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deep in the murk
"It comes first and follows after. Ends life, kills laughter."
With the outcome of the battle against the Caducans and the Moira having twisted together with their ship to form a strange combination of glass, metal, and organic parts (both across the ship and among the crewmembers), there is still the matter of the Ingress not functioning “properly”. It hasn’t worked correctly since the very first person arrived on the Moira through it, and there is little the Captains themselves know about its functions. However, now, more than before, it’s even worse than that. The Ingress malfunctions yet again. This time, though, it doesn’t simply combine time and space and objects around it—it encompasses the entirety of the ship and sends it far off into a completely different universe. Welcome to:
( click text for a rough map/layout )This puts the Moira closer to its final destination, and most of the glass has disappeared as the Caducan ship has been left behind aside from small things here and there (i.e., some of the walls in the corridors, random furniture in the rooming decks, the rooms themselves). Even the mess hall has permanently changed. Yet, there is some bad news that comes with this transition. The universe the ship is in is so terrible that it has been given its own name so that travelers avoid it altogether. Even the Captains themselves are aware of just how Bad News this universe is and had originally planned to take “the long way around” to avoid it. Anything shady or unsavory can be found in the Runoff, and while it might not appeal to the majority, it is simply second-nature to those who inhabit it. From arms trafficking to drugs, whatever one might think is illegal somewhere else is suddenly very legal and very dangerous.
Through the transition, some of the crew will accidentally end up on a nearby outpost specifically used for slave trade. It is a covered, temporary establishment used only for this purpose, meaning there are no open markets, hotels, or businesses of any sort. Stalls and tents line dirty streets, and ships litter the space around the outpost. This is a slave trade zone. People come and go but do not stay. Various lifeforms can be found here, and there are many different forms of slave trade happening. The motto “honor among thieves” does not exist in this place either. Crew who end up here will be “free”; however, this means that there is the potential to be taken and sold or kept by those of the Runoff. The Moira will not be close to this outpost, but the signals given from their MIDs will alert the crew to their location. Rescue, obviously, is imminent, but those who choose to help their fellow crewmembers must keep to small stealth missions using transporters or other crafts with one important detail in mind: they cannot bring attention or notice to the Moira itself.
Almost one-third of the crew has found themselves on the slave trade outpost, leaving the rest to plan for rescue. The Captains will immediately divulge all information that they have about the outpost, which is unfortunately very little outside of the stigma associated with the Runoff. The Captains will ask any MID techs or those with skills to create a program that allows person to person location; this function will allow crewmembers to search for those on the outpost via their MIDs. Rescue efforts are encouraged, and all the ships and transporters in the cargo bay will be available for public use. Crew will be told to be careful and quiet, bringing no attention to the Moira’s location, and most importantly, do not stand out. If crew look and act like they don’t belong there, others will notice. Stealth is the name of the game, and blending in is a necessity. ☄ time goes by slowly The unfortunate crewmembers who ended up on the outpost have now found themselves pursued by those looking to make a profit through slave trade. The standards of hard labor vary from owner to owner, but it is what it sounds like. Rough, hard work that will last as long as the body performing it can endure. If purchased, owners might examine their new property to determine what type of work they’d be best suited for and then split them up into holding areas until they are done with their purchases. Others might have their slaves begin work by cleaning their ship or holding stalls or packing up their tents and gear. The owners, and their needs, are as varied as the universe. Did you manage to escape? Or were you forced to work before you were rescued? ☄ and it seems to last forever Like the crewmembers taken by general labor owners, the murdersport slavers buy and take whomever they believe can last the longest in the pit. Some take those who appear to be strong or have great stamina, and some take those who are light on their feet or are quick-witted. Some crew are chosen simply based on appearance and how good they’ll look in their gear. If pursued, the slavers will do everything they can to capture the Moirans, and if captured, crew might be taken to a holding stall or a testing pit so that their skills can be witnessed by the public and tested. Some slavers want to show off their new property by throwing them into small roped off areas with other slaves, various creatures, or machines. Some make them stand up in front of groups and simply show them off, boasting that, at the next big event in the Runoff, they’ll surely win the grand prize. What kind of slaver has taken you? Will you be forced to fight before you rescue? Or will you not make it to the Moira before the Ingress pulls you back? ☄ but then it starts to fly ( cw: sex ) As is typical of this universe, slave trade comes in various forms. The most notorious being its illustrious sex trade. Slaves are bought and sold quickly and often, with no notable preference for appearance or species. Buyers come from all over to find slaves to work in their brothels, for personal use, as in-house entertainment, and much more. While the other two most popular type of slave trade don’t care as much about the physical well being of their property, these specific owners usually do. They might try to incapacitate first, so that the slaves aren’t bruised or cut, and if necessary, use binds until they can get them back to their ships or holding stalls. Some owners have their slaves cleaned and dressed in the finest attire, while others shove them into uniforms and tossed into stalls. Were you captured? Did you escape? Or were you rescued before something untoward occurred? What's more, events of the past always have a way of coming back to haunt you.
Months past, a monster terrorized the crew and left a very literal mark upon those that it touched. Those scarred by encounters with the Ploiatos will find their minds drifting as they work and go about their day. They may also find themselves in a different part of the ship than intended when they come back to themselves. It happens slowly, these small moments of lost time. But both before and after these events occur, one might notice that the scars seem to shift slightly. Where the patterns have been stable for months, suddenly the branching arms of the scars appear to be in a slightly different position than before. More often than not, those who lose time will regain awareness and find themselves in Navigation. When this happens, oftentimes Captain Manasseh will herd them out with a quiet, but undeniably firm, suggestion to visit the infirmary. More unsettling are the moments when they awaken in the I.L.R. standing outside the one door that should never be opened. As for those who were lucky enough to avoid encounters with the creature locked within, they must figure out how to deal with their friends and fellow crew who seem to walk around in a fog with no control of their actions.
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-07-19 01:11 am
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[Yeah, that's not really a plan, Link.]
You have any leads on where your friend might be?
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I thought I would find ways to clear a path so he could get out safe. I've done something like that before. [Kind of. He doesn't know what his chances are that there will be another conveniently placed beehive full of very large bees, but he hoped there would be... something.
But not even knowing where to start is a bigger concern to him. So for that question, he only shakes his head, guilt weighing his shoulders.]
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[He was feeling a little restless, anyway.]
Who're we rescuing?
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So, after a second's hesitation, Link nods. A partner... Yeah.]
His name is Kazuhira. [Oh, Link. If only you knew.]
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Alright. I'll help you find your friend.
[Ocelot has all he needs to get started so he nods and waits for Link to make any final preparations so they can go.]
You have any idea where to look?
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[By the time they find him, she's already had him loaded onto her ship. The race, whatever they are, have large, flat, downturned noses between beady little eyes. To them, humans are childlike and adorable, and this time there were a lot of those up for auction. Two big guys with here, and a combination of security and average stock workers milling around the ship, prepping it for lift off.]
[It's a nice sort of thing, and that could be a problem because it means the security is a little better. At least Miller can feel good that he's wanted by someone with a little bit of money (not really). Luckily the two most dangerous guards are busy holding him down while he goes through the last part, having a brand planted right between his shoulderblades, his still present uniform shirt bunched in an alien's tight fist and held back to keep his back exposed.]
[Shouldn't be too hard for them to find Kaz. It hurts, and they're receiving every insult in Japanese, Spanish, and English that he can kick up and at the top of his voice.]
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This is the place. All of their searching has made Link certain that this is the place, even before they... even before they can hear Kazuhira, in pain.
Link doesn't want to wait. He currently isn't wearing the Stone Mask, has it pushed up onto his hat to make talking with Ocelot easier in their hiding spot. He looks up at Ocelot, desperation clear on his face.]
I'm going. [He says it like a declaration, his hand on his mask, but he doesn't immediately run off. He's still waiting for permission, to make sure Ocelot hasn't noticed anything he hasn't. But -- Kazuhira's hurting. Link wants to go, now.]
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He can hear the man's screams, but as usual, Ocelot looks unfazed. As Link says he's going to go in, the man tilts his head and motions as though to say, 'be my guest.' He'd like to see what the kid can do.]
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[The harder part is now they want to try to dress him, and he's sober enough to put up a fight and there's no drugs anywhere around. Big strong guys, though. Humans are childlike to them in more than one way (stealth really is the better option here).]
[Kaz struggles to hold them off, pushing with hands and when those hands are restrained, pushing with feet.]
[They call two of the guards up front to come help them. Humiliating, but it's two fewer sets of eyes.]
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The guards outside have now gone inside, which is going to make things more complicated in a minute, but Link is careful to keep his footsteps as light as possible, just in case they can see past the mask. He can see the backs of the guards that used to be outside, and he follows them quickly, his feet pitter-pattering softly as he runs down the hallway.
Kazuhira is struggling against two people, now four people, and there's a fifth person in the room. This is going to be hard to do. Link doesn't think he has any chance of overpowering them, even as a Goron. He's going to have to figure out some way to draw them out of the room.
He backs out of the room and goes back down that hallway. He needs a distraction. A bomb is nice and loud. And if he could do damage to the ship, then even better. Now, where would be a good place to put a bomb? It took Link a long time to get used to the tech on the Moira, but the tech here is very different.
He passes by a room, and inside, he can see a bunch of squares of light. Screens? There are weird symbols on it. Good enough. Link quickly reaches into his bag, digs out a round, dark blue bomb, and sets it down in front of the computer. He fumbles with the fuse, but lights it without much fuss.
Now, to run.
He books it out into the hallway, holding the Stone Mask securely in place. He rushes down past the room where they're holding Kazuhira, stands on the side of the door that's away from the direction he set the bomb. Just a couple of seconds longer... and...
BOOMsizzlesizzleCRACKLE --
The lights flicker, and then go entirely out, only for the back-up lights to turn on. Link doesn't know what he blew up, but apparently, it was something important.]
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Once things were dark, Ocelot moved quietly and confidently out of hiding and headed for the room.]
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[One of them ends up with a boot in his face and starts trying to fight down the leg, and the moment another lets go of Kaz's shoulder his arm is grappling for something to hit him with.]
[Which is, unfortunately, a wooden garment holder of some sort so it doesn't do much good. The man grabs Kaz by his face, shoves him down against the floor, and starts yelling a moment later because a particular blonde has bitten the hell out of him.]
[The lights go out and they're immediately distracted. The two that were trying hardest to undress him stand. The one up by his shoulder forcibly rolls him over onto his stomach and shoves his knee into his back to keep him down while they discuss who's going to go look.]
[Ocelot has the good fortune to be infiltrating after Kaz has rendered his enemies frustrated beyond reason. They're as worried about him as they are about link. But he was expensive.]
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There are four of them in here. Link doesn't want to kill them, but how is he going to get them to let Kazuhira go? What items does he have that would be useful?
... He thinks he could probably pick one up. They probably still wouldn't be able to see him, even.
Will they think the ship is haunted? ... Are there ghosts in space?
Time to find out.
Link slips through the doorway and on up to one of the guards. He adjusts the Goron's bracelet on his wrist, making sure it's secure, and then...
To anyone else, it's going to look like the guard is floating for a moment. And then, he topples back as Link prepares... Then -- The guard is flying through the air, towards the one that's holding Kazuhira down.]
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Ocelot goes for one of the other confused guards and grabs him by the arm, twisting it back and then throwing a sound punch for the man's face. When he goes down he goes after the second guard who makes a blind swing for the would-be attacker. Ocelot ducks, quick as lighting and performs a chest strike to the man's body. The man staggers back and hits the ground; Ocelot is on him a split second later, grabbing the man by the head and slamming his head back against the ground to knock him out.]
Miller, you wanna get up? You're embarrasing yourself.
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[Kaz does get up to his feet, buckling up his pants as quickly as possible.]
Let's just move.
[Though he's still looking around to see where the hell that throw came from, even as he's moving quickly towards the door.] The slavers took my weapons. [He blinks hard at any changes at light, his pupils still not entirely recovered from hours of having been left drugged, or being without his glasses. Those should still be around here somewhere and he's not leaving without them.]