on unfamiliar turf, and the Caducans are ready to shoot.

On the way to the deck, she keeps an eye out for other Moirans in need of an escape, but her path doesn't take her across any of their crewmates. It also keeps her out of the eyes of the Caducans' weaponry for the most part, though she has to punch one out. When she makes it to the deck, her hair's starting to come unpinned on one side, but she's otherwise fine.]

[straightouttacarbonite]

[You know things are dire when the two of them aren't mincing words. Not that he's worried, except, you know, he's worried.

It takes him longer than he likes to get there, teeth gritted, the Falcon swerving a little too wildly without a copilot. That'll teach him to hurry.

But it's a lesson for another day-- he's still hurrying, running for the exit as soon as the freighter's touched down, on the boarding ramp almost before it's fully lowered, blaster in hand.]

[imahologram]

[The Falcon has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion, but Leia can't remember the last time it was quite this reassuring to see it. She hurries toward it, keeping her eyes peeled for any Caducans who might see this as an opportunity to get a shot in.]

Let's g--

[Something cuts the word out from under her, and it's a good thing they don't have time for arguments, because the only explanation she has is I have a feeling. Leia stops short, tearing her eyes away from the boarding ramp so she can look up at Han.]

Ben's still on the ship.

[We have to find him is implicit, she hopes.]

[straightouttacarbonite]

[What she says and what he hears are parsecs apart.]

What? [Can't he take care of himself? he doesn't say, though it's kind of evident in his tone.] Isn't he with--

[You know. Darth Vader. Her father. The Jedi they've all been carefully avoiding mentioning, who's still Obi-Wan's main priority... which is understandable, and maybe it's even understandable that this might be what breaks Leia's resolve to have nothing to do with him.

But it'd be a hell of a lot easier if they didn't have to get involved in this mess.]

[imahologram]

[Ben Solo--Kylo Ren--was supposed to be on defense along with Han. The fact that he's here is reason enough to be confused, as far as Leia's concerned; that they're talking about two different Bens hasn't yet occurred to her.]

Our team leader brought him along as a bodyguard.

[A fact Leia's still annoyed about, and she doesn't bother hiding it in her voice. These talks were a farce to begin with, but bringing someone so unstable to glower behind them as they made their case...Leia still thinks it was a terrible idea.

(That he actually behaved himself isn't something she has time to think through at the moment. They have to find him.)]

I know you don't get along, but we can't leave him. [He's our son. She gestures with her head towards the door, starting away from the Falcon.]

[straightouttacarbonite]

I don't--

[It takes him until she's already walking to untangle the conversation he didn't realize they were having.]

Wait, him?

[Okay, yeah, who the hell thought bringing Kylo Ren as a bodyguard was a good idea? For that matter, who the hell here could convince him to do it? Uncharitably Han wonders-- just for a moment-- if that's why things went as badly as they did.]

He's not gonna come with us.

[With Han, anyway.]

[imahologram]

Of course him. You didn't think--

[Of course he did. They know two Bens now, and Leia might be the only person who looks at Kylo Ren and thinks Ben Solo. But the point stands, and she's not going to wait around and discuss it. Their time is limited, and their son is somewhere in the Caducan ship.]

Well, he's not staying here. We have to find him.

[However much he seems to hate his father, he can't turn up an escape, can he? Leia hopes not. She stretches out her senses, as Luke taught her, looking for the brittle temper she associates with Ben.]

[straightouttacarbonite]

I did think, 

[he snaps back, a bit surprised at his own irritation. He only knows one Ben, really; the old man, who isn't so old now.  Ben Solo is an abstract, little more than a story-- her holo told them a little, but it's not the same as knowing someone.  It's not that he wants to disavow the relation-- though maybe he should-- but calling it what it is stings.  His son, who doesn't want to be his son at all.  She isn't wrong-- he's following her already, in spite of his uncertainty, but dealing with the loss of something he's never had takes time he doesn't have right now to spend.

But if she can get Kylo to be civil-- maybe she can-- then maybe it won't go as poorly as he expects.  Trying not to think of the sound of tearing metal or the wild look in his son's eyes, he leans carefully around a corner, scouting for enemies or stray crewmates alike.] 

How are we gonna do that? 

[Other than listening for yelling. If there's yelling, they're probably on the right track.] 

[imahologram]

[She rolls her eyes at his rejoinder, but there isn't time to answer. It takes all of her concentration just to find the Force inside her these days; it comes even less easily than it did when she was struggling just to clear her mind for meditation. These days, she's been skipping her exercises more often than not, and when she does make the attempt, she can't seem to do much of anything.

It's been this way since she and Luke talked about Ben. About their father's fate.]

I don't know! [She bites back at him, her voice tightening against the worry starting to rise in her. It's not working, reaching out for him isn't working, and it's the only tool they have on their side. Leia clenches her jaw as they come up on a corner, flattening herself against the wall before taking a quick glance out.] He has to be here somewhere.

[Ben, she thinks, wondering if she can still project outward, and then corrects herself to Kylo. Kylo, we're looking for you.]

[outer_space]

[ When he bothers, Kylo Ren distinguishes Caducans by their grief—a leak sprung, a pulse throbbing, a second skin. But for the most part he just cuts them down. The red of his lightsaber flashing off the walls like a warning.

At breaks in the fighting—abrupt moments he seems to stumble into—he casts out with the Force, searching for Clara and grasping for his mother's presence, reassurance that she's alive.

He almost misses it. Her presence in the Force is tentative, so unlike her. Foolishly, he holds his breath to listen and a Caducan leaps at him from behind.

No time for words. Kylo shoves feelings back at her: danger and devastation and grim certainty. A wordless no like a blast of wind, pushing her away. ]

[bosswald]

[Clara's been talking with some members of the group, and had been talking quietly to Kylo Ren right before Leia approached her. When the other woman does, Clara smiles a little and nods.]

Course we can.

[Not sure if something's wrong or Leia has any other input for what's to come, Clara heads through the gathered people until they find as secluded of a spot as possible. They're inside a small room off where everyone else has gathered, with a window that looks out. Her eyes glance over to Kylo, making sure he stays put, then back to Leia.]

What've you got on your mind?

[imahologram]

Kylo Ren.

[There's no point in beating around the bush--they have limited time for this discussion, and the way Ben's staring in at them, Leia's sure it's best they speak quickly.]

What's he doing here?

[bosswald]

[Not getting why it is Leia would be concerned about this, her nose wrinkles up in confusion. ]

I asked him to be here with me.

[She glances back over in his direction, pulling an amused face as they make eye contact and she gives a light shrug of her shoulders.]

He's here to make sure I don't die.

[imahologram]

[That's...quite the role to offer Ben. Leia's brows furrow slightly, and she resists the urge to look back out at him.]

We have plenty of trained fighters here with us. Is there any way we can send him back to the Moira?

[bosswald]

[Only becoming more perplexed by this, Clara glances back over at Kylo, then back at Leia. And then her eyebrows arch, because she feels oddly as if Leia is stepping in on her turf here.]

I trust him. I want him with me so I can ensure his safety in return. And you -

[She smiles, laughing softly, having the decency to try and cover her mouth.]

I'm not sure why it matters to you if he's there or not. Do you fancy him, is that it?

[imahologram]

He can take care of himself.

[If anything, they should be worried about just how much danger he'll put Clara in.

It's only her long years of experience that keep her mouth from dropping open at the question. There are intrusive questions, and then there's asking if she fancies her own son.]

No. [Firmly. And, hopefully, with the clear implication that they aren't discussing her relationship to him in any more detail. Leia doubts Ben would appreciate it if she gave Clara a clearer picture of their relationship.

She wonders for a moment if Clara asks because she's interested, but it's really beside the point at the moment.] He's dangerously unstable. We're risking the negotiations if we bring him into the room.

[bosswald]

I've already told him what's expected of him.

[She says it with the authority of someone that's used to bossing others around, but with a conviction that shows she really does trust him. If she didn't, she wouldn't have him here. Sure, he was upset that one time after they first met but she passed that off as his not liking being touched.

But she doesn't see how he'll risk the entire negotiation task just by being there.]

He'll behave himself. He knows that if he doesn't, he'll answer to me.

[And a part of her thinks that he doesn't want to disappoint her. Not after telling her that she's not an acceptable loss. She doesn't really get the connection between Leia and Kylo, but makes a note to ask him at the first sensible moment. After everything is said and done and they're back on the ship, safe. ]

Mind elaborating on the dangerously unstable accusation, though?

[imahologram]

We'll see about that.

[Muttered, as she tells herself not to roll her eyes. Clara's their group leader, and Leia knows how to defer to a person in charge, but accepting Ben's presence aboard the Caducan ship chafes. He's unlikely to bring them anything but misery.]

He's attacked more than one person since he arrived on the Moira, completely unprovoked. ["He existed" doesn't count as a provocation.] When he isn't in the middle of trying to beat others to a pulp, he doesn't have a diplomatic bone in his body. He's not going to be an asset on this mission.

[bosswald]

[Her eyes narrow a little, and she glances back over at him. She trusts Leia's sense of mind, but has faith that she'll be able to depend on Kylo Ren in this. If he ends up getting in the way, she'll take care of him herself. But she doubts that it will come to that. She has to have hope that the side of him he's shown her proves he's more well rounded than what's being said to her right now.]

He doesn't need diplomatic bones. He's not going to talk, he knows better than opening his mouth to try negotiating.

[She keeps eye contact with him for a few moments longer before spinning about to face Leia, looking confident that she'll keep him from doing that much, at least.]

He's powerful. The most powerful man I know. I feel safe with him there.

[imahologram]

Are you sure he does? [Clara's voice outweighs hers in this, and she knows it, but that doesn't mean she won't make her case. Especially when her explanation is enough to shift something in Clara's demeanour, send her gaze out towards the man watching them through the glass.] He's a dangerous person, Clara. He's volatile.

[And I wouldn't put it past him to sabotage us, she thinks. It's nothing that needs to be said--it's pure paranoia on her part, and she knows how that will sound to someone else--but it's impossible not to consider it. She's seen how little Ben seems to respect the niceties of negotiation.]

His power comes at a price. We're better off working without him.

[bosswald]

You're talking like you think you're going to change my mind or tell me what to do.

[Clara doesn't like pulling rank, because she generally prefers working with others and collaborating. The time for collaborating is over, and she's not about to go into this situation without someone she trusts as a guardian on her side.]

Whatever issue you take with him, whatever your relationship with him is, your opinions on what sort of man he is have been made abundantly clear. We don't agree on how valuable he is, and we don't have time to argue over this. He's coming, and I'll personally ensure that he stays in control unless he needs to lose it.