Table of Contents
Societal Structure
Cloudsdayle's authoritarian society is structured around a firm hierarchy of military and civilian tiered classes. The military classes and their government body hold authority over civilian classes and civilian governing bodies. Within each of the military and civilian classes there are tiers of authority rooted in a colour grading system based on the light spectrum. The system is not entirely rigid and has the possibility of social mobility for raising to higher tiers. Improving tiers grants prestige, greater rights, and wealth. But it also comes with greater responsibilities and possibility of tier loss due to misconduct or criminal activity. An increase in class by even one step comes with markedly improved quality of life however.
All pegasi in Cloudsdayle are born as red class citizens. Those born to higher tier parents simply have better resources and connections available. Education is managed through boarding schools that indoctrinate and mold students to society's standards. By age 16 students take aptitude tests and are assigned to a category of careers they may pursue. At 18 they can volunteer for military service to gain a probationary military class citizenship upon completion of training. Completion of five years of service grants them life long military class citizenship.
The class structure is summarized below from highest authority to lowest, with examples of what positions hold them.
Military Classes
Civilian Classes:
Untouchables:
While laws detail how any given military class citizen has authority over civilian classes the reality is murkier. A green or blue citizen being disruptive to civilians without higher orders or just cause is likely to be reprimanded by a higher authority.
Classes at length:
Red class citizens are the everybodies given an equivalent of a junior high/ middle school education before taking aptitude exams for career assignments. Volunteering for military service is open after two years of career apprenticeship, at the age of eighteen. Only half of applicants tend to be accepted into training for one reason or another. Children of higher class citizens tend to be accepted disproportionately more against those born to red class parents. In general red class citizens are expected to contribute to society diligently and raise nuclear families. Red class citizens make up about 50% of Cloudsdayle's population.
Orange class citizens are primarily specialist workers who scored well in their aptitude testing and have niche talents. Orange class citizens form an economic middle class and have substantially better lifestyles than red class citizens. They are also expected to raise nuclear families. This class includes civilian government workers. Most notably, the members of Cloudsdayle's extensive courier distribution system are nearly all orange class.
Yellow class citizens make up a thin upper crust of the civilian classes. Majorly composed of civilian government management responsible for keeping the day to day operations of the nation functioning smoothly. Most come from orange class citizens who show the right temperament and are appointed positions in recognition of service. Some are children of military class citizens who flunked out of training. While many are simply bureaucratic officials who push papers those with ambition can become mayors or sector governors. There are often fierce rivalries and politicking among various titles in this class. A situation the military government sows to weed out complacency.
Green class citizens are superficially above civilian classes as the lowest military class. They are entirely composed of soldiers who, while successfully completing their basic training, are not through their required five years of active service. With half of all applicants not passing acceptance and another half or more being dropped during training, those in active service are considered as the cream of the civilian crop. Even as those from a civilian class background tend to be treated as grunts. Volunteers who come from military class backgrounds often receive cushy administrative duties during their service through nepotism.
Blue class citizens make up the largest portion of military classes. While some stay in active military service as officers a majority perform specialist labor in a mirroring of orange class civilians. Benefiting from their higher education gained during service or provided after active duty. Nearly all of Clousdayle's police forces and essential servicemen such as fire fighters and medical professionals are blue class citizens.
Indigo class citizens are those promoted to broader leadership positions and direct military government agents. Those in active service are given heavy leeway in strategic planning and use of military assets. The chiefs of essential services are likewise given leeway of department planning and resources. Indigo government agents are the feared investigators with authority to act as secret police and suspend lower class citizen's civil liberties.
Violet class citizens are the elites and gentry of Cloudsdayle. They form the ruling body that dictate policy and write it to law. While not a secretive cabal most citizens will never meet a Violet in person. Only knowing them from television appearances or election campaigns. They have few reasons to be anywhere besides their lavish estates or governmental offices. It is said that if you have the attention of a Violet citizen you have done something terribly wrong.
By law there is only one ultraviolet class citizen at a time: the elected president. The position holds the authority to mandate nearly any change. However little is often substantially changed by a president due to the desire to maintain the status quo. An elected president is given the role in terms of five years. Until they are elected out or choose to retire. Most presidents hold three or four terms before retiring. General elections are held to elect a violet class citizen to the presidency. Voting is required of all adult citizens.
Infrared is not legally a citizenship class so much as a moniker given to undesirables and outsiders. With loss of citizenship a pegasus is a non-person and no longer granted any protections under the law. They can be abused or even killed without the act being classified as a crime. Loss of citizenship is levied against traitors, murderers, and those with useless mutations. Ponies in the wider world are classified as infrared unless granted sanction under a blue or higher citizen. This however puts the citizen directly responsible for their sanctioned non-citizen.
Mutants
Within Clousdayle's population "genetic drift" is an unwanted trait. Children with obvious defects are put down and citizens who develop them later in life risk sterilization or even loss of personhood. However it is known that the city is not hermetically sealed against the wider world and radioactive materials are necessary to power it. As such there are occasional and highly notable examples of mutations that some citizens are born with or develop. So-called "useful" mutants are to be registered with the military government and put to use as military assets. While they are generally treated as weapons their treatment is far better than mutants who are not deemed "useful." Mutants who are registered and treated as military equipment can still receive military class citizen statuses. However their identifications are always marked with black bars to clearly label them as mutants.
Cloudsdayle Region
Once a single city of collected cloud islands, Cloudsdayle had expanded into a full nation state during the war. A floating nation composed of cloud islands and artificially flying landscapes that can each range from a dozen meters across to fifty kilometers square. While it is theoretically possible for the nation to grow indefinitely due to cloud molding the infrastructure and political motive is lacking to do so. Maintaining what exists is an eternal and labor intensive project. In the post war era Cloudsdayle is home to a majority of the world's surviving pegasi population.
A collection of islands in close proximity to each other under a shared governorship is called a sector. A sector will have either a civilian or military class mayor governor. Most sectors have a majority of their area composed of cloud island platforms. Which are used primarily for residential lodging as pegasus find them most comfortable to live within. Pegasus moulded clouds however are not strong enough to hold tons of weight and will breach holes if enough pressure is applied. Regulatory bodies are tasked to carefully control how much is built on a given cloud.
Supplementary to cloud islands a sector will have one or more artificial habitats. An island composed of steel and wooden skeletons that are held aloft through some combination of mechanical means. Lighter than air balloons, turbine propeller systems, and stranger arcane methods are used to hold the islands aloft. These artificial habitats are primarily where a sector's farming and heavy industry are located. Farming habitats being basins of soil brought into the sky. The habitats in military sectors are more likely to be training grounds or ports for vehicles. While all sectors are required to be largely self-sufficient in agriculture and industry capabilities, the military class sectors primarily draw resources from civilian sectors to sustain themselves. Most sectors contain a mix of agriculture, industry, and civic infrastructure that is under mandate by the local mayor.
Each island in a sector is given a colour code that limits who may access them. A majority of islands are red coded but may have boroughs of higher color gated neighborhoods. Businesses and services can be restricted with required clearances in the same way. Higher colors almost always indicate better funding for the neighbourhood or business.
Structurally the nation is shaped like several disks laid out alongside one another, with each disk representing a sector. Even if few sectors would be as evenly spaced as to form a circle. While some islands may be more or less vertically raised above the ground than others the nation has a median height due to practical limitations of the artificial habitats and logistical concerns of couriers regularly raising and lowering altitude. On average an island is four kilometers above sea level. Despite the fact a given sector could be moved to a new position relative to other sectors there are strict regulations in place for when and how all sectors are to be moved. Taking position in the center of all sectors in the violet coded Central Command sector. Central Command is home to the military's governing body and much of the nation's military assets.
Due to the natural weather controlling abilities of the pegasi the nation can be moved at a slow pace across the world through manipulation of air currents. The vast majority of the time the nation floats above the open ocean. Due to the dangers of being visible to jealous land bound infrareds. Staying above the ocean gives the nation access to an unlimited supply of water through condensation collection. It also provides simple waste disposal methods of dropping anything unwanted over a ledge.
Codename C.L.O.D.S. are the main wave of military personnel sent into a region to secure assets that were identified by first wave intelligence gatherers. The primary purpose of the taskforce is collection of resources to sustain Clousdayle and the elimination of potential threats. Highest priority targets are threats capable of long range ballistics, arable soil, and reclamation of vault-tec sites.
A forward operating base is established under command of an indigo class officer. The indigo officer acts as a direct representative of Cloudsdayle's central command. A staff of blue class officers manage the daily base operations and organization of green teams. Green class troops are deployed in teams to perform all necessary field tasks under a blue class handler stationed at the forward operations base. Green class teams are expected to operate independently within the goals and parameters set by their handler and above.
If a region is of particular value Clousdayle itself may be moved into position to replace the forward operations base. Thus allowing all available military assets to be used in the noteworthy region. This has not been deemed necessary since the early years after the war.
Multiple C.L.O.D.S. campaigns are typically performed along continuous coastal areas. All while Clousdayle stays off the coast over the ocean in safety. Typical campaigns operate for two years each. Green class citizens will generally perform two C.L.O.D.S. campaigns before becoming blue citizens.
C.L.O.D.S. Campaign 39: Isle of Mist
Intelligence operatives have located multiple sites of interest on the Isle of Mist. The central island among the Griffonian isles in the northern celestial sea and located between the coasts of former Equestria and Griffonstone. As a mixed species state pre-war the island is home to both pony and griffon forces that occupy the northern two thirds of the island. While their technology levels have regressed in the post war there are noted examples of maintained military hardware. These include small arms seen among troops, amphibious vehicles, and hard defense points such as a fortification with anti-bombardment shields and anti-air batteries. The pre-war city of Trottingham survived the war due to these fortifications.
Of import to central command are resources the campaign is to secure:
Threat assessments of the isle indicate the operation must begin clandestinely before shifting to occupational action. As local forces include griffon attachments a protracted engagement on equal terms is to be avoided. Major enemy strength is concentrated in the northern region of the island and on northern neighboring islands. To be avoided until full invasion is ordered.
Of separate note is the fog covered southern tip of the island. Initial investigations reveal the area to have significant background radiation and magic levels. Until deeper analysis is performed that zone is considered a no go.
Forward Operating Base Lighthouse has been established on a rocky peninsula off the southern side of the island. The site was a pre-war dockyard that has gone unoccupied. The building foundations were repurposed for military use.
Command staff:
Brickfielder
Son of an orange clearance family and older brother to twins, Brickfielder holds aspirations to reach the top through hard work. Born with an impressive natural size and a drive to rise to leadership, the giant of a pegasus was captain of his school’s sportsball team. His internalizing of propaganda led him to extracurricular activities such as hunting and beating infrareds. He views his military terms as a stepping stone to get into politics once he becomes a Blue class citizen.
Ember Flare
Ember flare is a mutant. Her powers started to develop in her early teens, along with the physical deformities along her shoulders and back. Later she developed pyrokinetic powers and an affinity for sensing magic. With a meek personality Ember was hammered into a loyal tool to be used as a military asset. She was constantly reminded of her place, other’s opinions on mutants, and that she has no future beyond military service.
During the course of the campaign her powers increased. Namely the ability to conjure a smoke like being with a connection to her innermost feelings.
Saffron
Born to indigo parents, Saffron was raised in privilege. Privilege that seemed to have given her strong spirit and a low attention span. Despite this she typically rejected her position to take her own path. Her father had a troubled military past due to interaction with Infrareds. A fate that Saffron seems intent on following herself. Through lifelong training Saffron is a natural scout and was already at home in the wilderness before ever setting hoof on natural soil.
Silver Rush
Born in a Blue clearance family Silver Rush was naturally inquisitive. Throughout his school life he investigated other ponies and was one of those children who would get adults in trouble. His silver tongue kept him from facing repercussions as well. A shoe in for a role as neighbourhood watch and detective, Silver has aspirations for a role in Central Command as a Violet Agent.
The player had to drop out of the campaign about session 15.
Sundancer
Born to Blue technically inclined parents, Sundancer had a terrible accident during training. While her brain was preserved the remainder of her body was replaced with cybernetics. A rare full body conversion. She was considered worth the expense due to her knowledge of both medical and mechanical fields. A loyalist at mechanical heart, she views her state as a sign she can give her life for Cloudsdayle forever as military hardware.
Quick Fix
A late arrival to the campaign. Quick Fix was born into vault 28, a control vault on the griffonian isles. A small and fragile newly trained doctor, Quick fix is out of place among the enclave pegasus. He escaped his vault during a reactor leak that sealed the other residents. As an infrared, his future situation will be determined by the whims of the other players, and their superiors.
The last six weeks of your basic training have been the toughest days of your life. You have been run into the artificial ground, beaten in unarmed combat, subject to live fire to dampen your flight response, drilled to march and follow orders instinctively, and taught the ins and outs of soldiery and equipment care. All while being put through exhaustion when routinely woken up in the middle of the night for inspections or drills. A full night of sleep seemed like distant memories after two weeks.
You were only informed of your deployment three days before you were to be packed and leaving. Shortly after being informed that you passed basic training. The two days ahead of your deployment would be spent recovering and celebrating. Everyone in the same class would be sent on the same campaign. But you would be mixed up into new squads on arrival. Your families would be allowed to meet with you the day before shipping out.
The transport vertibirds were spacious, with a glass canopy that would give you a good view. One carried you, fifteen others, all of your baggage, and a few literal tons of cargo. There was a lot to be impressed about regarding the machine you would be climbing into and strapping down onto. The seats could be better though.
With it being your first time away this flight would give you the sight of Clousdayle falling back over the horizon. You could see the dawn-light washing the visible sectors in orange as you headed somewhere northward. The flight would take from dawn to midday, leaving most of you hungry by the time you would arrive.
You were to hit the ground at the forward operating base's VTOL pad, collect your baggage, and form up in the base's central yard. The buildings that comprised the base were installations you had seen as part of training. Hard canvas walls on light skeletons that the engineers could deploy or pack in as little as a couple days. The hard stone of the peninsula would be your first time on true ground. Even the artificial habitats with soil and stone that you had trained on might not have prepared you for such nature of Solid. There was no subtle bobbing in the wind or rumble of lift systems. Some blues during training had said it would take time to acquire your "landing gear" and feel comfortable.
Sundancer stomps her hooves on the parched ground, getting a good feel for it before hauling her baggage to the yard
Silver Rush scratches at the crumbly earth with a hoof tip, grimacing at the coarse dirt with a shrug
Brickfielder definitely doesn't take to the solid ground immediately, looking down at it with a frown as if it was doing something wrong as he shifted his weight around rather than standing still after forming up in the yard.
Ember Flare takes few steps and apprehensive looks around the base taking in the new wide open area
Saffron likely would be one of the more 'comfortable' Greens among them. Specifically because she seemed... Ecstatic at the feeling, instead of uneasy. The red pegasus scuffing the ground a few times, then leaning down and sniffing it; gazing up at the sky with a silently wonder-filled gaping stare. Though it is a wonder that is shared in silence, and that only lasts 6 or so seconds before she snaps down to their layer, trotting to the baggage of her field kit and neatly readied uniforms. Wiggling her wings slightly as she canters ahead to keep up with the Beanpole ahead of them.
You would be some of the last greens to form up into ranks at the base's central grounds. There were some three hundred troops in rows. Many you could perhaps recognize by the backs of their heads. A temporary stage had been made in front of the marked field hospital. Residing on stage were six officers in various stages of impatience. Five blues and an indigo. When the last group was in file and the engines of the parked vertibirds died down your introductions commenced.
Taking the stage to speak with authority the indigo officer introduced himself as your commander, Steel Rain. His speech would be practised, tight, and to the point. He quickly welcomed you to C.L.O.D.S campaign 39, to your new home F.O.B. Lighthouse, and made quick introductions to the five blue officers in turn. With the pleasantries out of the way he detailed that there would be a procession of what amounted to roll call and squad assignment. You were to muster to the caller when your name was announced, told your squad number and who your direct superior would be, and then to get settled together in the barracks. Once everyone was assigned and your officer briefed you, you could get your first meal at the mess hall. With that he saluted, the greens were to salute back, and the speech was concluded.
Sundancer: "So, what do you think of the new bosses?"
Silver Rush takes special care in orienting himself to the location of the mess hall, after Steel Rain announces the day's schedule. "oh man, they put it right across from the barracks, that's either really smart or a huge mistake"
Saffron sharply and crisply saluted with an excessively practised motion and inherited pride. Then stiffens back at-attention. Casting maybe a side glance upward towards the massive Brickfielder, silently recognizing the stallion (even if their interactions had been less than friendly), bearing a totally-real soldier smile, despite the fairly... 'neutral' look in her eyes.
Brickfielder keeps his head held high throughout the speech, listening dutifully... not that he needs to hold his head up to see, given that even in the back of the group, he can see over nearly everyone's heads fine. He salutes just as dutifully, and casts a quick return side-glance down to Saffron.
The caller, Personnel Officer Breezy Night, took the stage while the commander and other officers stepped off to return to their other duties. Personnel Officer Breezy Night was a dark purple mare of small stature. Despite her size she had an officer's bearing and wore her uniform well. She had a clipboard and was quick to get to the task of calling names to come forward to the front of the stage, giving them their squad number and corresponding barracks space, and stating which officer was their handler before sending them off. With as many greens as there were it would take almost an hour to get through everyone.
During the roll call you noticed an uneven distribution of squads to given officers. Specifically, Civil Affairs Officer Champagne Shower had a marked number more squads assigned under him while Communications Officer Cloudy Forecast had only two or three.
Silver Rush ponders, wasn't this a combat mission? why's civil affairs even here
After a prolonged wait it was your turn to be called forward. You would learn that you were in squad 59, had the 5th section of the 6th barracks, and that your superior officer would be Communications Officer Cloudy Forecast. Armed with that information you were dismissed to unpack. But you were to expect your officer to arrive and brief you soon.
Silver Rush: "fuckin pogs"
Sundancer's robotic face becomes even more rigid as she suppresses a grimace at Silver's comment.
Brickfielder s eyes narrow slightly as he realizes the odd distribution of squads... and he also takes notice that he is in one of the few squads that would be under the officer with the fewest squads. Curious.
Sundancer: "Alright, Squad 59, CLODS 39."
Ember Flare checks she has all her belongings on her before she starts looking for the designated barracks
Saffron had quickly moved her eyes back to the officer as they gave out their information. Nothing about the distribution seemed to surprise her--or perhaps it was the fact that she had stiffly maintained her expression as much as she was maintaining her posture. Though can very partially be heard huffing with veiled amusement from beside Brickfielder. Her expression doesn't change when Silver Rush instantly speaks out of line, casting an eyeball in his direction, but without even moving her head, only lowering an ear for a second.
Ember Flare quickly turns her attention to the officer when called
Saffron simply relaxes her stance and trots behind Brickfielder to walk around him and towards the barracks as they had been dismissed.
Saffron: "Let's go beanpole."
Silver Rush relaxes his knees slightly while waiting for the officer to begin their brief...the chow hall beckoning in the meanwhile
The barracks were rigid structures of steel bones hugged by a canvas skin. The flooring was made of some kind of hard foam mats that were tightly fit together and placed after the shell had been built. The structure had covered entrances at the east and west ends that lead into a centralized hallway. When inside the entrance you were washed with the noise of everyone unpacking in their compartments. A cool breeze flowed by carrying a slight chemical smell from the flooring foam. The breeze was paired with the hum of air conditioning units. The structure had a wide main hall that branched ten times. Each branch was labelled by squad number and lead into the squad's collection of cells. The cells were thin rectangular rooms with a bed, under bed locker, a standing locker, and one row of metal shelving above, and parallel to, the bed. Separating the cells from the hall were zippered doors. The thick canvas did not do so much to dampen sound. Even if the air conditioning made some white noise. It still beat the open floor plan bunks that had been at boot-camp.
Brickfielder waits until everyone is dismissed, and unceremoniously starts trotting towards his squad's barracks, giving Saffron a firmer, narrow-eyed side glance this time. He has no trouble making way through the other Greens, on account of his size.
Saffron glances back. He could swear she was smirking smugly at him, but only for a second as she filed in with the rest. Claiming her bunk and beginning the process of dutifully, but hastily unpacking her things.
In all the barracks was a box divided into smaller boxes. You were blessed perhaps; branch 5 was in a north west corner of the building across from 6. Your squad would only share a wall with one other squad. But you were at the north end west end of the lot and farthest from the mess hall. The extra steps would definitely add up during the campaign.
You had an unknown amount of time until your Commanding Officer came and let you finally eat lunch. Time to settle in.
Sundancer: "So, what got you all stuck in with us freaks?"
Sundancer nods at the mutant in solidarity
Ember Flare looks confused for a second "This is the squad I was assigned to."
Brickfielder takes a deep breath through his nostrils and then exhales it just as slowly, settling in and going about unpacking. It's nice to have separate cells, at least. "Arbitrary squad assignments, yes."
Silver Rush: "oh man, we're getting spoiled, separate bunks?"
Sundancer:"I'm just trying to think of the squad leader that shows the least faith invested in you, and honestly I'm just glad the shrink isn't our officer."
Saffron would look up to Ember Flare, staring at his cybernetics with a very intent, and oddly curious (and even fascinated) glance, which slowly turned to slightly worry as she shuddered and her wings ruffled on her back. She barely cast a glance towards Sundancer. Though, for what it's worth, her eyes did not show disgust or aversion, at least openly.
Silver Rush thumps his gear on an unoccupied corner bed, swiftly stashing its contents into a neat arrangement within his cell
Saffron:"You guys noticed how they assigned tons of squads to Civilian Affairs? How much y'wanna bet he's a Mister Money Bags. Gonna flex his leadership on us plebians."
Ember Flare looks around slightly anxiously before returning to meticulously arranging her carry on into the containers
Brickfielder has his things unpacked and arranged in a reasonably-short span of time, and settles in on the bed in his cell, permitting himself a small grumble about the cramped quarters. He's got no problem speaking to the others from inside his cell. "We're not assigned under him. It doesn't matter."
Sundancer:"I don't think I've been fully briefed on the situation in Trottingham. For all I know, the brass wants to be friends with Griffons. Couldn't tell you."
Saffron titters anyways as she slams her footlocker closed once she had very painstakingly put in her spare uniform and field kit inside. Once her things are in orderly fashion 'up to Drill Sergeant standards', she starts fixing her uniform so she could look a bit better.
Silver Rush: “like hell it doesn't matter. this is a scavenging op, why do we even have civil affairs at all?"
Your unpacking and conversation was interrupted less than half an hour later by someone in the main hall shouting "Attention! Officer present! Line up!" You were trained to respond to similar calls back at the more cramped barracks during boot-camp. In this case it seems you were to line up in the main hall along the wall instead of next to the bunks. Judging by what some of the quickest greens were doing.
Sundancer opens her mouth to answer, but begins scrambling as soon as she hears the announcement
Silver Rush snaps to attention by his bunk
Brickfielder is among those quickest greens, wasting no time in standing up and taking a spot on the side of the hall, standing at attention.
Ember Flare takes her place swiftly
Saffron darts out of and INSTANTLY goes to line up along with the other greens--coincidentally again near Brickfielder. She readies herself and stands at-attention. Eyes forward, and fiercely neutral expression.
At the far end of the barracks were three of the officers. Civil Affairs Officer Champagne Shower, Engineering Officer Thermal Updraft, and Communications Officer Cloudy Forecast. The first two seemed like they were making their way along slowly and giving a look over their respective underlings. Your handler however strolled down the length of the hall pointedly to stand before your assembled squad. Cloudy Forecast was tall and thin as a rail, but slightly out of proportion as such. Her gait was slightly off putting due to her lanky shape. She would be able to either look over your head, or meet your chin depending on the pony. Her eyes were piercing and analytical, cutting through you in her once over. A detail easy to overlook due to the dress hat she wore was that she entirely lacked a mane. Her grey coat was thin and her green-grey tail had wiry hairs. A detail more difficult to overlook were her epaulettes. The blue officer badges had black slashes through them. A clear signifier she was a mutant. Her voice held the authority and with all seriousness of an officer as she addressed your squad. "Who in this squad has touched a live tree before?"
Silver Rush says nothing and stares straight forward
Sundancer stays at attention
Saffron, likewise, stays silent as her response would've been negative. Her lips tug into a slight frown at the mention of 'tree', but she quickly fixes it a second later.
Ember Flare empty stare at nothingness
Brickfielder keeps his eyes forward... but even with just peripheral vision he can spot the officer's black slashes simply. "Ma'am, I did once in a farming habitat, ma'am."
Your C.O. looks at Brickfielder before dismissing the claim.
Cloudy Forecast:"What was to be expected. You will all meet in-front of communications tomorrow at dawn. You will require your survival gear. While I will explain the nature of your first assignment then, understand that those rudimentary survival skills you had been taught will be put to practical use. Do not get too comfortable in your beds tonight." She pauses to gauge your reactions.
Brickfielder remains at attention with his eyes forward. Internalizing his orders, not questioning them.
Sundancer is good at maintaining a neutral expression, if not maintaining a neutral heart
Sundancer: "Yes, ma'am!"
Saffron , while she could not break her stance as it was so firmly drilled into her mind, still cracked a slight smile of eager approval to those orders whilst Cloudy Forecast scanned them. Despite the calmness of being under the eye of the officer, she still exudes excitement from her eyes without meaning to.
Saffron: "Yes, Ma'am.”
Silver Rush: "Yes, Ma'am!"
Brickfielder finally salutes after the others begin responding. "Yes, ma'am."
Ember Flare joins the chorus of ma'ams
Cloudy Forecast looks at and gives an indicating head nod towards Silver Rush. "As of now you will be in the leadership position of this squad. By the morning I will expect you to have chosen a call sign for your squad."
Brickfielder 's lips tighten, just the slightest bit, at Silver being chosen as leader.
Silver Rush: "Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am" (OOC:FUCK)
Saffron does not lose the twinkle in her eyes when Silver Rush is chosen. She didn't really know him well enough anyways.
Cloudy Forecast gave a quick note before dismissing you to leave. "After you eat you are to familiarize yourselves with the F.O.B. and surrounding grounds. You will have an open schedule this evening and I will expect you to make best use of the opportunity." This next part seems directed towards Ember Flare in particular. "Perhaps use a portion of your stipend and get something sweet from the commissary." The last line however was for everyone. "You are dismissed."
Silver Rush waits for the officers to depart the bunks before releasing himself from attention, thrown off by that last comment a bit
Silver Rush: "something...sweet?"
Saffron snaps a crisp salute out of somewhat earnest respect for the officer in charge of them. "Ma'am! Permission to ask a question?" She suddenly speaks up.
Sundancer turns and finishes unloading things into and around her bunk
Ember Flare lets out a breath of air before tensing back up a bit with Saffrons call
Brickfielder salutes upon being dismissed, moving to leave to the mess hall, but stopping when Saffron tries to get the CO's attention. If Cloudy does respond, it'll be worth hearing.
Cloudy Forecast looks to Saffron with the slightest of eyebrow raising. "Permission granted. Keep it brief."
Saffron snapped her foreleg back down. "Thank you ma'am. Why have so many squads been assigned to Civil Affairs, but only three to our Wing?"
Silver Rush would spit his coffee if he had any
Your C.O. stared directly at Saffron appraising for a moment. Then took a glance down the hall towards Champagne Shower and Thermal Updraft.
Cloudy Forecast: "Inquisitive, good. In short because I oversee the relay of all communications. Officer Champagne Shower will be more directly managing his wing. I will be expecting a certain level of independence from those under me."
Saffron takes a second to silently process the new information. Before nodding deeply and smiling with a bit more eagerness.
Saffron: "Understood, ma'am."
Sundancer finishes unpacking "Does that level of independence extend to choosing a squad leader?"
Brickfielder does permit him to look down at Cloudy as she mentions independence. Not that he's going to start immediately speaking out of turn... but, this isn't something he'd expected in boot camp.
Cloudy Forecast directs to Sundancer. "Two of your squad are not legally entitled to be in a leadership position. Yourself included. You will not debate my choice." Towards Silver Rush. "I will expect you to keep your squad in line, but manage their well being. Given the delays in being fed, you will reprimand your subordinate after your needs are met."
Silver Rush bristles. fuck I knew she would get us smoked, what the fuck let her leave holy shit "Roger that Ma'am, will do"
Sundancer: "Yes, Ma'am"
Saffron spares a glance towards Sundancer, if only to just acknowledge their somewhat uncomfortable question with a stare. Before going back to staring ahead. While her stomach grumbles. Something that must be ignored, until the officer leaves...
Ember Flare waits until the officer is a distance away before addressing Sundancer "You shouldn't question the commanding officers, you'll get yourself in trouble"
Brickfielder waits until Cloudy has left, before he trots off for the mess hall, eager for some sort of meal... and amused at the response Sundancer received.
Your exchange was not all that long in reality. Cloudy Sky would leave before the other two officers had even made it halfway towards your squad.
Sundancer:"The first things she said to us were praising our curiosity and saying we were independent. I was curious how independent we were."
Silver Rush facehoofs once cloudy departs "fucking...damn it, time and place.... just...everyone to the mess hall"
Saffron sighs through her nostrils and goes to follow Brickfielder outside towards the Mess. She spends a while striding with a purpose, keeping up --despite his longer legs. She waits a moment, then tilted her head to look up to Bickfielder to ask a very curious sounding question.
Saffron: "Are ya upset y'didn't get picked Brick wall?"
Ember Flare turns towards Silver "Yes sir"
(GM Note): Squad leaders are chosen in the time honoured tradition of paranoia. Whoever is least qualified.
Brickfielder doesn't look down at Saffron as he trots with a more measured pace. "Doesn't matter. The officer made her decision." Yes, he's sort of upset.
Silver Rush sighs and smirks a bit at the sir "I wonder if they have any sandwiches"
Saffron could be heard snorting through her nostrils in amusement whilst her wings flicked up a bit over her back, all confident-like. She likely would have teased him further, but decided to spare them all the annoyance by instead staying quiet and looking around as they walked, already peeking around the FOB on the way there. Though, during the walk, she does start to slow down so she could hover nearer to Silver Rush.
Saffron: "Hey dude! Congrats on your leadership!"
Silver Rush flaps his wings to match the bounciness of the beeg red mare "thanks, I suppose. I was planning to ask her about the squads tomorrow, but I suppose you took care of that"
Ember Flare: "The mess might become very packed soon with everyone settling in already..."
Saffron smiled brightly. "My dad always did tell me that there is always time for ONE question to an officer--if you are polite and know when to slip it in--which is usually when they're 'bout to dismiss ya, y'know."
Silver Rush: "ha, well it worked this time at least. you're lucky the other two officers were out of earshot"
Saffron looked back towards Ember Flare. She gazed at her, and just eyeballing them for a bit--unsure if she wants to speak or not. In the end she decides not to, in favour of rebutting to Silver Rush. "Hah! I'm not that silly. I think." She snorts, amused.
The mess hall would be as directly typical of a mess hall as one could build. Rows of long metal tables and benches that were entirely utilitarian. The kitchen at the east end of the building was staffed with civilians it seemed. A quarter of the mess was also marked as civilian seating. The long room was not fully packed yet. Looking like the furthest barracks had been met with C.O.s first.
Sundancer 's non-stomach doesn't grumble "I'm glad I know more about our leader now. How do you plan to reprimand me?"
Silver Rush moseys the others along to chow "come on come on, you're right it's gonna be packed. Grab an oat bar for your packs tomorrow, everyone, just like basic..."
Saffron side glances at Sundancer, and suddenly her smile falters a little. "Oh, you're right. Boss, you gotta do the reprimand. Yell at 'em! Teach them about out-of-place questions." She tells Silver Rush, with perhaps a slight seriousness in her voice in spite of her playfulness.
Silver Rush turns to dancer "painting rocks, push ups....oh damn if we had a chalkboard i'd just make you write ' I will not ask stupid questions of officers' 100 times." he bemuses
Saffron strides ahead with a purpose towards the kitchen to get her chow after having said that. "FoooOoOd." Saffron goes, as they go!
Sundancer: "That's no fair. Saffron's question was dumber than mine."
Brickfielder doesn't comment on the ongoing... discussion while getting his food and settling in. Just quietly observing them instead.
Silver Rush: "obviously not, considering she wants me to smoke you for your question"
Saffron WHIPS back and literally calls back, "It was a smart question!" She says, and then resumes with slightly louder stomps.
Sundancer: "Hm..."
Silver Rush: "and was actually impressed by...Saffrons, yes. Just get something to eat, expect push ups and a perimeter run in an hour....and report back what you see about the other quads, eh?"
Saffron would go and sit on the bench opposite of Brickfielder. Eyeballing him just to silently smile in amusement to his excessive height, before focusing more on the food until the others could join them.
Ember Flare lines up for food and looks around the hall how the soldiers are grouping around in the tables
Brickfielder looks down with lowered eyelids at Saffron eyeballing him, still being quite a lot taller even when sitting at a mess hall table.
The groups seem to have a preference for the tables closest to the kitchen. But aside from that it looks like most squads are sticking together. Squads with a few familiar members between them are closer together to chat. Everyone seems quite excited to be on a real mission.
Saffron: "Hey Brickfielder. You really touched a tree before?”
Brickfielder waits until he's swallowed what he has in his mouth before sighing. "Yes. Toured the orchards of a farming habitat. I wasn't there for a long time, but long enough to get close to the work being done. ...One of the farmers said I had a body built for bucking trees."
Silver Rush dutifully monches, eating being his most exceptionally practised skill ever since foalhood
Sundancer: "Wow, I visited our sector's farming habitat and we didn't have anything taller than a bush."
Saffron flicked up her glance as she, in spite of her 'slouched' tone of voice, sits upright and eats with somewhat methodical, almost trained motions. Cutting things and eating small bites, muzzle lowered whilst her eyes stared at him with interest. "That's crazy... I saw trees from a distance only from my district. That must've been fun."
Ember Flare eats quickly focusing mostly on the food
Saffron: "You should try grabbing a tree and using it as a weapon. You're big enough. Imagine that. You could throw logs, instead of me."
Brickfielder rolls his eyes and returns his attention to his food. "We have guns for that."
Saffron snorts, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as her gaze sweeps to Sundancer. "Your sector had a farming habitat??" She asked with a sudden excitement, "How was it?"
Saffron: "What did they grow in it??"
Sundancer: "Uh, seemed pretty normal. It was like out of a picture book. Crops. Open to sunlight. Brickfielder seemed like he saw one of the deluxe ones, mine just fed my sector."
Saffron nods slowly, slipping another bit of broccoli in her mouth and chewing it slowly as she soaks in the information like a sponge--eyes attentively staring. "Daaaamn... So like every sector has at least one?" She asked aloud, she down casts her eyes to her plate, then pouts. "Mine just had tons of parks."
Brickfielder permits himself a slight smirk. "Not sure if I saw a 'deluxe' one or not. But it was still quite nice to see."
The Mess starts getting more and more filled in as your conversation goes on. It is hard to tell if it can seat all of the greens at once, particularly with that area partitioned off for civilian use.
Silver Rush looks around for any signs limiting their time in the hall. nobody else seems to be following basic training 5 minute rules are they?
Silver Rush:"wait your sector didn't have a single farm? not even like...fruit bushes?"
Brickfielder is taking notice of the crowdedness as well. "...We should be ready to leave and make room if others need a place to sit, I think."
Saffron would very briefly lift her eyes to look over the side of Brickfielder as the others start coming in.She snorts in amusement at this for some reason. Then eyes Ember Flare again… Just looking at her for a while while she finishes up hastily, and then stands up to take her tray up to the kitchen.
Saffron: "Yap! I'll get moving, am done anyways... Gonna go 'sploring."
Sundancer has already fulfilled her nutrient requirement and stands up "Want to join me on my perimeter run?"
Saffron casts a glance back to Sundancer, smiling quickly. "Sure! We can go out together." She says, quickening her pace to a trot to haste herself to put the dirty tray away, then stride outside to wait for the others.
Silver Rush: "saffron, if anyone asks, you're making sure... this one 'complete their assigned punishment' alright?"
Saffron: "Aye-aye boss! Wilco."
Silver Rush: "keep an eye out for anything strange too"
Ember Flare is slightly put down by the mention of 'run' but pipes up nevertheless "Mind if I join in?"
Brickfielder silently watches the growing number of ponies joining in on what's meant to be punishment,glancing at Silver with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Silver Rush wonders if this is gonna be more of a squad fun run at this point
Saffron likewise quirked her brow and looked at Silver with a mildly questioning gaze, her lips twisting with mild amusement. "Anything strange?" She asked rhetorically, "Uh--sure, I'll keep watch for suspicious activity, I know how to do that."
Sundancer: "We're some of the strangest things to see, but I'll keep my 'eyes peeled'"
Silver Rush shudders at why emphasis got put on peeled eyes
Saffron titters to Sundancers' reply.. Then looked to Ember Flare, "Sure, come along Ember." She says, casually.
Saffron: "We are going to stare at Sundancer very hard to make sure she does the walk of shame."
Silver Rush: "ugh...screw it then, I guess I'll go too. dancer you better look miserable anytime we pass anyone,though"
Sundancer: "I'll do my best."
Brickfielder purses his lips, before sighing and standing up to his full height. He was hoping that he'd get some time away from Saffron's... eagerness, but... "I might as well go as well instead of splitting off from the squad. Get used to all this solid ground."
Silver Rush:"alright squad PT get hype"
Saffron wiggles up her wings and trots in place to 'get hyped', "Hop-hop-hop!" She goes, then begins to start cantering along!... And then peters down to a steady, marching trot, trying to stay slightly beside and behind Sundancer to 'survey' them as they went.
Ember Flare stretches a bit and adjusts her armour a bit starts picking up the pace looking around as they go
Sundancer chooses to run at a steady double-time instead of turning this into a race. The act of running is relatively effortless for her, being one of the kinesthetic skills that runs more or less automatically and she isn't able to 'feel the burn' as it were. However the rough, unyielding ground and the jerking motion gives her a slight headache, so she has no trouble acting miserable on her run
The F.O.B. and surrounding area were bare rock with a thin layer of griminess. The air was moist and salty from being surrounded by nearby sea. The air itself was heavier here. You had a sight-line to the bay on the western perimeter of the base. It could very well be the first time you've seen such a body of water unobstructed by cloud lines. Certainly the first time this close. The civilian barracks were the same pattern of building as your own. The arsenal was an artificial mound of concrete that was barred by wide and tall double doors that were slabs of steel. The officer buildings, commissary, and headquarters were semi permanent structures made of wood and steel, with tiled roofs. They were built on a stonework foundation of dark rock.
Saffron would occasionally sigh deeply as they trotted. She herself seemed a bit under the weather the longer they went, grimacing a little as she comments: "I feel like my lung's're gonna pop whenever I breathe deep. And the salt..." She says, and then sneezes to the side. Looking towards the bay as it came into view. "Woaahhh look at that. I wonder how deep that goes..."
Saffron: "... I don't think I know how to swim tho. That's kinda terrifying."
Saffron chuckles nervously, as she sniffles from her sneeze. Scrunching up like an accordion.
Silver Rush: "President, already starting to sweat? the air here is so humid..."
Brickfielder maintains a bit of distance from the rest of the group, nose scrunching slightly at the salty smells. Not that he's not used to it given Cloudsdayle stays above the open ocean, but it's so much stronger this far down.
Saffron: "And we still have to wear the powered armor!"
Saffron peers her head around the corners as they went, eyes open for officers--or specifically their CO,so that they could keep up appearances. Peeking into the field hospital from the windows to check inside...
Sundancer:"I like the dense air for flying. I've heard good things about natural gusts and I can already tell the thick air will give better lift."
Sundancer: "Running though? Give me a cloud track any day."
Brickfielder nods in agreement with Sundancer as he gravitates a bit closer to the rest of the group. "No reason we can't prefer our wings in operations, I imagine. Especially if we're to be independent."
Your run gives you a good view of the base and occupants. Once the lunch rush has let out of the mess hall a bit the initial assignments seem to be starting up. In the center of the civilian barracks Champagne Shower was atop a box speaking over his mass of troops and a small group of red class. Listening to his shouting as you pass he seemed to be in the middle of saying how important the civilian workers will be to the harvesting and that their safety was a top priority.
Saffron mumbles quietly after Sundancer and Brickfielder. "Thick, air." She says, with a weird inflexion on the word 'thick'. Making herself chuckle like a dumbo. As they go, she slows down to a stride once they get within earshot of Champagne Shower's speech, to listen in earnest; and to eye those Red workers curiously.
There were other squads about the field hospital and arsenal doing busywork clearing the grounds. It was uncertain who all they were under. When you've circled around the base, past the radio tower and officer buildings you can see the motor pool was active. Thermal Updraft, the unkempt average height officer was apparently assigning out vehicles, both air and land. Telling those who would be working there primarily to "get more familiar with these machines than you have with your sweetheart back home."
Ember Flare: "...it certainly looks way more relaxed here than I anticipated"
Brickfielder: "A taste of what actual life is like as a Green, hopefully."
If looking out to the east away from base you could see the ancient remains of a town on the cliffs. Little remains other than stone effigies of buildings that have fallen to time. Although the dark stones looked to have been repurposed as foundation material for the HQ and adjacent buildings.
Saffron seemed to take on a slightly concerned expression as her eyes lingered on the civilian workers. A remark escapes. "Either they're really lucky, or really unlucky..." She whispered, before turning ahead to change train of thought and resume smiling. Watching the other squads working curiously, and even making a playful jab towards them: "Enjoying being green, ponies?" She'd ask them just for fun. The rest of the walk is done, surprisingly, without Saffron saying much else; focused on what was around, staring at things--at the vehicles in the motor pool, and at the officer managing it. At the stone effigies...
When rounding back to the barracks you'll pass the space marked as the future lumber yard. It would be your chance to see raw lumber up close. There was only one long log and a heap of scrap currently. Sawdust mixed with the grime of the ground.
Sundancer: "When you're on a C.L.O.D.S. assignment, you're better off dead than red."
Saffron: "That sounds really grim, Sundancer. You sure that's how it is?"
Sundancer: "No, actually. I just thought it sounded cool."
Brickfielder snorts. "The reds are no doubt serving just as vital a function as we are."
Saffron blinks and just rolls her eyes really hard. "Robopony please.".
Saffron: "Hey check this out! A log! I'm gonna go touch it."
Saffron actually does start to deviate from their route to approach the log. Leaning in to sniff it, and pokeit with her snout and hoof to feel the consistency. Tugging a little bit at the seams of the bark with the tip of her hoof. Saffron knocks on it a few times and leans her ear into it. Then steps back and jumps over it, and leans up on it with her forehooves. "I touched a tree!" She calls out, "Mission accomplished??"
Silver Rush: "pack it up everyone, mission accomplished, Cloudsdayle is saved, saffron got it"
Saffron climbs up on top of the log with a slight struggle, and then wiggles around lightly flapping her wings.
Saffron: "Make me violet please."
Ember Flare lets out a quiet chuckle
Brickfielder glances back as Saffron climbs on the log, not sure if she's in danger of being yelled at for this or not.
Silver Rush: "lets scram before someone says that log is important"
Brickfielder looks back and nods. "Independence or not, gallivanting across equipment that isn't our own can't be good."
You'll get some stares from the greens staffing the Motor pool. Probably more confusion than anything at the antics. But at least an officer had not noticed you yet.
Saffron pouts down to Silver Rush. Then down at the log. She half-steps over the edge and nearly slips off as the log as it kinda rolls, so she panic-flaps her wings and just hops down to return back to the formation they had going on around Sundancer.
Sundancer stands a ways away from the lumber yard, not wanting to imagine sawdust in her joints
Saffron grins like a fool and doesn't even acknowledge the stares. Resuming their 'walk of shame', withSaffron close to the cyborg as before.
The gatehouse was a long building unsurprisingly near and just offset from the land gate into the base. It was a half office post for the gate guard with a glass wall and half wooden storage. The gate was a section of the fence on wheels that was only slightly different from the regular chain link fencing.
Saffron craned her head to briefly sneak a peek into the office post, to see into it and also to see who had been posted there!
Sundancer plays up the shame in front of the guard post
You make your run around the barracks and end up about where you started. Ember Flare and Silver Rush would be the ones to feel the burn most keenly.
Brickfielder is still in excellent shape, with or without his overall size, so he's feeling fine after the brisk lap.
Saffron: "Alright team! It is time. To put on the power armour, aaaand do it again??"
Saffron was still bounding around without too much exhaustion (at least compared to the dauntless leader and mutant friend), she was still lively and with a pep in her lockstep. Turning back to the others with perhaps a bit of discomfort on her brow as she takes more shallow breaths.
Ember Flare slows down with ragged breathing "I think that's enough for me. I think I'd rather just walk around before retiring for the night"
Silver Rush: "save some for tomorrow, we actually have work to do then, red"
Saffron has a bit of a chuckle, then an empathetic smirk towards Ember Flare. Then she rolls her eyes good-naturedly to Silver, "Alright then."
Saffron:"I'm going to quickly grab my field journal and start practising my sketching skills on the bay. Or maybe on just the outside, if I can take a look at it."
Saffron casts a second glance to Silver as she strode to the barracks entrance, "--And, for the record, I'm green now--not red!" She sasses him, then goes indoors. Only to dig through her stuff for said field journal, and then come back out so she can spend time practicing her sketching, exploring as much of the land as she could from the base.
Brickfielder would've preferred to get to know his CO some more... but, given earlier orders, is more eager to just get good shut-eye.
Your evening is spent casually on separate items before dinner before retiring to bed.
The bare rock around the base itself does not offer much of interest, but at least the view of the bay is nice. If explored closer the cliffs around that area would be quite sheer, with waves that crash against and run up nearly its entire height. There were outcrops of rock in the sea below.
The motor pool seemed to be a work in progress. Some of Thermal Updraft's troops were setting up an additional chain wall and gate for it. Which makes sense given the space was supposed to be only for assigned personnel. There may not be much to see around the officer's area that evening. Posted greens would give Brickfielder the sort of glares that meant he should skedaddle unless he had actual business with an officer. The three buildings for communications, head quarters, and the commissary were identical on the outside if not for the signage. If going into the commissary it could be seen that the building was one large open floor, save support pillars. Aside from the fixtures and shelving that made up the store.
The morning comes quickly. Wear from boot camp has not fully recovered yet and sleeping in what is a definite upgrade of a bed is quite nice. With alarms set to wake up before first light you could get through your morning routine before your required meeting. Meeting your C.O. outside of communications might be a memorable experience. Stepping outside of your barracks you would be met with a wall of fog. It was not so thick as to be unable to see your nose, but it cut your vision down to a dozen meters.
Silver Rush instinctively brushes away the clouds with a wing, definitely not remembering that groundpounders had to actually deal with weather
Brickfielder takes a deep breath after getting outside... although the thickness of the air and the chill of the early morning doesn't quite agree with him. What operation are they expected to do with this low of visibility?
Sundancer hopes the operation is high-altitude as she tries to remember the layout of the camp
Saffron had woken up roughly at the same time as everypony else, perhaps maybe a bit later than Brickfielder who slept in earlier. The first thing she did was put on the combat gear: Kitting herself up in the exoskeleton with trained quickness, but still taking a good minute to do so. Ripper on one side hanging on a webbing belt, Pistol on the other in a chest holster. She walked... Slower, and more awkwardly. It was hard to see the discomfort from behind the visor, but she grunted with irritated little noises on her way to the exit. Once she slipped beside Brickfielder, she double took at the... Fog.
Saffron: "What the... Who put the clouds so low? The air really thickened itself, huh."
Brickfielder: "...Yes, clouds can happen this low."
At least your explorations helped orientate you to the base. Although Ember Flare could navigate around blindfolded if necessary. Passing the mess hall and field hospital would see few others around at this hour. Patrol shifts at most. Heading to Communications Cloudy Forecast would be waiting a bit eerily. The light above the door to communications did not help stave off that effect.
Saffron has a chuckle to herself. Then began to stride forward to go around the barrack ahead of them,and start making their way to Communications. Turning to look at the other ponies going around. When they get to Communications and see the light above the door, then the pony himself. She contained any remarks she might've had, and strode forward with a purpose to stand at-attention before the officer.
Saffron: "Ma'am. Reporting for duty, as ordered."
Brickfielder joins Saffron and the others in his squad, saluting silently.
Your officer comes forward to brief you in a relatively discreet manner.
Cloudy Forecast:"Your first mission will be to familiarize yourselves with life on the surface so that you will have the experience needed to work far afield. To that end you will have a unique set of tasks. You will be leaving the base for one week. You will make a hidden camp at a location of your choosing that is at minimum three kilometres inland. From this camp you are to observe and report daily by radio on the activities of the red class workers who will be starting lumber operations tomorrow. You are to perform this clandestine. If I hear a report from the squads escorting the red class workers that note your presence I will consider your mission a failure."
Ember Flare ears perk at the sound of this mission
Brickfielder does raise his eyebrows at the mission description, and even glances at Silver... but, it is not his place to question the officer's strange assignment.
Silver Rush: "Yes Ma'am. Anything in particular that you're interested in from the....workers?"
Silver Rush strains not to glance any direction than at Cloudy
Saffron relaxes her stance somewhat at the briefing they get. Adjusting her wings along her back with a mixture of eagerness and anxiety. But stays quiet, for now. Listening intently--especially when Silver Rush asks a question.
Cloudy Forecast:"To start detailed reports of their activities and movements will suffice. Times of vehicles coming and going. Number and frequency of patrols around them. I will collaborate this against the other received reports to verify accuracy."
Silver Rush: "Understood. What can we expect of...local presence in the area?"
Cloudy Forecast:"You will encounter wildlife I am sure. But of the local infrared population they should not have a presence this far south. Details of potential contact will be forwarded should the need arise. As this is a training exercise I do not expect you to have an engagement."
Silver Rush can't help but flick an ear at training exercise "affirmative, Ma'am. Anything to add, squad?"
Saffron: "Negative..."
Sundancer: "I enjoy a challenge, ma'am."
Brickfielder: "...Negative. We'll do our duty, ma'am."
Your CO, Cloudy Forecast, walks up and down your assembled lineup and summarizes your clandestine mission in brief. Leave the base ASAP under the fog cover. Find a suitable site to establish a camp at least three km inland. Beginning tomorrow make regular reports on the activities of the red class citizen workers and their escort on an encrypted radio channel. Continue these reports for one week, using your survival skills to maintain yourselves. Do not alert other green squads to your presence.
Saffron would quickly get squared away after the briefing, approaching Ember Flare despite an initial, albeit small hesitation to get close to them.
Saffron: "You can take care of handling the route, yeah? On the GPS. I can pathfinder a little bit."
Silver Rush waits for a cue that the assembled gaggle is in order before speaking up "Yes Ma'am. Before we depart there's some non-standard equipment we believe would aid our mission"
Cloudy Forecast gives Silver a nod to continue.
Ember Flare: "GPS? Oh sure! I'll keep track of our position"
Saffron beams and nodnods her head to Ember Flare in response. Though given the conversation going on with the officer, she quiets down and listens with rapt attention.
Silver Rush:"Cameras to compare troop movements on the fly, and provide more thorough recon, as well as Ration chocolate for animal bait and quick flame-less energy"
(GM Note) I call for a negotiation test from Silver. He passes.
Cloudy Forecast looks to be accepting of the request. "Deployment of surveillance equipment would be a useful skill to acquire. Do not rely too heavily on them however." She gives a small smile. "I had suggested getting sweets yesterday. Perhaps I tripped a sweet tooth? I will have your requisition forwarded to the commissary. So collect your items and prepare to leave."
Silver Rush:"Roger that, Thank you Ma'am"
Saffron subtly swishes her tail with a sliver of dog-like happiness for literally a second, then stiffens again.
With that Cloudy dismisses your group to begin your task. She turns and enters the communications building, leaving you out in the fog.
Ember Flare: "Oh wow, good job getting all that gear for us."
Silver Rush whets his sharp tongue after the exchange, already tasting the chocolate
Sundancer: "Using it for chocolate? At least she seems sympathetic."
Saffron waits the moment where Cloudy Forecast closes the door behind them, before turning to Silver Rush. Just to say: "Score!" beneath her breath, giving Silver Rush a mock-punch on the shoulder (by rearing up slightly because she's short).
Brickfielder salutes Cloudy as she leaves and gives a low sigh. "...This isn't the sort of thing we were really trained for in boot camp, but, good pegasi adapt."
Ember Flare: "We should try and ace this test and maybe we'll stay in officer Cloudy's good graces"
Saffron grins to Ember once, "Yah... Hey which one of us is good with setting up surveillance equipment by the way??" She says. looking towards the robopegasus that is Sundancer slightly.
Silver Rush:"yeah this mission is...odd to say the least, figured we'd be digging ditches for a while, but if we jump right to bushwhacking nonsense then so much the better"
Brickfielder: "My thoughts exactly. We'll need to put our heads together on how to do this the most to her liking."
Silver Rush snorts at both being punched and the amount of effort saffron has to go through to do it
Sundancer:"Don't look at me! I could not sneak to save my life. I suppose now would be the time to learn, but we have so much at stake."
Saffron: "S-so you're saying it's not as easy as just putting them together than making someone else place them?"
Ember Flare: "I've gone through most basic training but I'm sure someone else is more skilled in that area"
Silver Rush:"before we get to the sneaking we need to set up a camp first. DO we have any terrain maps? The other side of a ridge overlooking the camp would be prime"
Sundancer: "Setting up is placing them, isn't it?"
Saffron taps her chin and pouts, flicking her wings along her back once to fluff them. "Maybe once we find out how many patrols there are, and their schedules, we can use the gaps to put--" Saffron's train of thought is interrupted by Silver's. She quickly nods, "Oh yeah! We have GPS and stuff, Ember knows what to do. I can make sure we don't run into any trouble by scouting a little bit ahead and pathfinding."
Ember Flare nods "Oh yeah that is more of my area, I think I can keep track of our location. Maybe we should not hurry too much with the cameras, but scout around a bit at first....?"
Saffron mumbles, "Yah that sounds smort. 's what I was thinking.", As she says so, she looked down towards the Commissary, "We should get moving tho, we can probably plan once we find a camp-spot."
Silver Rush:"yeah good plan. We could set them up like trip cameras if we really needed, but let's get eyes on before we think about where to put them"
When heading over to the commissary you would not be in for a long wait. Your requisition had been forwarded by radio and the green staff under Silver lining's command had gotten it arranged. You would be provided with three remote cameras and the receiver equipment they were tied to. Each camera was a brick and the receiving equipment was a bulky case that opened with a viewing screen. It had recording ability on a holodisk. Your chocolate was a sealed box of a dozen bars. You would need to ration it.
(GM Note): The group figured out a call sign OOC. They were Nimbus squad
Taking off into the fog you would need to head in a north or north-west direction. Keeping together at the start might be difficult due to the fog and different speeds at which you can all move. At least you have a radio to keep in communication without needing to make too much noise. The area just north of the FOB was rough and hilly. Bare rock and ocean spray making for slippery ground. The fog would start to dissipate with the sun rising. It would be about half an hour of flight before the bare rock started to give way to brush growth and eventually into a proper tree line.
Silver Rush: "wingtip formation, until we get out of the clouds. keep it tight, would be stupid to get lost already"
Saffron kept the comms clear of her own chatter. Though if one got close enough she could be heard muttering, "Wowww... Look at those hills... They look so... ROUGH and SHITTY--it's so cool!..." Her eyes semi-distracted with observing the terrain, both to sight-see and to check if there's anything moving down there. She heard there were critters about here--like stay dogs and cats, but she hasn't seen any yet... Though this didn't particularly hinder her from staying in formation, luckily., keeping at the front-left portion of the arrow formation.
Sundancer: "Flying isn't like this at home, I'll give you that."
Brickfielder isn't faring better than anyone else between lugging around the equipment and generally having more body mass to worry about, having to continually readjust himself as he gets used to the differences.
Silver Rush wipes his face, the fog chilling his wet fur as they breeze over the terrain
Silver Rush: "good tree cover...might make it hard to observe far away, but easier to get close"
You will need to stop at the tree line for a quick breather. At least your leader and the mutant will. It would be the first time any of you would be so close to a live forest. With parts of the fog still clinging it would be a unique, and possibly unsettling sight.
Ember Flare sniffs the damp forest air "it's so damp and... tree-y"
Sundancer: "Without pegasi, fog is formed by trees."
Listening would reveal unfamiliar bird calls and a wide number of other, unknown sounds. You would get to smell fresh dew, damp soil and foliage. See the vibrant greens of this early summer forest.
Sundancer: "But... trees drink lots of water. It's complicated."
Saffron spared a hoof to wipe the moisture from her ballistic goggles. Then actually pipes up in the radio channel to answer Silver Rush, "Agreed! Now comes the challenge of seeing a good spot for a camp under all that fauna." She says, then tunes out. Veiling the sheer childish wonder in her eyes with a more professional tone. As they land however, she couldn't help but land into a trot to make for one of the trees, and sniffles it, taking in the exotic scents... Then flicking up her ears to the sound of birds.
Brickfielder narrows his eyes as he adjusts the equipment strapped to him, looking up at the trees. "...Definitely not anything like the orchards..."
Silver Rush 's head swivels constantly, each new sound being a loud blare of unfamiliarity
Silver Rush: "Its so...loud down here..."
Saffron: "... Good!"
Sundancer: "Our targets are going to be even more disoriented by it. Try and keep your wonder contained."
Saffron walks around the tree very thoroughly inspecting, sniffing it from every direction--up and down, flinching back at the sight of ants. Then looking up at the leaves. She stares at them for a moment, then flutters up and snatches one with her teeth to lick them.
Sundancer isn't doing a very good job at keeping her wonder contained, eyes running over rocks and moss over and over
Silver Rush: "hmm...I bet none of them will think to look up. too many years of staring down"
Ember Flare flicks her ear at every snap and creak of the forest "Y-yeah should help us stay hidden"
Silver Rush takes a swig of water "how far are we from their camp? we probably need to peel off towards potential campsites"
Saffron comes back down from the tree chewing one of it's greener leaves. She actually eats it, straight up. And only mildly scrunchies from the taste. After a moment, she peers at the tree itself, all the way up, and then measures it compared to the other trees...
Saffron: "I'm going to take the top-view! We need to get situated!"
Silver Rush now realizes that everything around them is edible and is in awe
Ember Flare flaps with Saffron to take a look
Saffron promptly jumps up and into a flight, fluttering around the branches until she perches at the topmost part, and uses her binoculars to peer around...
Brickfielder just watches Saffron and Ember head up, not noticing Silver's moment of ecstatic epiphany next to him.
Sundancer gains a bit of altitude to give a better view
(GM Note): I have the players test observation for finding landmarks. The group passes
Ember Flare quickly descends back down wings still sore from the flight
Taking a view above the treeline the trio can collaborate on some points of interest for later navigation. Several mountain peaks with relatively distinct features to the west. Two separate towering trees, either north or west from your current position. A waterfall that is sourced from the mountains and drains southward. The canopy of the forest is dense, so spotting ground level aspects will need to be done directly.
Sundancer: "If I was setting up a lumber camp, I'd pick somewhere near the river, at the edge of the trees."
Saffron stays perched above the tree, looking around and slowly scanning... Until she puts a hoof to the side of her helmet, and chimes into the radio. "Ember, how far are we from the FOB? 2 kilometers yet?" She asked, eyeballing that waterfall.
Ember Flare: "uh.. sorry um about 1,5km out"
Saffron nods, in spite of the gesture being unseen by anyone. She then shifts her eyes to the towering trees, taking note of their locations relative to them.
Saffron:"Okay. Ember can you make markers on the GPS by estimating their location? 'cause here's my take, we need to head further in to cover that remaining point five kilometers left, and I'm seeing a waterfall. I kinda want to check if there's a cave under the waterfall."
(GM Note): Saffron's player did not realize Ember Flare was the GPS, not a device. They do not realize this for a few sessions
Ember Flare: "...I'll memorize the waterfall. And uh, we were told to head in at least 3km. So we're currently minimum halfway to any potential camp site"
Saffron hums and quickly flicks out the compass to tell directions as she speaks on the radio. "There's also two MASSIVE trees. I think just about north-west of where we are right now, not to mention the mountain peaks... Plenty of potential spots there." She says, then quiets down.
Ember Flare: "...Maybe even further just in case the reds start wandering further in”
Sundancer: "Our camp can be pretty far in. Distance is a good shield and our wings should make travel easy."
Saffron flutters up with some effort from her perch and goes to land down among the others. Standing just under the canopy of the trees.
Brickfielder: "The mountains are I'm sure useful. Besides, that's surely not the only waterfall; if we want a cave that's hidden by something, there are surely more options."
Saffron:"Yah... Let's get movin'! If there's nothing at the waterfall we can bounce towards the mountain peaks I saw."
Ember Flare: "The waterfall seems to stick out very much. Might attract attention"
Saffron scuffs the ground a little bit. "Yeeah... You right..." She seems kinda disgruntled all of a sudden. Looking to Silver Rush for his motions to keep moving, if he wants.
Saffron starts to turn around to get walking in the direction of the waterfall at a careful pace. Still checking around as they go. "So the big trees are probably either gonna be left alone for being big landmarks 'cause they'll get seen by the bad guys if we touch 'em, or they'll go there first because that's a lot of wood. Mountains are kind of fitty-fitty, waterfall's kinda there... Maybe there's something in between..."
Silver Rush:"reds will probably make a contest to chop down the biggest tree...bah, waterfall first I suppose, we might as well"
Saffron: "Won't know until we go looksie."
Sundancer: "We should take advantage of our head-start, and start setting up camp as late as we can."
A land trek would be slow going. Saffron would quickly encounter just how dense the undergrowth is. Unless she wanted to start hacking away she would be dragged at by every brush and bramble between here and the waterfall.
Saffron starts eyeballing the grass and sniffing the air to take in the new scents, flicking her head around to any new sounds... Making an attempt to not leave an obvious trail. Though this is hard because of the terrain. She DID have a Ripper. However she wasn't sure if she wanted to start breaking stuff, unless Silver Rush told her to.
Ember Flare: "Hmh, if it's this thick everywhere we might have trouble keeping watch at them reds"
The waterfall would be quite a sight up close. Crystal clear water in a natural basin spilling down in a roar of white foam. The basin would make for an excellent spot to rest. But even with the trees it was very exposed. Below the waterfall was a wide ravine, far wider than the waterfall itself, that cut down through the forest and deeply into the foothills. From this angle you could see the chasm cutting south. Now that you were close and the general morning fog started to lift you can see the seemingly endless stretch of forest to the south that maintained it's fog. You could see treetops peeking from the wide white bank. But it was far denser fog than you had experienced at camp.
Ember Flare: "Flying over the forest would make us very easily spottable"
Saffron chuckled softly, "Yeah well," she casts a glance at Ember, "That goes both ways. Easier to sneak. Just need to know where to go." She answered with a chipper tone and a pep in her step, "Better start figuring that out soon, even if the workers are likely just going to hack it all away soon."
Sundancer: "We could hide in the fog, but I don't know if I want to deal with the moisture in my joints."
Silver Rush:"hmm...we need to look for anything nearby we could keep ourselves. any caverns and the like...want to be careful, if this is the only water source around other people might use it too"
Saffron stops once they reach the waterfall. She spends a good while just staring at it, before flicking up her forehoof and checking her watch to tell the time of day... Before starting to approach the side of the ravine, peering down it...
Sundancer: "The waterfall is a nightmare for hiding. All exposed space and curious reds. The ravine is worse."
Silver Rush: "it might be a good place to set up a camera though. see exactly who does use it"
Saffron half-turns to speak back to the others at the mention of the camera. "That's right! We can start setting that up, huh!" She peels herself back from the vista to canter back to Silver Rush, "Let's do that."
(GM Note): The sneaky characters tested Deceit to hide one of the cameras
Picking a good tree further into the basin Sundancer and Silver Rush get the first of your three cameras set. It would require zip-tying the thing to a sturdy branch. You would need to have the viewing equipment set up to confirm how good it had for sight lines later.
Silver Rush makes sure to scuff it and rub away any overtly identifying marks of the manufacturing origin
Saffron kept herself perched atop one of the trees to keep looking around-- this time towards the mountain, trying to see past the waterfall, or the cliff face. Though she does check on the others, to see where the camera was being set up...
Saffron:"Wanna keep going towards the west? Maybe there's something along here. Other option's go north east and find a good spot under the canopy."
Sundancer: "I like north-east for a camp location. Nothing special about a spot in the woods."
Silver Rush:"agreed, northeast, along the ridges, find an unassuming spot in the woods. we can always relocate if we find a better spot, we just need to get the gear set up before the reds make camp"
Brickfielder was just about to second the north-east suggestion. Instead, he keeps his lips tight as he has for most of this.
Saffron flutters back down to get back among them on the ground, giving a second look to the waterfall to savor the sight... Before looking to them once more, adjusting her large combat saddlebags with an irritated look in her wry lips as she speaks. "Yah... If we walk it'll take a while tho. Underbrush is pretty thick. But if we fly we might miss a good spot."
Saffron: "... So, guess we have to commit. Are we ready to go? Camera looks good!"
Taking a flight off the waterfall ridge and heading north east the group will need to land and travel on foot to scout a suitable campsite. Closer to the mountains here the underbrush did not seem as problematic. With tall, heavy trees occupying the canopy there was less sunlight to feed smaller trees. This left the deeper woods a bit less dense. It would be slower going, half as much if you were simply flying. But you would have also missed the experience. Being deep in the woods you were enclosed by a small sensory overload. Damp scents of living foliage. The sounds from animal and insect calls and the wind rustling the branches. The pressure of the air this close to sea level. The harsh mix of light and shadows that dance as the trees sway. The immersed sensation would give a mix of claustrophobia and wonder.
Silver Rush: "well...at least the underbrush isn't as thick...but eugh...bugs"
Ember Flare: "There aren't bears or anything in here right? too many little creatures everywhere"
Saffron kept a slow-going and careful step to her pace. Not as purposeful, but somewhat... Worried. Paranoid, maybe. Despite the consistent half-smile on her face, the sheer amount of movement around them... The trees--blocking sight lines, the smells, and the bugs--some of which kinda made her flinch back with some reflexive fear. It made her draw her pistol to keep it handy, even if she didn't necessarily toggle the laser on. The childish wonder slowly turned to mild concern, as she kept a tight formation near Silver Rush, until told otherwise.
Sundancer bounces as she walks, partially out of excitement and partially to distract herself from the sights and sounds and blur her vision
Sundancer: "The big old trees were a great choice for a campsite!"
Silver Rush flicks his tail at the constant creep of insects, keeping his head moving as they walk through the dark canopy "keep eyes out for any depressions or concealable spots"
Ember Flare stops every now and then to check how much progress they have done
Picking your way through would take time. It would be easy enough to get turned around having to snake your way through the trees if not for Ember Flare's keen directional sense keeping you going north east. It would be close to noon by the time you were beyond your 3km mark and could locate a good candidate for a campsite. One candidate presented itself fairly quickly. A natural bowl formed among the roots of trees that were six ponies diameter. The bowl was fairly level on the ground area and about six meters wide. The brush would need to be cleared out and maybe a fire pit dug. Collecting water would be a bit of a trek back to the waterfall but no more than a couple hours round trip.
(GM Note): The following was a hidden message to Ember Flare for magic sensing.
In addition to tracking your position Ember would be able to pick up on latent magic. She had studied and understood in principle what leylines were. Now she could feel them. Not strong ones, but they were there and felt like a warm presence.
Saffron sniffs the ground a few times, sometimes detouring when they find flowers. For some reason, Saffron simply could not be helped from trying to eat at least one of every flower they came across, and sometimes licking the grass. She tasted everything, except things that looked obviously dangerous and icky. She tried to keep track of food sources along the way--to keep them in mind for later, until they got to their would-be camp site. She pipes up with a "Oh look! That look guhd!" she says, still chewing on a flower petal as she goes to examine the place closely.
Saffron: "Kinda messy but--easy fix for that!"
Ember Flare: "Eh are you sure that's safe?"
Silver Rush: "hmm...could easily set up a small brush camo netting over that ditch...we'd need to fortify it a bit"
Silver Rush turns towards the rest of the trees "twine signal wires going out all around there..."
Saffron: "Probably not safe AS IT IS but I am sure we can make it safe. Plus I don't think it gets better than this..."
Brickfielder takes the first chance to unload the rest of the equipment. "Second-guessing our location too much wouldn't help matters anyways."
Saffron goes to march herself into the bowl with a flutter of wings to prevent tripping in. Then starts kicking around twigs and stones, double-checking for any particularly sized insects or... Snakes, possibly.
Ember Flare:"Maybe we should do some very light scouting today along with setting the camp, you know, so we would have something to report back to"
Sundancer: "You should stick to field rations until you figure out what's safe. Our first report is probably expected to contain their camp's location, so we should stick to getting that."
Ember Flare: "yeah, that sounds good"
Saffron: "I can do scouting. That's one of the things I trained for, at least."
Saffron turns back to the others from within the bowl. Successfully having not found any snakes or giant spiders. She beams at the squad, and tippity taps the dirt with her foreboots. "Let's get started, yeah?? I'll look around, while you all set it all up. Maybe I can find some good food, too!"
Saffron: "Oh and..."
Saffron starts to unload her tent, sitting down to bring out everything and find her own place for it.
Saffron:"I guess, the tent should come up first."
Brickfielder is less than thrilled about having to sleep in one of the small personal tents again. They don't have ponies of his size in mind when making these sorts of things.
Ember Flare clears some space and sets up camp for a bit
With a location to set up your squad gets to digging in. Literally so as the undergrowth and small trees nestled in the space will need to be cleared before you can lay out your equipment.
Sundancer removes her armour and starts doing some self-diagnostic, starting with wiping her surfaces down of moisture accumulated flying
Sundancer: "Anypony with muscles sore? I imagine flying with armor on wasn't fun.”
Saffron begins to round up clutter, sticks, and stones into a sack from her survival gear and then walks off a few meters to spread them around somewhat conspicuously--or at least more so than just dumping it all in one place. She sometimes sagged as a teensy bit of fatigue caught up to her, but she didn't stop for that. She helped clean up and dig, she did her part. Even if she was kinda sweaty doing so.
Saffron: "I'm kinda sore but, y'know, whatever."
Ember Flare: "Well at least we're still sticking pretty close to base"
Brickfielder spreads his wings out some as he steps back from his tent. "I'd feel fine if it weren't for all that surveillance stuff. Made my armor chafe."
Sundancer:"I can get you something for your chafing. We should have some time off while Saffron does all the work here."
Silver Rush stows his gear "a tarp and some branches would be a good start for some top cover. Would help keep rain off our foxhole as well"
Sundancer: "Watching screens and relaxing."
Brickfielder: "...That's... uh, not necessary. It doesn't chafe normally. I was just exceptionally loaded down."
Sundancer considers this for a moment "Rest should heal it up just fine."
Silver Rush uses his to try and form a canopy over the trench to camouflage it from as many angles as possible
Saffron whines loudly as Sundancer points her out. "I'm gonna go do what I said I was gonna do." She says, kinda grumbling. She lays out her bedroll and tarps, then flaps out of the bowl and onto the grass, to start walking off a short distance so she could see if there's anything good to eat around.
(GM Note):Saffron tested some Observation to locate useful natural supplies.
Taking a tour around your campsite would give the impression to Saffron that much of the potentially edible plants here want to make that experience unpleasant. At least around your camp none of the berries would be in season and most would be toxic at least mildly. The flowering plants would be barbed and or also toxic. More than a couple poison ivy and poison oaks were in the area. There were some useful medicinal plants however, including willow trees. This would be the first time getting hoof on experience with these items, compared to just pictures in text. Saffron would eventually return after at least a couple hours of looking around to forage. She had perhaps a few grass-marks on her leggings, but otherwise came back without a hitch, still bearing that same excited smile as she hops down among them again.
Saffron: "So! I found TONS of poisonous things, and!... Medicinal plants! Willows, namely. Nothing exceptionally edible yet tho, I uh... Guess I'll have to sleep on it, then try looking more later."
Silver Rush: "thats uh...good? can you eat willow bark? not that we'll be starving out here, its only a week on rations"
Saffron snorts at Silver Rush, looking at him as she rolls her eyes. "The bark isn't the good part, it's the green part. The leaves and stems on the branches."
Sundancer: "I'm going to use the medicine I'm issued, I think."
Brickfielder:"...Leaves don't sound particularly appealing. I'd rather find more proper edible stuff through foraging."
Ember Flare: "hm not that excited about the poisonous part"
Saffron: "Noooo--the Willow is good for medicines! It reduces swelling, and heat. It's kinda good, for bruises."
Ember Flare looks around the campsite "well this should be good enough for now... could conceal it more later"
Sundancer: "Cabbage is leaves. But who knows what microbes there could be."
Silver Rush:"yeah, we need to get a better lay of the surrounding area, while we still have the morning on our side. We get those camera feeds?"
Saffron glances up at the tarps the others had set up. Then back down to Silver once he mentions the camera.
Saffron: "Oh yeah! We need to see if the camera by the waterfall works properly."
Saffron trots back to the mouth of her tent to sit down and, finally, take a huge sigh of relief as she rests... For a bit, at least. Letting the others speak or do things for a minute.
(GM Note):The players rolled a group test for the condition of their campsite
Your camp ends up being quite cozy. Tarps are laid strategically for maximizing coverage and tied down. Natural cover is used to shield your camera's receiver equipment and your tents from the elements. A fire pit is dug in the center and lined with stones. The tents are arranged around the fire to benefit from any heat and light during the evenings. In all the site ends up looking quite professional for your first attempt.
Brickfielder settles down next to the fire pit and pops his neck, and looks around, smirking and puffing his chest out. "I'm quite proud of how this came together, if I do say so myself."
Sundancer: "Welcome to Camp Nimbus. The finest observation post in the griffonian isles."
Saffron: "Daaaamn... Sundancer you're pretty good at this camp-building thing."
Sundancer: "I know, I know. I should have been in the engineers."
Saffron eyeballs the corner with their camera receiver equipment. For some reason it is that one thing that gets her to start subtly wagging her tail excitedly from her sitting spot.
Saffron: "You got re-assigned or somethin'?"
Brickfielder:"Mh. No doubt good jobs available for a logistically-minded pegasus after you move up from being a Green, if nothing else."
Sundancer:"I honestly don't know what our squad is supposed to be doing. We're working for a mutant and spying on other greens. Maybe I got set aside because I was too good to work with Thermal on building and blowing up things. Maybe this is some weird loyalty test."
Brickfielder: "Our duty is spying on our allies. It's all a loyalty test."
Saffron has a bit of a titter to Sundancer's reply. "Maybe not even the Blues know yet, y'know?" Saffron replied, "Cloudy said he wanted ponies with some 'initiative'. He only got like... Three squads, and she's the comms officer, in'she?" She pauses on that...
Saffron: "... What if she's got a spooky agenda..."
Brickfielder:"...I'm not going to act like something doesn't stink about this. But Cloudy's playing an important role nonetheless. Maybe that role is just ensuring everyone else is behaving as they should."
Ember Flare: "It might just be a test. See how well we fare here defines what our next missions will be"
Sundancer:"If there's any spooky agenda, it comes from her bosses, probably. I don't want to start suspecting Cloudy of treason just because she's a mutant. It would be a bad way to start our career."
Brickfielder:”If she weren't a useful mutant, she wouldn't be our CO. I trust her."
Ember Flare: "So we should strive to make a good impression or we could end up doing bottom of the barrel jobs"
Sundancer: "Or worse."
Saffron quietly listened to the discussion her wild thought sprouted from the others. She, in the meantime, took off her helmet and set it beside her, ruffling her mane to let it go wild while she heard them.
Saffron:"It's jus' kinda weird, is all. I don't mind, personally! This is all I've ever dreamed of doing. And she gave us chocolate. I feel like we're just, like, an Intelligence team! It makes more sense... Maybe we're gonna be a vanguard eventually."
Brickfielder: "...Sitting in a hovel in the forest, waiting to spy on other pegasi, is what you dreamed of doing...?"
Saffron: "No?? I wanted to go exploring and that's what we're doing! Spying on ponies is just a side thing."
Brickfielder snorts slightly and looks around. "...A side thing."
Sundancer: "Yeah, she's not the one who's going to be sitting in the hovel all day."
Saffron rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Okay." She scoffs back. "We should probably call back to Cloudy Forecast to let her know where we are, before we tuck ourselves in."
When it was gotten to the camera equipment could be tested. The video screen was no more than 30 centimetres, giving a fairly tight view of what would be shown. The cameras would need to be manually switched between when viewed. But the recorder could pick up all three signals at once. The disk only had about a day of recording, so would need to be overwritten. When tested the view from the waterfall would be quite clear. Hard to say how well the signal would keep up if you were further out however.
Ember Flare looks a bit anxious "But we don't have anything to report yet!"
Ember Flare: "We'd just be wasting the officers time if we reported now"
Saffron flicks down her wings onto her back. "Our current location is a thing to report, but, okaayyyyyyy." Saffron checks her watch to tell the time again...
Ember Flare: "Sorry, I just thought we might want to give... a fuller report. We have nothing about the reds yet"
Sundancer: "Weren't you supposed to be looking for them?"
Saffron:"I can't believe Sundancer wants me gone so bad that she'll send me out when the operations haven't even started yet."
Ember Flare: "Oh right heh... nevermind then..."
Sundancer: "I was just worried about your 'side thing' comments is all."
Saffron titters and looked between the two mares with pure mirthful amusement in her eyes. Not quite taking offence just yet. Though she does look up from her watch after Sundancer's particular comment, putting her hoof down quickly. "I'm taking this as seriously as you." She remarked, off-hoofedly. "I just wanted to be out here really bad, is all."
Brickfielder: "...Made for front-line service, I suppose."
Saffron fixes Brickfielder with an askance glance. Like she was translating the meaning of what he had said, before deciding to just dismiss it and pick up the helmet, putting it back on her head. And standing up. "I'm going to keep looking around. There's 5 hours left to do things, and I still wanna peek about for food sources."
Ember Flare: "Is there anything you want done today Silver?"
Saffron goes to turn around and flap herself out of the hovel, giving a glance to Silver Rush--if he felt like stopping her, pausing there.
Silver Rush: "only thing left to do would be scout the surrounding area, get a better lay of the land. fallback points, observation roosts etc"
Ember Flare: "I'll get to it."
Sundancer: "Leaving evidence of our presence all over the woods probably isn't ideal."
Brickfielder glances at Ember, and stands up. "I'll accompany you. Not much use with spotting finer details on my own."
Silver Rush:"nah nah, like marking where good spots are and knowing what local features can help us hide or just orient ourselves to landmarks"
Sundancer: "But I'll get working on finding a second place to put a campsite"
Ember Flare is pretty keen on turning her attention away from her previous embarrassing outburst
Saffron looks back to the woodland once Silver Rush had spoken, then walks around the underbrush carefully in distinct silence. And resuming her previous exploration to keep checking for food while the others take care of the other task.
Ember Flare nods to Brickfielder before setting out to look around
Brickfielder follows out behind Ember, letting her lead.
Striking out to get their own view Brickfielder and Ember Flare will be quite productive in their search for tactical and strategic points. There are a number of threes with strong branches and long sight-lines that could be used for watch posts if necessary around the campsite. However when investigating one spot the pair would be ambushed by a red squirrel. Ambushed might not be a fair term but the chirping warning it gave would be easy to ignore before it sprung out.
(GM Note): I introduced the dodge and damage mechanics with an “attack” from the squirrel. Brickfielder failed to evade while Ember Flare used magic to shield herself. Brickfielder gained the Hurt condition.
Saffron would continue her truffle hunt. While she would be able to find mushrooms, the red ones with white spots that formed two interlaced circles quarter km from the camp would be problematic to eat.
Ember Flare doesn't manage to dodge the rabid monster fast enough and resorts to using her training. She emits fumes from her armour and produces a whirling vortex shielding her
Ember Flare: "AAh!"
Bouncing off the smokey temporal barrier that Ember Flare expels results in the bushy red tailed monster being bounced towards Brickfielder. In its attempt to escape the squirrel seemed to first choose going through the large stallion, resulting in a number of scratches on his face. The beast could be flung off in short order, but some damage was done.
Brickfielder is, between being caught off-guard by the little beast's attack, and being startled by Ember's vortex, left fumbling as he gets rid of it, shouting obscenities at it and panting once it's gone... before wheeling on Ember, putting a hoof to the scratches stinging on his face. "What the fuck was that?"
Ember Flare huffs still startled "I don't know, some sort of clawed rodent!
Brickfielder: "Not that! What you just did! ...Your mutation, I bet."
Ember Flare is flustered "oh sorry, yes it's part of my training... But your face! We should have that looked at. Who knows what diseases that thing is carrying"
Brickfielder narrows his eyes and glances off in the direction it went. "I'll be fine until we get back to base. Damn ground creatures..."
Ember Flare: "Well... if you insist. For such a small thing it did quite a work on you"
Brickfielder: "Yeah, well, the thing moved like it was possessed. I'm not good with grabbing little finicky things."
With the excitement passed Brickfielder and Ember Flare could return to their camp. Cleaning up would be simple enough for Sundancer. The embarrassment would be a far longer sting than the scrapes.
Saffron goes on a solitary walk through the woods. Seeing the sights, breathing in the air and, most of all, relishing in the freedom of being out in the wild on her own. She peeks around the shrooms that eventually pop out on the ground, at first curiously watching the red and white spotted ones--despite knowing what they are from book studies. She almost grabs one... Thinking of all the possibilities it might entail... But common sense wins out in the end, and she leaves them behind. For now. Returning to the camp with a sack-full of brown mushrooms.
Saffron would briefly swing by Silver Rush once she returned--likely just about as the sun fully set. Putting her little sack of mushrooms aside near the fire pit. "I found a bunch'a tasty mushrooms, and then a lot of FUN mushrooms."
Saffron: "You ever wanna have hallucinations just let me know, boss."
Ember Flare would be sure to warn everyone about the ferocious beasts lurking around in the forest
Brickfielder would be silently standing there with a look of frustration while Ember warns everyone.
Sundancer offers to treat Brickfielder's face when he returns to camp, after returning from a short uneventful walk done to make the squad leader happy
Saffron would listen to Ember Flare with rapt attention. Mildly concerned about the size of this HIDEOUS BEAST that Ember spoke of, and then looking at the teeny scratches on Brickfielder's face, then back to Ember. Saffron , almost sarcastically judging by the very brief smirk. "Wow are you okay??" She asks Brickfielder.
Brickfielder narrows his eyes. "I would appreciate the cuts being disinfected. At the least."
Saffron: "Oh yeah, damn. Can't have you catch turbo-rabies or somethin'."
Sundancer unscrews a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and rubs it into Brick's face, enjoying the feeling of doing medical treatment again
Brickfielder sits still for Sundancer, tightening his jaw and bearing the sting of the alcohol, looking like a pouting colt who got scratched up while playing outside.
Saffron wanders back to lay down in front of her tent. Giving a nod towards the sack of mushrooms she had temporarily left nearby. "I got us some snacks." She said, in a more even tone of voice, "Most of the food around here is not good for ponies."
Ember Flare would have also sidestepped her use of powers in her tale
Brickfielder doesn't say anything, but he does notice Ember's omission of how she startled the squirrel off. Not wanting to just openly tell what her mutation is...?
Saffron: "Wait so was it actually THAT bad, Ember?"
Saffron goes on to glance at Ember, interested in what she had to say in earnest--in spite of her ribbing on.
Brickfielder: "You think we should look out for it again? What does it sound like?"
Ember Flare:"Well I'm certainly going to be more careful around here. It did run away once Brickfielder tossed it so hopefully it learned to keep its distance Also it let out this high pitch screeching noise before it leapt"
Saffron snorts through her nose softly, "Here's hopin'..." She muttered, before nodding along a bit more... "... Where'd ya see it? I might go find it. Maybe if I give it some food I can befriend it, and it'll stop jumping on our faces."
Saffron: "Or maybe it'll be gone straight-up."
Ember Flare points in a direction "I'm not sure approaching wild animals is the best thing to try... Sounds like a way to lose an eye"
Saffron: "I got ballistic goggles for that. I'm not scared of getting scratched."
Brickfielder scoffs... though maybe he's lucky the squirrel didn't go for his eyes.
Saffron smirks and glances in the direction Ember pointed. Before giving a slight nod to take note of it. "Thanks Ember. I'm guessing you didn't find much out there..." She adds softly, reaching into her saddlebags to fish in it, until she produces her field journal; beginning to make various notes. Namely, writing down the timeline of events so far. Starting with the arrival to the forest, setting up of the first camera, then the setting up of camp... Then detailing the various plants spotted nearby.
Silver would use the encryption code Cloudy provided to signal back to the FOB, which was under call-sign Lighthouse. He would call in, receive confirmation, and then be told to report. At least your leader would be good with his words, giving a proper report without issue. Silver would be told to continue within mission parameters and report daily at the same time.
(GM Note):There was an ooc discussion regarding night watches.
Ember Flare tried not to volunteer but does so slightly reluctantly
(GM Note): Ember Flare is given private information for what she hears on her watch.
During the night flare can barely hear something odd, she thinks. Laughter? It would be distant and hard to tell if it was real. She would sense a burst of magic from somewhere east of your camp, not very close though. It would be suddenly there and gone, about two hours before sunrise. It would be difficult to tell if these really happened though.
Your first night in the woods would be a loud one. The noise of the forest creatures would be insistent and maddening. When you start to nod off some new buzzing, hooting, or high pitched screech would begin. If it were a constant droning perhaps you could block it out. But it was all new and alien. Something your training had drilled you to pay attention to.
(GM Notes): I had the players test Endurance to resist fatigue for a rough first night. Only Ember Flare Fails
Today will be your first day at surveillance of the lumber collection, red class citizens, and your fellow greens. You will have a number of tasks to perform for this mission. Tasks to be assigned by your squad leader. The first and possibly most important task involves the scouting of your targets. It will primarily be a matter of diligent observation over many hours. Hours where you will need to keep from being noticed yourself. All while keeping a log of what is observed.
You will need to assign shifts for monitoring ongoing footage. Reviewing the night's camera footage would also be a long process. But someone would need to do it as part of routine for compiling later reports. Once you get more cameras set up it could be a multipony job. Even with sped up playbacks.
The next task would be placing the two remaining cameras. Locations would need to be scouted. Semi permanent spots so the cameras would not need to be moved with any frequency.
The campsite will need to be patrolled. While you had been told the risk of encountering infrareds was slim at best there were many animals in this forest. Even if they could not hurt you they could get into your supplies or damage equipment.
To complicate matters the morning fog is as dense as it had been yesterday. If everyday is like this then you'll have to start factoring that in
Sundancer sees herself as a natural shoe-in for monitoring and reviewing camera footage, and feels pretty good after taking the first watch last night
Silver Rush:"great more clouds...nimbus might be more apt than we thought it would be for this mission"
Saffron had awakened somewhat groggily given that she was middle watch, but perked up almost immediately. After all, it was the moment of truth! Sitting up and getting into her combat gear, she looked to Silver Rush and simply said: "Scouting time?"
Ember Flare: "So uh, did either of you notice anything weird during the night? Saffron? Sundancer?"
Brickfielder is annoyed by the density, but decides to maybe not vocally muse on the irony of them living their lives on clouds only for clouds to now be a nuisance to them. He's not in the mood for thinking about that irony anyways.
Sundancer:"The name for clouds this close to the surface is stratus. Maybe nimbostratus would have been a better name."
Brickfielder: "Bit of a mouthful..."
Saffron darts her eyes to Ember Flare, then just flicks up her wings in a shrug.
Saffron: "Nah. Nothing but the fog, at least! And maybe some insects."
Sundancer shakes her head at Ember's question "It all seemed fine to me."
Sundancer: "No reds, no infrareds."
Saffron mumbles, rubbing the back of her neck and forelegs, "A lot of insects actually..."
Ember Flare rubs her hoof "Oh well I guess it's nothing but... I don't know if I heard anything other than normal forest sounds"
Silver Rush: "the ground certainly isn't any easier to sleep on..."
Ember Flare:"But I did feel some sort of magical... discharge of sorts? Not close though, but some distance away to the east I think"
Saffron: "Magical discharge?..."
Saffron straps on her helmet and fastens the chin strap. All the while looking to Ember with slightly increased interest.
Saffron: "Really?"
Sundancer: "Close enough to be on the island?"
Ember Flare: "Oh easily, I'm not sure I'd notice anything if it was that far away. But it might just be normal!"
Silver Rush raises an eyebrow "discharge as in...bad or just magic in general?
Ember Flare: "I haven't been on the surface before"
Saffron starts to reluctantly turn her head towards Silver Rush, albeit her eyes linger on Ember until her head fully turns away. "Uhh... So, boss, who's gonna do what? Also you want me to go check that out? If it's east it can't be too far away, since we're not far from the coast."
Ember Flare: "Well there was a sudden surge... and then it was over and nothing. I can't tell much else"
Brickfielder: "I guess that it's something to keep in mind going forward, if nothing else."
Sundancer: "Do you want to check that out with me after I finish reviewing last night's camera footage?"
Silver Rush:"well first things first get the camp hidden and stow the supplies. after that we need teams of two. Checking footage and finding the red camp are priority"
Ember Flare: "Hm we could. It wouldn't hurt at least"
Silver Rush nods to sundancer "good idea, i'd rather not go off chasing....uh...vague magical disturbances till we have the actual mission objectives in hoof"
Sundancer: "Sadly I'm a liability anywhere near reds. I'm shiny and struggle to stay quiet."
Saffron:"Ember can you check your GPS for how far east is the coast? Also try to mark the relative point of the uh--phenomenon on the GPS as well, we could try and look at it maybe..."
Saffron mumbles, "I think we might have to include this in our report, as well. I have a feeling it'll interest Cloudy Forecast but... Iunno."
Ember Flare is mildly confused "I.. I can try"
Ember Flare closes her eyes in concentration, puffing slight amount of smoke from her armour ventilation
(GM Note): Ember tested her psyche skill to give Saffron directions.
Silver Rush scrunches trying to not look disturbed by this odd development
Saffron flinches back from Ember's wacky mutant stuff. But otherwise decides to act casual and just sweep her glance towards Silver Rush.
Saffron: "So, uh, who's going to be in the scouting team?"
Brickfielder glances at Ember's smoke puffing and narrows his eyes a bit.
Ember can give Saffron directions up to a variance of a few meters for where she felt the magic surge.
Silver Rush:"the uh.... sneakiest, of course." he tries to tear away from ember "if anyone has scout experience it's going to be a long day of observation."
Saffron:"Well, I'm the one with scouting training, at least! I just want to know who you want to come along, if anypony. I could do it on my own if needed..."
Ember Flare opens her eyes and pinpoints the place she felt the thing happen on the map for Saffron
Saffron whipped her head from Silver Rush, hastily. She quirked her brow at how... Accurate her directions are, and immediately leans in to have her put a marker on her map, then give a slight nod in acknowledgement. Smiling to Ember as she thanks her.
Saffron: "Thank you Ember. You're pretty helpful!"
Ember Flare:"Oh I have had some covert operations training, though I am a bit tir- I mean yes I think I could help with that"
Silver Rush: "no, no lone missions, this area is unmapped, we're not risking anypony getting picked off."
Ember Flare attempts to play the compliment cool but her cheeks do gain a slight bit more saturation
Sundancer:"So we have what, Ember and Saffron on the Red tracking, who's going to come with me to investigate the magic, then?"
Silver Rush:"I want to get eyes on that camp as well. we three can get it handled. that leaves you two" he motions to brick and sundancer "to check footage and investigate the...magic"
Brickfielder glances to the cyborg and nods. "Understood."
Saffron seems to beam, apparently pleased with being able to go along with Ember. Looking to the mare herself with a bright look in her eyes as she stands up, all dressed up in her exoskeleton and plate carrier. Adjusting the combat saddlebags along her back with a few hops.
Ember Flare is contemplates about saying something but backs down
Sundancer: "I'd criticize for not leaving anyone to guard the camp, but..."
Silver Rush: "wait its right there?" he glances at the map "hell you two check it out now, we'll pack up camp"
Sundancer looks at the marked map "We can just come back when we're done"
Saffron simply nods in response to Silver Rush, side glancing Ember and giving her a grin and a sweeping gesturing towards the underbrush--in the direction of the point Ember herself had indicated.
Saffron: "Let's go then. How long ago did you feel this, by the way?"
Ember Flare: "So... do we just get... going then? right, uhm couple of hours ago I'd say? it was during my guard shift"
Brickfielder nods and adjusts his equipment slightly. "Mm, it is very close."
Silver Rush: "if it's that close we need to make sure its not going to kill us, imminently"
Saffron starts hopping herself out of the bowl they had their camp in, offering a hoof to Ember for her to hold onto--just out of courtesy to help them out easier, before getting going at a striding, but careful pace.. Getting underway just as Silver says that.
Saffron: "You good at hiding, Ember?"
Ember Flare politely declines the hoof, though thankful one was offered "I'd say somewhat. It was part of the training."
Ember Flare: "I mean I'm not an expert or anything"
Saffron doesn't seem to mind having her help declined, and starts walking a bit ahead of Ember as they talk, "Good-good. Don't worry about it too much, we have plenty of cover--and this fog, as bad as it is, will make it so we're harder to see. Try to--stay around 3 meters back, so you don't trip on the same things I trip on."
Silver Rush leads Saffron and Ember Flare out to get a sight on the lumber operations. Being tactically minded you will realize that in this fog you're far more likely to hear vehicles before getting any visuals. Heading south the trio would get to the border between the forest and the barren hills to wait.
Brickfielder and Sundancer would head east to investigate the magic disruption. It would be a quick task, although the poisonous elements and brambles that Saffron had scouted prior could pose an issue when combined with the fog. It would be a short jaunt over, which leads the pair to a clearing. If they got the right place it was just an open space with some tall rocks and mushrooms.
Ember Flare:"You.. seem to be pretty positive about this whole mission?"
Saffron: "Shouldn't I be?"
Sundancer:"Well this isn't great. Maybe we should have come with Ember. I can't 'feel magic' or whatever it is she does."
Ember Flare:"Oh no I mean you just seem to be enjoying it very much. I... I just wondered if you like.. Requested to be assigned here or... something?"
Brickfielder:"...Yeah, uh, me neither. If there were something particularly strong, I'm pretty sure I'd at least have some hairs standing up, but I'm not feeling anything. I suppose we should just... look around, see if there's anything abnormal..."
Sundancer nods in affirmation and starts poking around the local bushes "I reviewed the tapes from last night. Want me to watch out while you make sure nothing's using the lake?"
Saffron doesn't look back to Ember as she speaks softly, keeping as quiet as possible as she steps over the brush--avoiding twigs and patches of leaves. Keeping her pistol readied mostly out of habit. But not otherwise taking it off safety.
Saffron:"Not... Really. I mean I took a course for scouting, specifically. Crash course, really. I had the aptitudes for it, apparently. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be assigned to this role, but I didn't put in a request or anything."
Brickfielder moves over to the mushrooms, being careful to not touch them as he glances around. "...Might be for the best. It'd really be better if they'd've put more dedicated scouts onto this mission, you know?"
Saffron: "... Maybe my recruiter did. He's a family friend."
Silver Rush:"I didnt expect a CLODS gig so early. I know its a normal grunt thing to do, but we definitely shipped here fast"
Saffron: "Sure did..."
Sundancer:"We're a pretty odd bunch for a covert squad. I still don't know what Cloudy will have us doing after this."
Silver Rush: "was worried I'd get stuck managing a warehouse for a year...or more"
Brickfielder:"Something else, hopefully. Like you said, we're an odd selection. ...I'm not sure how I'd be hoofing things if I were in Silver's position, really."
Sundancer: "I know I'd at least have sent Ember to investigate her own anomaly."
Exploring the clearing would give the pair not much to work with. There is one oddity in that a number of the standing rocks have iridescent coating to them. Some kind of slime or gel kept wet with the fog. The Scouting party would be waiting around twenty minutes or so before they could get a bead on the sound of trucks. Exactly how far south they were was hard to tell with the sound bouncing around the hills.
Brickfielder snorts and smirks. "Tell me about it... "
Sundancer: "I'm trying to expunge my desires for leadership positions."
Ember Flare: "Well, it is a good opportunity though. To show what you can do for cloudsdale."
Brickfielder glances over at Sundancer. "Well... different strokes. This isn't a desirable leadership position, is what I mean."
Sundancer shrugs "It's not really a choice, I'm government property. I can be the greatest soldier or doctor in all of Cloudsdayle and I probably still won't be pushing anypony around."
Brickfielder looks down at the mushrooms and frowns a bit. "...Yeah. It's, uh... it's a raw deal." Damn, why's he falling flat like this...?
Sundancer:"I'm pretty okay with it. If you think about it, it's not too different from being an Orange anyways. I just got a sharp dose of what I expect Ember got her whole life."
Brickfielder nods and keeps looking around, getting more lost in his thoughts than focusing on his surroundings at this point.
Once the morning fog started to lighten up the scouting party would be able to start getting a visual of the proceeding masses. There are numerous trucks driving out to a fairly flat piece of ground at the treeline about half a kilometer south of your position.
Sundancer laughs ruefully "No matter who you are, it's all of our lot in life to hope for a good leader."
Brickfielder: "...Yeah. That's why the leaders need to be trying their damnedest."
Silver Rush’s pony ears perk up at the approaching din of ponies and vehicles "alright guys, its showtime...keep low, and start thinking of places to put cameras"
Something about the clearing seemed odd to Sundancer. More so than the forest in general. It was quiet here. When the pair entered the clearing the forest noises just... stopped. These stones did not seem natural either. They were worn but looked to be intentionally placed into a loose circle.
Silver Rush:"don't think we'll need to worry too much about being spotted from the air, but keep that in mind for the cameras and when the fog burns off later in the day"
Saffron falls quiet as they begin to get eyes-on the lumber camp as it comes together. She lowkey gestures both Silver Rush and Ember low to urge them towards pieces of cover and bushes. She takes out her binoculars... And begins to scout. Keeping an eye on the proceedings, counting the trucks, and checking the amount of soldiers and where they're going. Checking if there's any better area for the camera as well.
Ember Flare attempts to find some cover that would still let her see the lumber camp operations
(GM Note):I have the scouting party roll Tactics for placing a second camera. They pass.
Sundancer:"I don't think that this is nothing. This is definitely worth coming back with Ember. Some kind of magic is at work here."
Sundancer frowns "Part of me wants to break up the stone circle just to see what happens, but Ember should be here for that."
Ember Flare looks expectantly at their squad leader
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow and glances around... before looking down at the circle. "We could just radio and ask her if it's safe to break it up."
From your vantage point the scouting team will be able to see the general proceedings going on. There would be four trucks that rumble up to park twenty meters or so from the tree line. From there the Reds would start clambering out. Their blue officer seems to have ridden with them. Accompanying on hoof would be a long march of greens. Due to the fog it would be hard to tell how many there are so far. But given they keep marching out from the hills There's at least fifty that are out today. Everyone seems to just be gathering at the site to to start. Lining up for further instructions while the reds sort of mill about.
Your current vantage point would be a good enough spot, further back in the trees between your camp and the lumber camp's muster point. It would be tied in the crook of a tree branch and the truck, a few meters off the ground.
Saffron, amidst their squad leader with no practical experience and Ember who was fatigued, took it upon herself to find a conspicuous spot for their camera. She gave it a good shot, and eventually gave Silver a spot--on an aforementioned tree branch. Whether he liked it was up to him, but she seemed at least slightly confident, and it was better than nothing?
Silver Rush is evidently in no position to argue about it and waggles his tail. he takes his binocs out and tries to identify the blue pony pointing and shouting directions at the others, starting the day observations from their safe cubby hole
Silver Rush clacks the radio "nimbus 1 this is nimbus actual, anything to report a disturbance?"
Saffron eventually calls to their mutant friend softly. "Ember." She turned her head as she double checked the camera to ensure it was stable. "Can you pinpoint this location on the map for future reference?" She asked, then, when the deed was done, returned to Silver Rush's side, to keep assisting in the observation.
Ember Flare creeps closer to saffron before going "sure can"
Brickfielder turns his head down towards where his radio is strapped on. "Nimbus 1, there is certainly… something here. Stones arranged in a pattern. We were intending to ask Ember if it would be safe to disturb the pattern."
Saffron breathes a long sigh through her nostrils. "Can't give an accurate estimate of the amount of Greens from this far. Around fifty so far. We'll have to see how far the patrols will go..."
Silver Rush: "stone circle, roger, give 1 mike. no other signs of life?"
Brickfielder: "Opposite. It's abnormally quiet here."
Silver Rush turns to Ember "The other team found a stone circle....eerily quiet at the disturbance site. That mean anything? they held off disturbing the pattern"
Ember Flare: "I don't know. It might be best if they didn't poke anything"
Silver Rush clacks "nimbus one affirm, if no immediate threat identified proceed with primary objectives, good call on not disturbing the circle"
Silver Rush: "nimbus actual out"
The camera crew will have some sight of the mustering lumber camp. While they may not need to be actively watching right now given the scout's position, giving some time to review the footage of the waterfall. It would take a few hours, and with night vision the cameras would be more useful at night compared to active scouting. The basin at the waterfall would be fairly calm, but sometime around midnight a flare would go across the screen horizontally. It did not block the entire camera view but something small and indeterminable rapidly moved across the water. There was a wake left behind it as well.
The truck count at four looked correct, but there is also a pair of small but heavy machines with a claw limb that are driven in. Today looked to be orientation day for greens under Champaign Shower. It was likely the first time most of them had seen trees up close. The officer mostly stood around and let the workers try to explain things, given he was trying to get everyone's attention on them. Almost an hour after they arrived the chainsaws started coming out. It took awhile for the first tree to come down, but it was quite thunderous. When it fell a heavy machine was used to drag it away. The lumber workers look like they were there to mostly just fell and move the trees. Shortly after the first fell Greens were being instructed on removing branches with cutting tools. When it looked like patrols around the camp would be started there was some confusion. The first squad would take to the air, get yelled at by Champaign, and then need to tentatively walk into the woods on hoof. Even from your distant vantage point how red the officer was getting could be seen.
(GM Note): I have the scout group roll Observation to cover details of their first day.
Ember Flare me almost nods off once they settle to observe
The scouts figure out a number of details as soon as Champagne Shower seems to get them going himself. First off there look to be eighty greens at the camp. You might not recall exactly how many squads Champaign had but that's sixteen in force. If by force, most of them are milling about trying to look alert and not wanting to get stuck cleaning logs. There end up being four patrol squads at a time, two shifts. But given the currently small operation going on they don't venture very far. Most are also being distracted by their first time on the surface. At least when their officer or a stooge isn't watching.
Sundancer tries to get some enjoyment from nature vicariously by watching the other greens stumble around in a patrol pattern
Saffron makes an attempt to not let Ember die of boredom by kindly asking them to make some notes in their journal for her. Namely the exact hour in which they set up their watch, and the timeline between the arrival of the reds, arrival of the greens, the start of the woodcutting, and the exact time that the green patrols started moving out. As well as their number, which is, so far, four. She also tries to get Silver Rush to take some notes for his report, especially for the number of soldiers present, and the patrol shifts, while she keeps track of the patrol route itself, checking how close it comes to their own position and the camp itself. Saffron is very attentive. It almost looked like she couldn't get bored doing this, that's how perky she was.
Saffron:"We'll have to be careful later. Pretty sure the range of the patrols will expand along with the size of the camp, eventually we'll have to move the camera.This one, at least."
Silver Rush: "aye, I dont know if they plan to strip every tree, we need to get a feel of the pace of operations."
Ember Flare struggles to keep attention "Do you think we should head back soon? They don't seem to be doing much anything"
Saffron doesn't answer Ember immediately. Instead she checks her watch to check the current time.
Silver Rush: "Nimbus 1, Nimbus actual, do you have camera 2 feed?"
Brickfielder looks back down to his radio after rubbing his eyes a bit. "Nimbus 1, affirmative."
Saffron: "Once dusk comes up we can head back, Ember. Just hold strong a lil' longer..."
Silver Rush: "roger, we're almost finished up here, we'll inform once back en route.nimbus actual out.” he clicks the radio off, checking his own watch
Saffron looks back down to her own journal and makes a quick note. '16 squads total (80 units), 4 patrols. initial Attentiveness: minimal, distracted.'. Then looks back down the binoculars.
Saffron: "Hey Ember. You wanna hear a joke?"
Saffron scrunchies her muzzle, shaking her head at herself.
Ember Flare raises her ear a bit
Silver Rush: "don't forget Champagne is here too. I've got a feeling that's a...useful tidbit for cloudy"
Saffron: "You know what they call a pegasus fart while flying?.."
Brickfielder may be quite a ways away from Nimbus Actual, but even then he feels a frustrated twinge in his neck muscles.
Saffron side glances Silver Rush once as he speaks seriously in spite of her absolutely important joke. Her face was totally serious.
Saffron: "They call it horse power, Ember."
Ember Flare continues looking at Saffron expecting her to go on
Saffron sniffs and holds a moment of silence after delivering her bad joke. Looking at Ember as she doesn't get it.
Saffron: "You know. Propulsion. Makes you go fast."
Ember Flare: "...oh. Right"
Your first day of scouting and monitoring goes well. You have another camera for watching the camp overnight, although it seems everyone packs up. The heavy equipment is left on site along with the lumber that was starting to be prepared. Two squads came while everyone else was packing up. It looks like they would be the overnight watch.
Saffron snickers and shakes her head, reaching over to give Ember a gentle slap on the shoulder. "You're okay, Ember." Then turns back to the binoculars to keep sight on the camp, side glancing Silver Rush once.
Saffron: "Try to keep an eye on Champaign Shower if you can. Later especially."
Ember Flare gets bored at looking at the workers and attempts to check for any magical traces near the camp
Saffron falls quiet as she takes note of the night watch crew. She makes a note of it in her log, and the time of their arrival according to her watch, then waits for dusk.
It would be difficult for Ember to focus. At the time she only picks up the ambient levels this island has. Just have to try and be alert for spikes later it seems.
Silver Rush facehoofs at the joke, trying to pretend he didn't hear it "sigh lets get a count on the night guard"
Your second night in the woods would be less interesting. The sounds of the forest would still cause tension. But spending a full day would help it start to turn to white noise. Silver took the watch shift from Ember, letting her get rested. When silver made his report to HQ he would not be given an assessment of the information provided. It would be received and accepted, but there would not be feedback on how it compared against their other reports. It seemed like your grading would be silent until you were done.
Saffron, once they're back in camp, has this big satisfied smile on her face. She is fairly proud of her notes in a mostly quiet, humble way; not boasting, but she does show them to Silver Rush once or twice to help him fill in their CO. Before moving off to take a nap until her night watch shift begins. As she lays down tho, she does put in the suggestion to set up a camera at the magic circle.
Silver Rush:"well we're already here, might as well set it up now. I dont like having an...unknown magic right behind our backs"
Saffron: "Yeah... Don't want no wacky zombies coming up and clawing our faces or nothing."
Brickfielder:"...I still think we should be ready to toss those rocks out if anything seems to be strange. But, observing until then is fine by me."
Ember Flare yawns "I'll try and check it out tomorrow after rest, I don't think I'm in the best shape to concentrate on something like that right now"
Saffron sighs through her nose as she lays half-inside her tent. "We might give away our position if we mess with it. Possibly. I mean, somepony made it."
Silver Rush scrunches at saffron's zombie comment...then opens his mouth to speak "actually...shit who knows what magic does. Imma set up some alert tripwires, fuck it"
Saffron snorts in amusement towards Silver Rush as she notices the way he scrunches and looks at her. She doesn't say anything, but just smirks playfully for a moment.
Silver Rush starts stringing out twine, and tying jangly things to it as an early alert from the direction of the circle "you guys take a camera and put it in the clearing, I dont know about disturbing weird magic rocks yet but we may need to move camps in worst case scenario"
Sundancer could fly over to the circle quickly enough. The night sky was clear and even with the canopy there was enough moon and starlight to make her way by. If occasionally catching a twig. When she approached the clearing to set up the camera she would find the mushrooms in the clearing glowing. They were not the kind that should be luminous. Then she started to hear something.
(GM Note): The following was a hidden message to Sundancer’s player
Sundancer could hear what sounded like someone humming a tune. It did not seem to come from anywhere in particular. But it quickly turned into a cracked and panicked voice "Iron! Iron!"
Sundancer would scowl at the circle, but she's not sure if her face would articulate into one properly Sundancer continues setting up the camera, pretending to be less suspicious than she was
(GM Note): The following was a hidden message to Ember Flare’s player
Ember Flare would become alert to the shift in magic in the area. Another spike from the direction of the clearing.
Sundancer would hear what sounded like glass breaking. In the air near the standing stones iridescent bubbles would grow, then burst. From the bubbles came large butterfly like creatures. They were glowing with a soft light and appeared to be made from stained glass.
(GM Note): A combat began between the PCs and magical creatures. In summary Sundancer was hurt due to the creatures having an electricity attack that the cyborg pc was susceptible to. Ember Flare revealed her mutant power, the ability to generate a long range and area affecting fire attack. The group ended up more startled by Ember’s powers than the creatures.
Tactics wise the PCs fought unarmed to avoid making loud noises with their rifles. Silver and Saffron defended the camp while Brickfielder rallied them. Sundancer had to retreat and start fixing herself up. After the initial panic Ember Flare removed much of the problem in a flash.
Ember Flare eyes glow again and one of the butterflies flashes violently again while the other falls as a burning charred carcass
Saffron: "Alright!! Problem solver, I'm hungry."
Brickfielder stumbles back a bit and looks at Ember, slowly holstering his pistol. ...A good leader should give positive reinforcement, after all. "...Good job, Flare."
Saffron prances around the charred carcass with her wings lifted, swishing her tail as she triumphantly does the victory prance(tm). Then sees Sundancer still hurt in the background, and starts to ebb her smile slightly, trotting over.
Saffron: "Hey. You okay Sundancer? You don't look good."
Ember Flare huffs with some sweat droplets rolling over her face before turning to Sundancer "Are you alright? "
Sundancer stands up and doesn't speak for a second "I can see why they call you Flare."
Sundancer rubs her face with her hooves "The damage isn't superficial, I'm not going to lie. I'll be fine, though, nothing that can't be fixed in the field."
Sundancer: "It'll give me something to do when it's Brick's turn to watch the cameras. I think somepony else should take the first watch."
Saffron looked to Flare herself in that moment.Smiling to her, but quickly looking to Sundancer. Nodding along. "... Will you need help? We can try asking the CO for some supplies at a drop point, if you need it..."
Ember Flare: "We should- maybe we should move camp or do something about those circles?"
Silver Rush: "ember what are the odds destroying that circle doesn't cause more of those things? cuz yeah, lets remove the threat"
Ember Flare:"I could take a look at them, I don't know how they work"
Sundancer:"It seemed like the magic in the circle allowed them to appear out of thin air. My hypothesis is a transportation network of some kind."
Brickfielder nods. "Then we should do that. It's clearly an active threat, and you know what you're looking at better than any of us, Ember."
Sundancer: "Which would make the proper answer for what to do be 'both'"
Saffron turned to Silver Rush at that. "Wait, boss. Call it in first. They might not want us doing that kind of stuff?"
Sundancer: "I want to just rest for tonight though, okay?"
Saffron nods sadly to Sundancer, giving her a genuinely worried glance but otherwise leaving her be. Walking towards Silver Rush to speak softly. As she still shakes a little bit from the fight.
Saffron: "For all we know undoing the circles will tip off whoever made them. And then we'll have other things, or infrareds, coming down here checking stuff."
Saffron mumbles, "You want me to call it in or..."
With the excitement dying down your group can collect and discuss your next move. The remnants of the glass butterflies litter the edges of your camp and the nearby glade, your cybernetic companion has suffered electrical damage, and some of you are experiencing your first touches of combat adrenaline. You can make your report to HQ as soon as you think the area is secure.
Brickfielder runs a hoof through his mane as he trots to one of the butterflies, looking it over and frowning. "...Those circles are a problem. I think either we need to move camp, or they need to be destroyed."
Saffron, on the other hoof, insists and prods Silver Rush. "Call it in. Ask for instructions." She tells him, quickly. Her hooves visibly quiver.
Ember Flare: "Y-yeah I think we should do that"
Sundancer grits her mandible actuator "I'd rather not move, but we'll see. It could be fine to study."
Ember Flare: "So who is going to make the call?"
Brickfielder opens his mouth to say something about their mission... but, their CO had wanted them to take initiative. Perhaps this is the sort of thing she'd think of as being a sign of initiative...
Sundancer: "It should be our squad leader, right?"
Your squad leader will get the radio equipment and call in what happened. The reply you receive may not be quite what was expected. You were informed that your request for information broaches classified topics above your clearance. Your handler would need to address your report directly. They were currently asleep. For now you were to remain within current mission parameters and sit tight.
Sundancer: "Alright, worst of both worlds it is. I need to do some repairs before I can sleep. Who should I wake up for the second watch."
Saffron sits back and tucks in her wings. Which were flicking half-extended and then closed on her back. She waited patiently for Silver Rush to relay the synopsis: 'Sit Tight and wait for further instructions'. This made Saffron pout a little bit, but didn't say anything about that. She instead stands up and begins to trot over to the fragments of the crystal butterflies they had shattered, and takes out a sack from her combat saddlebags to sweep all the fragments in the sack...
Ember Flare stifles a yawn "Well I could detect if the circles activate again..."
Saffron: "Y'know. We should map them out when possible. There could be way more around us."
Brickfielder:"I'd hope they won't activate twice in one night, but for safety's sake, I'd figure that'd be for the best, Ember."
Saffron, after cleaning up the camp of crystalline/glass fragments and tying the laces around her sack to tighten in, she puts the small-ish sack into her saddlebags once more, and keeps them inside her tent. She double checks the floor to see if she missed any, and recovers them as needed, still flicking her tail nervously and quivering a little bit, as she smelts the adrenaline... Then scowls towards the woods where the things came from, and mumbles: "This place is a little spooky now..."
Saffron:"Hey I think tomorrow we should try not to light the fireplace. Dunno if anypony will show up to check what happened within the next couple o' days...Kinda worried that tripping these things sends a message to whoever made them. But that's just me."
Brickfielder:"Anyone who would've received that message is surely long gone. Surface dwellers aren't complicated enough to maintain some sort of network of... magic tripwire summoning circles across a whole island."
Ember Flare: "Those kinda looked just like some magic bugs though... Maybe they are just normal on the surface"
Saffron saunters herself to her tent, to lay herself down half-inside it, resting on her belly. "Maaaybee… We don't know. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst y'know?"
Sundancer:"I'm not a surface scholar, but given this is classified, I want to hazard a guess that surface dwellers worldwide haven't mastered teleportation technology and it's a local phenomenon."
Saffron takes a moment to just sigh to push out all the air from her lungs, and then lay her chin down on her forehooves. Checking her watch..
Saffron: "Who's turn was it again? For sentry duty. Guess we should just wait for morning and then keep operating as normal..."
Ember Flare starts spacing out a bit more now that adrenaline has left her body
The remainder of your evening will go undisturbed. Sundancer can start work on fixing herself, although the noise may be a bit much for the sleeping companions. Watches were set and the next day will rise in due time. It was difficult to say exactly when the fog came in during the night. But it was once again a low cloudy blanket across the island.
(GM Note): Saffron’s player was informed the glass shards Saffron stored turned to goo overnight.
Saffron sat up to stare down at the now soaked bag of synthetic cloth. She had been up for only a few minutes but she was already busy at work exploring this new goop, opening up the bag a little bit to stare down at the viscous stuff... Reaching in with a boot-clad hoof to touch it and watch it drip down into the bag, "Ewwww... It's all slimy and gooey..." She muttered... She then stared at the tiny stain still stuck to the sole of her foreboot. She stares at it intently, then... Nervously gives it a very small lick, just to see how bad a teeny tiny quantity on her tongue was.
Saffron would recoil when touching the goo to her tongue, given the sweet but strong soapy taste. The goo would turn out not to be water soluble, making it cling to the surfaces in her mouth unless she actively took efforts to scrape it out. Her bag would be likewise ruined since getting the material off would be painstaking.
Saffron: "Oh, oh--oh shit--buck. oh PRESIDENT it's literally glue. What the buck."
Brickfielder doesn't get to see Saffron licking the substance, but he does raise his brow at her sudden outburst, peeking his head around her tent to check, and seeing her bag. "It melted?"
(GM note): Saffron tested her body stat to resist the hallucinogenic effects of the goo. She passed.
Saffron scrunchies like an accordion and nearly falls back as her tongue flicks frantically trying to scrape this substance from her mouth. She was DESPERATELY trying to get it out of her mouth, to the point that she actually reaches into her grooming kit to pull out her toothbrush, and starts trying to literally scrape it out, not paying much attention to Brickfielder in that moment.
Saffron manages to brush the offending substance from her mouth. But her toothbrush now has a clinging coating to it. To say the action was embarrassing would be an understatement. The taste might not have been so bad now that it was out of her mouth though.
Saffron spittles a few times, then glares at the offending goo now clinging to her toothbrush.
Brickfielder watches with a look of minor concern... and slowly moves back out of sight, deciding to just… leave Saffron to it.
Ember Flare is puzzled by the commotion but decided not to butt in
Saffron glances up to see Brickfielder leaving. Prompting her to stare with a bit more exasperation as she whines loudly, incoherently. She decides to put the toothbrush in one of the garbage bags from the MREs she had eaten, deciding it's best to not use this to clean her teeth anymore. She then stares at the goop in her sack... Closes it, puts it in her saddlebags, and wanders outside like nothing happened.
Saffron heel-turns and re-takes the sack of glue-magic-goo and puts it back inside her tent, opting to not take it with her. She still doesn't mention them, but the sack was pretty wet and a bit heavier looking than last night.
Ember Flare checks over Sundancer a bit "So, you sure you're gonna be alright there?"
Sundancer rolls over in her sleeping bag "Yeah, yeah, five more minutes mom."
With the morning antics resolved your squad can get back to your mission while you wait for a reply from HQ. Due to the travel times your scouting group would be able to be set up prior to the Lumber workers arriving and getting organized. By the time the fog would burn away with the sun chainsaws would be in play. Champaign Shower would have a presence again, if somewhat lax intensity. He had a sun-chair set up and was giving orders like a hedonistic emperor. The scouting would be relatively easy to perform, although Saffron might notice odd fuzzy colours around the edge of her vision occasionally. She will have an even more difficult time focusing than usual.
At camp Sundancer can keep work on her repairs. It might be difficult for Brickfielder to concentrate on staffing the cameras against the curiosity of the cybernetic squad member's workings. The squad would receive their reply from Cloudy Forecast a little before noon. She would ask for a status update first.
Saffron peered through her binoculars from their concealed position firmly placed at long range from their target. She refers to her journal for the patrol schedules, checking if what she had so far was correct, had been changed, or was wrong. And also takes a moment to chuckle at Champaign Shower. "You couldn't miss that guy if we were looking down from the mountain peaks..." She remarked. That's when she started blinking more rapidly, and winking a few times, lowering her binoculars to glance around her peripheral when she starts noticing odd colors. She... Doesn't mention this. But she does look a bit worried. And just tried to keep doing her job...
Brickfielder may be curious about Sundancer's cybernetics, but he opts to just steal glances at her while he's working the cameras. When Cloudy requests a status update, he decides to keep it terse: aside from what was relayed during the night, scouting and observation is continuing with nothing to note, while
Sundancer is performing self-repairs.
Ember Flare:"This is starting to feel a bit easier... I thought we'd be sneaking around a whole lot and dodging guards but.... the chainsaws and everything are making so much racket that this is almost too easy… Sorry I don't mean to jinx it"
Cloudy Forecast will respond with some updates to your mission parameters while noting that additional information is still classified. So she would not be providing answers to follow up questions. You were to avoid seemingly natural and artificial circular structures after sundown. Unless you removed all metal from your person first. She would be asking for clearance from central command to grant you clearance for further information.
Saffron:"Heheh. To do that we'd have to get closer. We can gather plenty of info just by standing all the way out here. Don't think we have to yet... Unless maybe we want to go steal spare parts for Sunshower, but that'd be… Kinda weird, and risky."
Brickfielder absolutely wants to ask more as follow-ups... but holds his tongue and communicates that her orders are understood.
Ember Flare:"Oh I agree, if we're spotted it would be instant failure! Better play it safe even if we won't spot everything"
Saffron smiles a little more. Looking away from her binoculars to rub her eyes, blink-blinking as if something went in her eyes, then looking to the sides with a wince on her face for a second... Before resuming looking down the binoculars again.
Saffron: "Are you enjoying being a scout so far, Ember?"
Sundancer: "That's right, now I remember. The little bastards mentioned something about iron. Maybe they hate metal. Might be fun to take a ripper to them someday."
Brickfielder nods as he sets aside the radio and returns to the cameras. "...It might be worth investigating without any metal on. Means going unarmed and unarmored, but it's the best we can do."
Ember Flare: "...aside from those things last night, it's not too bad. Too many creepy little things in general though"
Saffron briefly glances at Ember once, lowering the binoculars to peer down with her naked eye for a moment. "I mean we dealt with them easily enough, right?... We're capable. Nothing to be afraid of as long as we're all together."
Saffron: "Plus we got you, too. You're pretty strong, y'know."
Ember Flare: "Uh.. I mean they were just slightly larger bugs... I mean with magic sparks but still"
Ember Flare attempts to deflect awkwardness and starts paying intense attention to some workers on the other side of the camp
Saffron snorts quietly. "Weird magic bugs, yeah. Their goop is kinda like glue, too. I wonder what happens if we made a grenade out of it."
Saffron: "... I really wish I could throw some at Champaign Shower... I mean look at 'em... Bully lookin' colt."
Your scouts can record that Champaign Shower would leave the lumber camp shortly after noon, returning to the FOB. While things continue on as normal due to the toady sorts that keep watch over the other Greens, some goofing off starts. Most of it gets caught. It seems like most of your fellows have not quite gotten used to being on the ground yet and the patrols are not used to the forest either. Probably be a few days still until they start becoming any sort of efficient.
(GM Note): The scout team rolls observation for their day of watching the lumber camp. They pass.
Saffron does wink her eyes shut a few times after Ember says that. She stays quiet for a second, but then speaks up with a bit of a stiff voice. "I'm seeing colors on my peripheral vision right now. You'd be right."
Ember Flare:"Uh oh did they get you last night? We should check up on Sundancer as well... well she is more of a robot so she could be fine but... Oh I think I better check just in case."
The scouts can make a solid report of the coming and going of the camp. Of particular note however they see a squad out on patrol going a bit 'long range' to the west. At camp your camera at the waterfall basin can pick them up as they had gone off to get a closer look. In all the red class workers doing the majority of the labor in the camp seem to be the ones primarily focused on their task. The green's inexperience in the field is showing as at least a few are making a mess of their work cleaning tree limbs. The greens look to be almost a hindrance to the red's work ethic now that their Blue officer isn't on site. You can add the identifiers of the Greens being particularly problematic to your report logs.
Ember Flare scoots over to saffron and grabs her head with both of her hooves turning Saffron to face her and starts to concentrate
(GM Note): Ember tests psyche to determine if any magic was affecting Saffron.
Saffron purses her lip and pins her ears a little. "Nah they didn't touch me... I mean, I touched them, if anything..." She muttered, unaware of Ember coming closer as she attentively switches between looking down to the lumber mill and making notes on her logs. On the tail end of doing that however, Ember grabs her head and turns her around. Saffron furrowed her brow with some confusion and worry but does not put up a resistance.
Saffron: "Wh-"
Ember's active sensing of magic reveals the lingering presence of magical aura on Saffron. With some monitoring throughout the day Ember can determine the effect is fading.
Ember Flare lets go of Saffron and scoots a back away a bit "Shouldn't be too dangerous"
Ember Flare: "Could be just some lingering effects"
Saffron scrunchies her muzzle a little bit at that reply, half-lowering her ears and tucking in her wings a bit more. "What's that mean? I got something on me?"
Ember Flare: "Oh slight magical aura or radiation. Nothing to worry about most likely"
Saffron snorts in amusement, her head turning slightly to give Ember a still worried sidelong glance for a moment. "''Kay then... I uh," She pauses for a moment to pout, "Guess licking it was a bad idea."
With the day of scouting wrapping up the group can reconvene at camp a little before sundown. The lumber camp was making a small headway into the forest. It would be interesting to see how far they got over the remaining few days of your week. There was certainly enough forest that two years would not be enough to clear it.
Ember Flare gives odd look to Saffron but says nothing unsure if this was another weird attempt at joke
Sundancer:"We caught a group of greens wandering aimlessly near the waterfall. We should report it in case that sightseeing expedition was unauthorized. Otherwise nothing turned up on the cameras."
Saffron would not elaborate on this, for a moment even looking embarrassed at her own sheer curiosity. "Anyways," Saffron starts to check her watch... Then closes up her journal with the pencil still in it, and starts to pack up. "Time to head back for the day." She simply says to change the subject. "By the way Ember, you thought about what we should be doing with the third camera?... Don't really think we're gonna use it."
Saffron:"I was thinking of sticking it near the magic butterfly circle, but now that we know what's up, might as well just keep it right?"
Ember Flare shrugs
Saffron sighs out softly when Ember just shrugs. Giving her a smile, then just looking ahead and stays quiet. Though she does pipe up in the radio channel: "Heading back. Anything new from the cameras?"
(GM Note): Cut a lengthy OOC conversation regarding the session progress since Silver Rush’s player was away. Decided on doing some investigation for the session to not push the narrative timewise too far ahead.
Saffron, once herself and Ember had returned to camp--went up to Brickfielder to, as well as showing it to Silver, Lowkey showed it to him as well to keep him in the loop. But otherwise didn't make many remarks about it, apart from: "Best to tell Cloudy Forecast the greens are shitty laborers.", before kinda sitting back and lounging for a while...
Saffron:"Oh and, Brick--you wanna go check out the magic butterfly circles tonight? Not much else to do. Unless it's too spooky for us."
Brickfielder and Saffron can strip equipment and make an excursion to the circle the butterflies had come from the prior night. It would feel downright primitive to be without your gear and waving a flaming branch for lighting. The pair would be going into the dark at least within sight of the others. So without radio gear on they could be at least within shouting distance. The lumber camp was too far for the few left there overnight to hear.
Brickfielder has no issue with the 'primitive' feel, holding his torch with a wing as he takes the lead. Not like he's embarrassed about going out with no armor... his curiosity about the circles overrides any of that.
Saffron did not have too many issues, in the same vein as Brickfielder. Tagging alongside him from way below himself and peeking around curiously, scanning for anything interesting or overt... "Feels like stepping into a fairy tale. Especially with the big buff pegasus holding a torch..." She muttered, at one point.
Brickfielder 's ears pivot to Saffron when she talks, and he certainly hears her muttering. His free wing ruffles a bit and he purses his lips while refocusing.
While the mushrooms in the clearing would be glowing they would not be providing more than the barest scant of light. The cold night breeze would carry salty air from the coast. The standing stones of the clearing had a thin coating of that iridescent goo along with patches in the brush. Likely from the remains of the glass butterflies. When the pair were in the circle and looking around they could hear a soft, tuneless humming. It did not seem to be coming from anywhere in particular.
Saffron darts her eyes upward towards him once to notice his reaction. She purses her lip to contain herself, but she can't help but wheeze for a moment as she sees him purse his lip. "Wow..." Is all she says, taking a deep breath to sigh out her amusement... Before refocusing on what was ahead of them again. Especially as her ears pick up the humming...
Saffron: "... You hear that? Weird... Humming. It's not just me is it..."
Brickfielder narrows his eyes while looking around, keeping his torch as steady as he can... and trying not to think about what Saffron was muttering earlier. Even if her fairy tale comment feels a bit apt. He keepshis voice low. "I do hear it. Something related to magic, I'm sure."
Saffron starts to do a slow 360° turn as she walked, and stopped around the middle of the circle--still by
Brickfielder's side. She tried to pinpoint the source of the humming, but as it was disembodied... She pursed her lip as she couldn't find the source, ending up looking down at the dirt under their hooves, lifting a hoof to check if she was stepping on anything weird. "Uhh... Yeah." She replies with some uncertainty, "I'm not sure if to call this relaxing or creepy... And, I don't really want to touch the rocks..."
Saffron: "I guess this is... Fine."
Saffron pouts and glances off, taking a moment to just think this over...
Brickfielder glances down to Saffron as she finishes her rotations. "Probably best to not go poking them. If we had equipment, I'd record this humming. Probably worth just remembering what it sounds like; for all I know, the pitch or something is important..."
The pair in the clearing can catch that the humming stops abruptly after a minute or two. It was followed by a disembodied snort and a thin, small voice. "Be gone. Shoo. Scram." The voice was androgynous but it had inflection and sounded clearly annoyed.
Brickfielder 's eyes widen, and he looks down at Saffron. Not that he thinks she's making the voice, but, more to confirm he's not hearing things himself.
Saffron nods slowly along with Bickfielder. "I agree, yeah." And that's as far as she does as she perks her ears to the voice. Then instantly pins them as she arches her wings slightly. Almost at the same time, she casts a look up at confused and surprised glance up at Brickfielder, which was more or less his confirmation.
Saffron: "Uhm. Who's there? We're gonna leave in a moment we're just, exploring..."
Saffron looked back down and subtly shuffled a bit closer to Brickfielder, but turned to face away from him, to watch his back.
Brickfielder clears his throat while glancing around. He moves to start stepping backwards while lowering his head, motioning at Saffron to follow. "Yeah... apologies, just, curious..."
The disembodied voice made a huffing sound. "Children. No respect, none. Best bow an' scrape forgiveness or I, the Gatekeeper, will put a hex on you."
Brickfielder steps back a bit more quickly. "No, no, I think we'll be fine leaving, if that's alright. Saffron."
Saffron lets an increasingly confused (and mildly offended) "Wh-..." out after that reply. She doesn't hesitate to follow Brickfielder, silently cantering along until they're out of the circle. Hastily turning back around towards the circle to bow her head and say: "Sorry!"
The voice was full of self righteousness and satisfaction. "Good! Now pay a tribute or your first born will be made lame."
Saffron jerkily looks between Brickfielder and the circle that 'was speaking to them', her muzzle scrunching as she wasn't sure if to take this as seriously as they were; but her eyes were still genuinely worried. "S-seriously?" she mutters out hesitantly.
Brickfielder stops and glances back at the circle, raising an eyebrow. "...Tribute...?" He glances down at
Saffron before looking back around the circle. "...We don't exactly have anything for that, 'Gatekeeper'. Maybe we should talk this out..." It's not as if this isn't striking him as ridiculous that he's talking to a stone circle... but dammit, he's got no idea how serious this Gatekeeper is or not. It could be a genuine threat to the mission if not placated.
The voice is silent for a bit, possibly contemplatively. Then it got bossy. "Perform for tribute! Sing me a song and dance until dawn!"
Saffron kinda tucks her tail between her legs and shuffles her wings nervously, looking up at Brickfielder with a worried frown on her face. Lifting a hoof to hastily, nervously brush her cheek as she nods twice in quiet agreement. She turned towards the magic circle again, craning her head as she looked in its general direction--unsure of where to look. She almost opens her mouth, but the response comes to them before she asks that question. Her mouth shuts so quickly that her teeth clacked audibly. Her face flattening.
Saffron: "Oh."
Brickfielder blinks a few times... and raises an eyebrow. As an older brother to not just one, but two younger siblings, this feels all too familiar to him. "...Alright, 'Gatekeeper', you've had your fun. We're not dancing for you."
Saffron flicks up her eyes towards Brickfielder when he tries to UNO reverse the situation on the Gatekeeper. Saffron arched her brow with a very minor disappointment--as if the idea wasn't all too bad in her own head. But, looked on for the response and just hoped they weren't about to get zapped..
(GM Note):Brickfielder tests Presence to act authoritative to the voice. He succeeds
The voice was quiet again for a moment and then perked up. It had the ring that Brickfielder had heard from his siblings more than once "Oh, fine. But I'm going to hex you real bad if you don't. You'll be warty and disgusting."
Saffron stayed quiet for a second longer. Though upon hearing that kind of voice, Saffron herself gave a low snort and a good-natured roll of her eyes as she relaxed her stance.
Brickfielder raises his head up, now getting fully into his older brother mentality. "No, no, we won't. Now, we're going to leave, and you're going to behave and not hex anybody. Alright?"
There was an audible huff from nowhere. "No, you're going to leave because I told you to! Scram mortals! Flee before I blight your crops"
Brickfielder turns around. "That's no way to treat somebody, even if they're an uninvited guest. Manners." He glances down at Saffron and nods before trotting away from the circle. "Goodbye."
Saffron exchanged that look with Brickfielder, smirking up at him playfully briefly before nodding back to him and turning to leisurely trot along with him. "Bye! Goodnight!" She said, all chirpy-like. Before fully turning away. Keeping an ear swiveled in that direction, waiting until they're a few meters off...
Saffron: "... Duuuudee... That was totally fairy tale stuff..."
Brickfielder waits until they're well away from the circle, before exhaling. "...Yeah. But, also, might be just a kid playing with magic to throw their voice or something."
Sundancer is watching the incident on the camera "This is going to be hard to explain."
Sundancer munches some rations "Fascinating stuff, though."
Saffron throws a glance over their shoulders as she chuckles to his reply. "Yeah could be, too. What are the chances it's native to here tho? Something that's not a pony but is also sapient and sentient..."
Sundancer: "Should save this segment of video, even if there's nothing to see."
Saffron looked off to Sundancer as well, nod nodding her head in agreement. "You think we should report it back come morning?"
Brickfielder glances over his shoulder as well. "Pony or not, just treating them like a misbehaving kid seems to be the answer. ...Maybe we can come back sometime under the pretenses of expecting an apology for being treated rudely."
Brickfielder:"It'll definitely be weird to report. 'Talked to a forest spirit behaving like a foal. Told it to mind its manners.'"
(GM Note): Brickfielder had to test Psyche to resist a curse put on him. He succeeded.
There would not be any immediate effect. However, come the morning Brickfielder would have a small sensitive patch of rash on his neck and shoulder like he had brushed up against poison ivy the night prior.
Saffron titters, wheezing a little bit alongside Brickfielder, before veering off from him and goes to lay on her belly infront of her tent, near the campfire. "I guess if we word it like that it does sound weird... But we gotta let them know somehow." Saffron's voice gets a little more serious on the subject, pursing her lip as her forehoof scuffs the dirt, digging a tiny hole. "... Maybe once Cloudy gets back to us with information we can let her know we went back there and something spoke to us."
Saffron: "I don't think she'd accuse us of being high..."
Brickfielder quickly feels agitated by the rash after waking up in the morning, trying to avoid rubbing it while seeing if they have anything in medical supplies to help. At least it's not in his loins like the Gatekeeper implied.
Your squad had gotten into a working pattern by the third day in the forest. Using the morning fog for cover Silver, Saffron, and Ember would leave camp for the day of scouting the lumber camp. Brickfielder and Sundancer would manage the camp and surroundings, review the night's camera feeds, and keep tabs on the live feeds. Then at dusk the scouts would come back, report to HQ, and there would be a little downtime before watches and rest. It would only be a few more days of the mission so there seemed little reason to mix up a working formula. Sundancer would be able to work on her body damage steadily. Save needing parts and sealant to get her chassis fully sealed again.
The reports for the remaining few days would in large part tell the same stories. While the patrols were mixed up daily to avoid predictable patterns most everything else repeated just that bit farther into the cut woods. Champagne Shower would be on site for a portion of the day, making everyone productive or get reprimanded. But after he left things got a little slacked. After even a few days the novelties were wearing off among the greens and antics would crop up when someone thought they could get away with them. Sometimes they would get caught and reported by snitches trying to get in their CO's good graces. These patterns repeated most every day. There were no more unauthorized trips to the waterfall however.
It would be near dusk on your sixth day in the woods when real excitement started at the Lumber Camp. The tree line had been brought back about 30 meters in a wide semi-circle from where the reds had started. Leaving a growing field of stumps in their wake. Your scouting group would not be able to catch the specific patrol that caused the incident before it happened. But laser rifle shots were fired from an area deeper into the woods west of the lumber yard. The scouts could move to get a better sight.
Saffron starts off by piping into the radio channel once the distant las-shots began to become audible. "Shots fired, west of the lumber camp." Saffron says, with a cool voice that only partially concealed her mild concern. Then, off-comms, she looked to their squad leader (who was right there with them), and gave them a quick glance, "I have a feeling I know what's going on, but I think we should move to check it out."
Ember Flare seems alarmed at first but starts quickly gearing up and looks up to others reactions
Sundancer: "Maybe our lumber workers have met the natives."
Brickfielder glances away from the feeds to look at Sundancer, raising his head from where it'd been resting on his forehoof. "Exhilarating."
Silver Rush scans the west edge of the forest for any visible signs of disturbance, via his binocs "copy that we need to get eyes on. What's your theory, red?"
Ember Flare: "Should we move closer? assist?"
Saffron starts to shift backwards to get back from the low foliage they were using to hide, and begins to take strides to the side to begin making their way westwards, following the sound of the gunshots, to find a good position to get eyes-on while still keeping a distance. "Could be another circle, boss. That's my theory. I don't think any of the greens were informed about them as we did. Though since they can use their weapons they're probably okay..." She muttered, looking up at the canopy, lifting her wings slightly but not taking off.
Saffron: "Either that or it's wildlife."
Silver Rush:"let's move. don't interfere, that's not the mission. They have guns for their own protection. Everyone else is going to be thumping that way, too"
Ember Flare:"Alright"
Making a circling trip west the scouts would catch sight of the offending squad making a retreat to the camp, chased slowly by a small swarm of glass butterflies, less than a dozen. It looked like one had been burnt already given he had to make a run on hoof. When the squad reached the camp there would be some confusion among the troops and a drawback of the reds. After some panicked discussion it was likely the other squads were not taking the talk of aggressive glass butterflies seriously. This lasted a minute until the swarm broke the tree line and a Green who had her back turned was shocked. Once the initial surprise wore off and guns were raised the outnumbered butterflies were shattered under massed, disorganized laser fire.
Silver Rush feels a warm fuzzy sensation as the lightshow of death quickly evaporates the pursuing bugs “ahh....what a morning.."
Sundancer has stood up and is watching the camera feeds from over Brick's shoulder, squinting in an attempt to understand the small parts caught by their angle "Pay attention to individual squad performance"
Ember Flare: "Huh, well good call, looks like they managed to deal with those things just fine"
Saffron quietly observed the scene with a slowly growing, annoyed frown. "I really hope that one pony's okay." She whispered, as she picked up her field journal to make a note with the time of the day about the event. "They're really making us look kinda bad, though..." She added, looking back up to the field, to check how many were injured apart from the two they had seen.
Brickfielder is watching the cameras himself with a more concentrated look, muttering under his breath about circles as a wing drifts up to touch the rash on his neck.
Ember Flare: "w-well they only got a jump on sundancer when she was alone!"
Silver Rush:"anyone got the feeling this is just a test of strength? Feels like these are just the forward scouting drones..."
Saffron: "Maybe? Or maybe it's just trying to shoo us away with the weakest form of defense it can muster."
Silver Rush: "well that's not going to work if the whole point is to eat the entire forest"
For what it was worth your fellow greens managed encountering a surprise well enough. If it had been a more credible threat however there could have been potential for casualties. Work in the lumber yard was largely closed up for the day after the attack. The two injured Greens were sent back to the FOB on a cargo truck. That night additional squads would be left to keep watch over the camp until morning. It did not seem like the incident caused any lasting wounds. But it certainly would be a learning experience among Champagne's squads.
Saffron ruffles her wings a little bit, snorting through her nostrils a little. She looked on a bit darkly after
Silver had spoken, not replying in that moment...
Ember Flare:"hmmh... glad we're almost done with our mission. I bet the guards are gonna be pretty antsy with their weapons from now on...I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a magical critter"
Saffron:"Yeeah... Hopefully they'll disclose more information about the circles to the other squads. But, I reckon once we get to a certain point with cutting wood, Gatekeeper's gonna get real pissed. Maybe we can talk with Gatekeeper..."
Silver Rush:"yeah...Keep your distance from the lumber parties. last thing we need is friendly fire from Private ShitsHimself when he sees ponies he doesn't know"
Ember Flare: "I'd just steer clear of that... whatever you heard sounds dangerous"
Silver Rush: "I wouldn't bet on being able to reason with magical....ethereal voices"
With the excitement run down at the lumber camp your scouting party could return and leave the night watch to your camera. You had a full report to fill in and hopefully instructions regarding returning back to the FOB tomorrow.
Saffron snorts slightly at Ember's answer. "Why are you two being so skittish? It's not like we'll get another chance, and besides it didn't attack us when me and Brickfielder went and talked to it."
Saffron: "Just asked us to sing and dance for a long time, in a really childish way. Then Brickfielder said 'no' and we left."
Silver Rush: ".....creepy but at least it didn't do more"
Ember Flare furrows her brows slightly "well... still"
Saffron double checks the time briskly, then began to stand up to start softly stepping further back, to begin making their way back at a striding pace. She stops and briefly adjusts her radio, then pipes up in their squad channel, "Recon team heading back to camp." She said, before moving an ear back to the others, "Well I still wanna talk to it..." She says, lowkey. "There's got to be more to it."
Sundancer: "Copy"
Brickfielder glances from Sundancer back to the monitors. "...I think I want to head back to that circle..."
Sundancer scoffs "They've just outed themselves as the enemy, if they hadn't before. If the squad leader's okay with it then fine."
Rather Dashing: "greens nominal, hostiles like the ones experienced at camp nimbus spotted pursuing lumber party. Quickly vaporized by security at lumber camp. Potential multiples of rings previously reported"
After providing your report for the day Silver would receive an interesting update for the next day. Squad 35, call-sign "Sea Foam" would be dispatched to relieve you and take over observation. They were to arrive at your camp before sundown and let you transition out to return to the FOB.
Silver Rush raises an eyebrow "relief is coming before sundown. Nother squad is taking over the camp and we're to report back to the FOB"
Saffron would give Silver a weak smile when he neglects to tell command about the performance of the defense teams. Then frowned and sighed at the notion that they'd have to go back to base. "Aight… Guess that'll be it then, mission accomplished!" She says,mirthfully but with some disappointment.
Saffron: "Best I get to chatting up Gatekeeper before we can't do it anymore."
Saffron goes to take off the rest of her armor and uniform, putting it all in an orderly bundle in her tent.
Saffron: "I wonder if the other squad will know about Gatekeeper. Somepony should tell them."
Brickfielder goes about stripping out of his armor as well. "I'm going too." Without inviting himself.
Sundancer gives a small mechanized sigh of repressed frustration and draws her weapon
Saffron: "Good! You can save the forest from having to hear my singing voice."
Silver Rush:"I mean obviously we should tell them about the creepy magic circle 10 feet away from camp. And find other spots for them to camp"
Ember Flare:"Taking off all your gear feels like really inviting disaster... We were attacked in that very spot"
Saffron: "Metal is what triggers the response, as far as we heard. If we go naked, it's fine. Like last time."
Brickfielder glances at the others as he steps away from his tent after putting aside his gear. "We'll not step directly into the circle. And the Gatekeeper can be reasoned with. We'll be fine."
Silver Rush: "who told you that, the disembodied magic voice?"
Saffron: "Pretty sure it was Cloudy Forecast when we told her what's up. Said all the information was classified, but slid in the detail about 'not wandering into the circles with metal on you' later."
Brickfielder stops and glances back at Silver. "...Maybe we should ask the Gatekeeper about the metal, actually..."
Ember Flare:"Still... maybe if I stayed in guard a bit further back? I think I could also sense if any magical burst happen"
Silver Rush: ".... Well it is a recon mission."
Brickfielder nods to Ember as he goes about getting another improvised torch ready. "Guarding from a distance is fine. Just, do not approach the circle unless things go violent. Not without taking off all your gear first."
Saffron goes to canter up over the mound of their camp, looking back to Ember with a bit of a pouty look. "Sure! You can do your magics from really far away anyways." She remarked, then looked to Brickfielder, so she can go side-up with him, letting the big pony take point while she followed closely.
Ember Flare: "I'll try to stay out of sight"
Sundancer grumbles "I'll watch the watchers back."
Brickfielder raises up his torch in his wing and nods down to Saffron before he trots off towards the circle.
Brickfielder and Saffron share their last opportunity to go streaking in the woods under the moonlight. Tailed a bit behind by their squad mates in case something goes wrong. When the lead pair get to the clearing it is largely in the same state as it was the prior times. However when they can start hearing Gatekeeper the voice was not humming as prior. The voice was muttering very mild profanities and curses. At least it sounded like those given the tone.
Saffron makes sure to stop at the edge of the circle... And then, casting a wary glance to Brickfielder once they begin to hear the profanities, lays down on her belly. "Gatekeeper?" She called out, "Are you okay?"
Brickfielder glances down at Saffron while raising an eyebrow, before looking back at the circle.
Gatekeeper would go quiet when addressed. But it would get talkative, if accusatory, after. The androgynous and disembodied voice would pointedly ask why 'you mortals' are breaking your pact to to not bear iron in these deep woods.
Saffron pins her ears and casts a reflexive glance back over their shoulder, then back towards the voice. "Y-you mean us specifically or...?"
Brickfielder clears his throat and puts a hoof to his chest. "That was not us. It was... another group of pegasi. One we've been monitoring, and who we were told to not inform of the nature of these circles."
Brickfielder takes a deep breath, and sighs. "...I apologize, on behalf of Cloudsdayle, for that. They don't know about you."
Saffron claps her mouth shut when Brickfielder speaks. Sideglancing the big pony, having to tilt her head almost all the way up, before looking back down at the circle's general direction, frowning with a bit of genuine guilt.
The voice huffs audibly and takes on a stern, lecturing tone. Possibly in mirror to how Brickfielder had laid out in their prior encounter. It said that apologies do not mend broken pacts. Transgressions need tithes paid in compensation. It wanted a spool of gold thread before the arrival of the new moon. Otherwise it would be forced to alert a Lord.
Brickfielder looks up to check what phase the moon is in right now.
Saffron quirked her brow slightly at that particular request. But then inhales sharply at the mention of 'alert a Lord'. She quickly looked up to Brickfielder, "Hey... You think--maybe, we can have him talk with our..." She lets her voice drift off, giving Brickfielder a meaningful look and a nod towards behind them.
Sundancer whispers to Ember "I think they're talking about you."
Brickfielder looks back down to Saffron. "...Talk with our what? We don't have any gold, the best we can do is tell the next squad and Cloudy about this..."
Saffron:"Exactly. We have to talk with Cloudy, so maybe there's a way to have Gatekeeper have a meeting with her? We're literally grunts..."
Brickfielder:"You want to arrange a meeting between our CO and a forest spirit? ...I guess that's probably the best option, really."
Ember Flare turns her ears a bit quizzically answering in hushed tone "Huh.. n-no I think it's referring to the loggers that got attacked previously"
Saffron gave a half-shrug with her wings, then turned towards the circle again to address the spirit. "Hey, Gatekeeper? I know we can't do anything to make it up to you on behalf of--everypony else, who we have no control over, but maybe you'd be willing to speak to somepony who is more in charge? Uh..." She pauses briefly, "Are you... Always, specifically, here? Or are you just everywhere at once, or something?"
(GM Note): The pcs in the circle made a questioning test to pull information from the spirit.
From the way the voice talks it does not seem like it identifies 'you mortals' individually. It does not seem to grasp the notion that you cannot do something while another individual could. It wants payment and does not seem to care about the details around that fact. On the topic of where it is it states factually and vaguely it is in the deep woods. Much like not being able to tell your groups apart it does not seem able to conceptualize the circles as different locations.
Saffron needs to take at the very least 6 seconds grasping at the straws of information Gatekeeper gives them. She gives Brickfielder a distant look, moreso looking past him as she computes what she just heard. "O... Kay?" She mutters, then looked back towards the circle, "We will keep that in mind." She furrowed her brow, now focusing her glance on Brickfielder more intently, to see if he had anything to say.
Brickfielder is much more focused-looking than Saffron, keeping his eyes on the circle and frowning slightly. "...It would help, in the future, if we knew why bringing iron to these circles... irks you. If you would be kind enough as to tell us."
Saffron:"Y-yeah. There was no way for us to know this place had specific rules up until the first time you heard us speak to you, Gatekeeper. Would you be able to remind us of the uhm..." She pauses to find the right words, darting her eyes, "--The stipulations of the covenant?"
Gatekeeper grumbles about mortal's poor memory and manners and continues on in a tone like it were now talking down to children. It informs 'you' were told the rules before and should have kept the pact in "your" heart. It then recites in a softer tone what effectively sounded like a nursery rhyme. Actively warning children of the wandering the deep woods at night. That iron is a blight on the soul and cuts loyalty. That a rent oath is only sewn with golden thread or a tithe of newborns taken by the lords.
Saffron quirks her brow at the rhyme. She didn't particularly mind being talked down to in that moment, and very hastily reached back to her back instinctively, only to notice that she didn't really have her saddlebags with her, and her journal. She resorts to humming it beneath her breath a few times, attempting to commit it to memory.
Brickfielder mutters some of the lines back to himself... but, well, it is fairly easy to remember, being so nursery rhyme-ish.
Saffron starts to stand up after a while of humming it. Now starting to recite the rhyme in her head, moreso than with her voice. "Y'know the last part, about the newborns, is kinda grim to me..." She remarked aloud. "Do the Lords treat the newborns well? Do they become knights when they grow up?"
Brickfielder glances down to Saffron again as her question cuts off his own rhyme-muttering. Odd question, but, he looks back to the circle, curious as to what the answer will be.
The voice almost audibly shrugged. It in quite blunt fashion noted it did not know or care. It understands newborns to be delicious. Although you would not be able to tell if it means that from experience or if it was now messing with you.
Saffron deadpans in the voice's general direction. "Okay that I didn't really want to know, but alright." She mutters with a bit of a chuckle, in response to 'babies being delicious'. "The Lords don't sound very nice." She remarked.
Saffron: "... Wait, are the lords mortals too?"
Ember Flare stiffens up and prepares to act, motioning sundancer that something is up
A lightning bolt shoots up Saffron's spine in what feels like a literal sense. Ember can feel the local ambient magic spike at her squad mate's location. It does not have a visual manifestation save the pain and secondary effect of Saffron's hair being static charged.
(GM):Saffron had to roll a Psyche test to resist an incoming attack. She failed the test but manage to soak all of the damage
Saffron seizes up like she was tazed once the lightning bolt courses through her, wincing her eyes shut as she twitches and doubles over slightly in pain.
Saffron: "BUCK!!" She cries out as soon as her voice comes back.
Brickfielder stumbles away from Saffron in surprise, watching her and looking up at the circle, narrowing his eyes. "I preferred when the Gatekeeper was acting like a foal..."
Saffron, being unhurt and thusly only suffering from a wounded pride, glowers at the grass beneath her hooves and just turns around, stomping away with a big huff while her entire furcoat puffs up, her tail becomes twice as big and messy, and her mane almost resembled some sort of long haired horse-afro as she straight-up leaves.
Ember Flare still being unsure what exactly happened stays put but ready... also taking out her gun just in case
Brickfielder watches Saffron storm off and stares, before turning back to the circle and clearing his throat again. "...That was rude. ...We'll do what we can to get you your gold. Just, please understand, things have... changed, out in the world." He turns and follows after Saffron, not wanting to chance being near the circle any longer.
Gatekeeper seems content to let you retreat after it had applied the paddle. Returning to your camp would be without further magical issues.
Saffron wanders back through the woodland, stomping across it and slowly accumulating leaves on her coat. Muttering with a near-instant girly anger at all this: "... I bet it likes punk rock or somethin' shitty like that..." She growled, storming past Ember, "... Stupid rude fairies zapping me for questions."
Brickfielder quickly disposes of the torch once he's in the camp, frowning as he looks to Saffron. "...Good to see you're alright..."
Ember Flare quietly decides not to make comments about the outcome
Sundancer:"Hmph. It's what you get for consorting with the enemy."
Saffron whipped her head towards Brickfielder. A distinct fire in her eyes for a moment--albeit not directed at him. She half-lifts her ears when he says that, and seems to at least partially calm down, looking back forward as they begin to make it back to camp, ignoring the uncomfortably jittering of her wings, or the slight shivering across her entire body. "Yeah, it didn't hurt... Much." She muttered. And then IMMEDIATELY looked up to Sundancer for a split-second, "Shut up.", and kept walking.
Saffron:"You know it wasn't even CONSPIRING--It was clearly going to tattle on some sort of higher authority if we didn't talk to it."
Saffron kicks a twig into a tree.
Brickfielder notices her calming down, and sighs, going to get his equipment back on. "I'm hesitant to call it an enemy. It's something that we are not equipped to deal with. And I don't know if our CO is either."
Brickfielder: "We just need to let Cloudy and the next squad know what's going on."
Ember Flare: "Well mostly it just seemed unhinged."
Sundancer: "It attacked me and attacked the civilians."I'm not going to stop you, but I'm going to keep calling it the enemy."
Brickfielder glances at Sundancer with a stern look in his eyes. "We're dealing with something that's beyond just a regular military engagement. An enemy, maybe, but we can't treat it like any standard enemy."
Brickfielder: "This thing is... magic, of a kind we're not used to. And, I'm worried it's ancient too."
Sundancer sits on her haunches and pouts a little "If you were consorting with a standard enemy, I'd be more worried you didn't run it by Cloudy first."
Brickfielder takes a deep breath and looks at Sundancer... but holds his tongue and prepares to head in for the night instead, seeming to get more lost in thought than worrying about what's being said.
Saffron goes to sit down in front of the campfire, still a giant fuzzball from the electric shock. "It's not like we can just walk up and shoot it, either way." Saffron retorts without looking at anypony in particular, "We've just been fighting wacky butterflies right now. Imagine if it brought something bigger, or began to actively attack us with MORE butterflies. Ponies could DIE, and you saw how they fought back at the camp. They were disorganized, they're faffing around back there."
Saffron:"Or--MAGIC, that we CAN'T fight against. The president-damned operation could just--fail because we don't know what we're up against."
Ember Flare:"Well... we'll have done a good job once we report this all back and the next team will be more prepared to deal with this stuff"
Sundancer watches Saffron trying to justify her actions to herself before agreeing with Ember "It could have provided important information."
Saffron ruffles across her chest fluff and huffs loudly. "Yeah." She muttered, crossly. Then turned to Silver, "It asked us to bring a spool of golden thread, by the way. You think we could arrange that?..."
Brickfielder sighs and rubs his mane. "We can't. We just have to hope Cloudy can."
Ember Flare: "We shouldn't be pandering to the creatures wild demands I think… but that's not up to us"
Sundancer:"There's small amounts of gold in electronic equipment, but it's in short supply... we sort of go on C.L.O.D.S. missions to get gold, not give it away."
Brickfielder:"...And that's the other concern. Whether or not Cloudy will. If we can't convince her... Saffron's worries might come to fruition."
Sundancer: "If these parasprites have a stash of gold somewhere, Cloudsdayle could use it."
Saffron huffs and resumes frantically patting her mane down, to little avail. Which just made her even more upset. She eventually just retreats into her own tent and lays down in it, looking outside at the others as she balls up into a ball of small mare and fur.
Saffron: "Let's just sleep on it."
Sundancer: "I'll take the first watch again."
With a sour note to the evening your group sets back into routine for your last night at camp nimbus. Perhaps It'll be called camp seafoam next. Regardless you just have one more day of scouting. Your instructions included a note to leave the surveillance equipment in place for the next crew. So as long as you were not spotted on this last day be the on edge lumber camp guards then your mission would be a success.
Saffron, in the morning, would spend a bit of time just using her comb from her grooming kit to shape up her short mane and coat to workable order to fit under her armor. She'd smile briefly to Brickfielder when he'd also wake up, giving him an otherwise silent nod. Saffron was... Remarkably quiet, kind of withdrawn in her own thoughts as she got up with Ember and Silver to go scout one last time...
Sundancer sleeps in again, glad she called dibs on first watch and starts packing up the camp around
Brickfielder and the cameras, breaking down tents and setting gear in piles for each squad member
Your last day of scouting would go slowly, if only because of anticipation of it being over. Champagne Shower would have a more dominant presence at the lumber camp that day, which actually made your work easier. His drilling of the troops and very public reprimanding of anyone slightly out of step would keep most of the focus inward. The patrols being out might not have been as on guard as they should have been, given it seemed like a relief just to be away from their CO for a while. Workflow at the lumber camp was particularly inefficient that day.
Brickfielder would find something of note on the camera set at the waterfall basin that day, close to noon time. It was only at the edge of the camera's vision for a few seconds and part of it was obscured by glare that reflected off it. But for at least a few frames he got a sighting of what looked to be another form of glass creature on the shore of the basin. Sundancer could be brought over to help review the footage.
(GM Note): (Sundancer tests Craft to CSI “Enhance” the footage. Absolutely crushes the test.)
Sundancer can put her equipment expertise into effect to make the most of the surveillance equipment. Making use of the high tech equipment at your disposal produces results. The glass creature seen along the shore was larger than a pony given scaling with reference objects. You lacked colour and the sun reflecting off it left only a few good frames to evaluate. Given academic studies of surface creatures it seemed analogous to a bear. It however had a 'coat' of glass that did not end in frame lining like the butterfly wings. It seemed to be covered in sharpened glass edges. Maybe the equivalent of a massive porcupine?
Sundancer starts writing down a page of analysis of the image to add to the report, including her speculation that it generated electricity like the butterflies
Brickfielder watches over Sundancer's shoulder as she works, narrowing his eyes and mouthing some sort of obscenity.
Sundancer: "Let's hope our next mission doesn't bring us anywhere near that thing."
Sundancer: "Is that in charge of the Gatekeeper, or is it controlled by the Gatekeeper?"
Brickfielder: "Wish I knew..."
Your scouting team would not have much in the way of significant events on their side. Champagne Shower being at the camp all day kept things from being interesting. The report on that side of things today would be fairly basic.
Ember Flare sighs half out of boredom and half out of relief "Well nothing happened... looks like we're all clear"
Saffron kept up a semi-grumpy look on her face almost for hours. When she didn't have a grimace on her face, she was idly making smalltalk about food; talking about Thyme and Oregano, about rosemary, and how they could mix them with what they had, or making oatcakes. Things that ended up making her hungry. Until their time was up.
Saffron: "Yeppers. Last day of scouting was pretty smooth..."
Saffron goes to get up and gather up her field journal, casting a glance over their shoulder with a bit of worry... Before piping into the comms again. "Recon team returning to camp." She says simply, and starts walking, along with the others.
It will be about an hour after your scouting team was back in camp when you would get an alert on your encrypted channel from sea foam alerting you to their approach. They evidently had been given your coordinates and were making a beeline. They were also cutting it pretty close to what counted as dusk. Although it would be on them to set the camp for themselves in the dark. When the five member squad arrived to relieve you you might recognize some of them from training. Their squad leader was an average height, if built, mare named Violet Rain. Given her Violet background her name seemed intentionally on the nose. She introduced her subordinates Lavender, Bulky Breeze, Lucky Star, and Comet Tail. Most of whom were fairly average themselves. Excluding the aptly named bulky.
Sundancer:"Camp Nimbus is yours, Sea Foam. We've set up a few cameras around the area. Try to not die of boredom."
Saffron couldn't help but smile at the fact that Violet Rain was the squad leader. It was so obvious it amused her. She flashed Violet a smirk then an amicable upward nod. "How much did Cloudy tell you about what we found out so far?" She asked.
Silver Rush:"greetings squad. Fairly simple job of watching the greens and reds work. The not simple part is that we're about 50 feet from a pair of stone circles, do not fuck with them or go near it with any sort of metal, or it will try to kill you. I recommend you relocate camp asap. It appears magical in nature, and has already attacked us and a squad of greens out west when approached with metal objects."
Violet Rain nodded at the greeting and recommendation. They had been allowed to view transcripts of your reports in preparation for their mission. She thanked you for getting the literal groundwork laid out. Her speech was very formal but sounded sincere. She let you know that you were to head back to the FOB and get showered and rested. Cloudy Forecast would debrief you in the morning and let you know what your next assignment would be. In a less formal way she openly mused what it would be. Your squad, theirs, and only two others were under Cloudy Forecast's command. All of which were given unusual tasks it seemed.
Saffron rebutts with an equally musing tone towards Violet. "Guess you could say we're special forces, huh?" Saffron said in a lowkey, light-hearted tone. "By the way," She casts a side glance towards the circle where they had last spoken to GateKeeper, "If you ever happen to go speak with the weird thing in the circles that way?" She flicks a wing in that direction, "Don't ask questions about Lords. It gets upset and zaps you." She muttered, bitterly.
Brickfielder stays silent during the exchange, though he does glance with Saffron towards the circle.
Saffron:"But otherwise it's friendly, if you don't go with metallic stuff on you, as our squad leader said. Don't antagonize it either. It's temperamental."
Saffron nods to herself, shrugging her wings at the other squad, looking between them all for if they had questions; but otherwise being fully ready to leave.
Ember Flare:"..and uh... all the attacks have seemed to be preceded by bursts of magic so if you have anyone who can detect those..."
Ember Flare trails of her sentence with same confidence she started it with
Violet Rain sounded a bit less chummy when Ember Flare spoke up. almost seeming to have overlooked the mutant in the room until then. She "duly noted" the advice and then quickly moved on. Her squad went about getting the camp set for themselves and Violet Rain would offer a sign off hoof shake to Silver, squad leader to squad leader.
Saffron trailed Violet Rain with her eyes after she spoke to Ember like that. When Violet isn't looking right at them, one could swear the look in her eyes was one of MURDER. Though her fur, being red, doesn't show how her face also becomes increasingly crimson. Luckily she internalizes this, and just puts up a smirk, then hops her small self out of the mound that was around their camp. Crossing her forelegs as she watches Silver shake hooves with them, waiting on them.
Silver Rush: "all yours, sea foam."
You had been on the surface for eight days now. Tonight you were allowed to return to the FOB and sleep in your own bunks again. The sun was just past the mountains as you flew out of the woods and across the low rolling hills, leaving you in a darkening twilight. Shadows made eerie shapes below you in the dips of the hills. If you were actively alert it would be difficult to keep from being on edge. The air was damper and saltier out here than in the forest. Keeping aloft and referring to your equipment or Ember Flare would see you return to base in under an hour.
You would pass a security patrol on the way in. They did not seem to have any reason to stop you or ask questions. You were to return through the gate however, checking in your entrance with the post. Your squad had been given clearance on the way out to bypass it. Entering the base was a different matter. It would not take long to go through quick identification and logging at least
The base has changed a little bit in your week away. The motor pool has already seen a lot of traffic due to daily movements to the lumber camp. This includes a stack of logs in the stockpile besides and fresh tar over areas that are going to see a lot of land traffic. Ruts were already starting to form from the heavy truck loads.
Saffron had made small talks perhaps for the entire hour back. Not to anyone in particular as her eyes seemed to constantly shift from looking at the bushes of the underbrush to the shadows being cast around them; though she was not at all jumpy; in fact she was rather optimistic. They had done a good job, she thought! It was a good start, and surely this meant they made a good team and that they were going to keep doing good! She made a few passing remarks about kicking Infrared ass off-handedly, in spite of their behavior with Gatekeeper. Once back at the base, she quieted down. Perhaps to the relief of those who didn't want to hear her as much. But after they reach a certain point, her glance shoots to the motorpool, and she speaks up.
Saffron: "Y'know... We should talk to Cloudy Forecast... Should totally find out if we got anymore clearance, or if I can suggest... Somethin'."
Ember Flare:"She would know the best"
Saffron stops to briefly rest her legs, rolling her neck slightly as she loosens the chinstrap of her helmet a bit more. "Guess now it's nap time." She pouts.
Brickfielder has no complaints with settling in, already undoing his equipment and grunting. "'Least we got to leave all that surveillance junk back there."
Sundancer grinds a servo that still hasn't fully recovered yet and grimaces "I have some replacement parts to get my hooves on."
Ember Flare:"The barrack bunks are an improvement to sleeping on the ground... and finally safe from all those insects. I almost want to burn all the stuff we brought back just in case."
Ember Flare adds with midly nervous tone "...not that I'd ever actually burn military equipment just because of bugs"
Ember Flare: "I hope we did a good job... maybe Cloudy expected us to infiltrate the camp...."
Sundancer: "I'm sure we'd be told if we were expected to do that. Leave that to our replacements."
Saffron starts to leisurely walk towards their barracks. "Get well soon Sundance." She said on a softer note, eyeballing that grinding servo briefly as she went. Snorting a little to what Ember says. "Bit of an overreaction, innit? It was just... Ants. And crickets. Maybe a locust here and there, butterflies. Wasn't that bad..."
When you return to it you would find your barracks was seeing some personalizations appear. The main hall had some minor decorations set up around the doors to a few squad's branches. Two noteworthy examples stuck out. First was a fresh recruitment flier that must have come through recent mail. It was dated as sent less than a week ago and likely pinned up for the irony. Secondly was a frond leaf from a tropical plant. How did it make its way here?
Saffron almost outright misses the leaf of the tropical plant. At first she glanced over it, but then double takes and sort of backpedals. Staring at it, confused, and with a face full of wonder. She leaned in, examining it closely. "Yooo..."
Brickfielder eyes the frond leaf with a cocked eyebrow as he passes by it, and passes by Saffron doubling back on it as well. "That's... not even going native, I don't know what to categorize that as..."
Sundancer: "It's showing off."
Saffron mutters beneath her breath. "Spooky plant." She said, looking up to Brickfielder once and chuckling, before quietly strolling to her bunk to start taking off her gear. Ready to crash for the night. And maybe waste a little bit of time scribbling on her journal, trying to sketch one of the butterflies they had fought earlier for fun. Until she felt sleepy enough to sleep.
Passing the distractions you would get to your branch and individual cells for a chance to rest. At least no one had messed with your stuff while you were gone. Although Brickfielder and Silver Rush each had a letter on their cot waiting for them. Given the week out without proper facilities it was likely you would want to take Violet Rain's advice to hit the showers before crawling into any clean bedding.
Brickfielder rubs his face as he gets the rest of his gear off, pulling up the letter in a wing and tearing it open; he'll get that out of the way, and then shower.
Saffron whispers a quiet, "Fiiiick!..." as she only realizes she was supposed to shower AFTER laying down for literally a second. She, after having taken off her combat gear, whips herself back up and chases after Brickfielder to take the shower while she still can.
Sundancer spent her time doing self-repair also doing self-cleaning and didn't have any reservations about laying down right away
(GM Note): Below is the description of the letter sent to Brickfielder’s player.
The letter was written by Brickfielder's younger siblings. They would be asking a lot of questions about the surface and noting inane details about their day at boarding school. It was likely to be the first of many they would send.
Ember Flare would wait for the others to shower first, going through her bags and hit the showers with more privacy
Brickfielder reads the letter silently while standing next to his cot, and gives a relaxed sigh, tucking it under his pillow before he heads to the showers with a confident smile on his face. He at least knows what he'll be doing before he turns in for the night: write a reply letter.
(GM Note): There was an ooc discussion that the barrack showers were fitting for the scene from starship troopers.
Saffron, despite herself and Brickfielder being so unfortunately tall and small respectively, she ... Doesn't mind, much. She was way too busy staring off into space while under the shower and giggling to herself. Occasionally she'd make a remark since he's there, just to mess with him. "Aww it would've been so interesting to see Brickfielder dance and sing, wouldn't it..." She says, wiggling her eyebrows theatrically before she just smirks and keeps doing her business. "I bet you have a great baritone, too!"
Brickfielder rolls his eyes as he uses his wings to wash his mane. "Maybe I do. And maybe it's for patriotic songs and special occasions only."
Saffron rolls her eyes good-naturedly as well, as she shuts off her shower to soap up mane and tail. "You just don't know any other songs." She teases him, as she washes up.
Waiting on her squad mates to get in and out of the showers Ember Flare can sneak in some privacy. There's few places as exposing as a shower. The potential for hazing is exponentially increased for a mutant.
Brickfielder tosses his mane around and gives himself one more once-over before shutting off his shower; rather than replying, he flicks one of his large wings at Saffron, plenty of water flying off of the feathers at her.
Silver Rush is in no condition for such shenanigans and promptly washes away the weeks filth, if only to not get his bed dirty
Saffron goes to hastily shut off the shower after a few more seconds of letting water run over her muzzle. She goes to dry up with the towels and driers; but not before he flicks water at her face, making her scrunch a little. "Is that how it is?" She remarks from the background, weakly shaking some water towards his legs with her wing in kind. Then just huffing, resuming to dry up, and taking care of her tail while she's at it and sort of wincing as she has to tug a few hard knots loose, to the point that she actually pulls some hairs. Muttering some mild curses beneath her breath a couple times, until finally making her way out.
Silver Rush sighs once cleansed and moseying back to his cot. Great what's this letter for. Who uses mail, these days. He mutters under his breath, hoping it's an advertisement instead of something more ominous
(GM Note): Letter contents for Silver Rush
The letter was written by Silver's mother. It was a fairly casual tone of letter asking how Silver was getting used to being on the ground. She had an anecdote of her first time and knee aches due to the natural habit of shifting with cloud drifts that the ground did not do. She wished Silver well tidings.
Saffron mutters something about a gunked up toothbrush as she goes to ball up on her cot to draw a little bit before sleep, as she planned.
Brickfielder settles down in his cot after he's finally dried off, getting out a pen and paper and setting about penning a response letter to the one he received.
Ember Flare doesn't spend long in the showers returns back to the barracks and prepares to doze off
Silver Rush snorts. The last thing he expected to be quite honest. But of all the ponies that would bother trying to reach him out here, this should've been his first guess
Sundancer has let a week of taking first watch ruin the early to bed early to rise sleep schedule drilled into her in boot and she's fallen into her habit of reading textbooks by flashlight into the night
Your squad can settle in for the night and get some solid sleep. The military cots are wonderful compared to sleeping on the ground with camping gear. You ‘only’ get a solid seven hours before a shift change and noise raises from the coming and goings. But getting up with the morning shift will let you grab breakfast and prep for meeting with your CO.
Ember Flare enjoys the chance to get warm meal on a proper plate again
Saffron slept like a rock...! After having woken up once and going back to sleep seeing she totally could. Snuggling onto her field journal with her hooves and muzzle. Until the time came to rise and shine, which is when she hastily went to stop looking like she was hugging a teddy bear and put it in the chest pocket of her uniform, doing some stretches beside her bed while the others woke up.; then, with remarkable silence, would follow them to the canteen. Mostly just staring off, deep in thought.
Brickfielder's hair has settled into its natural flowing-back mohawk after his good night's rest, and before heading to the mess hall, he tucks away his sealed letter; hopefully he can get it to the mail room before having to meet the CO.
Silver Rush carefully inspects his uniform, pulling out stay strings for their inevitable debrief... And McCune more depending, who knows "Alright check those creases and double check each other's uniforms. Last thing we need is a wrinkly shirt to stain a successful OP when we finally meet the boss"
Sundancer: "Cloudy seems business casual."
Saffron wries her lip as she side glances Silver once. "Aight, boss..." She replied somewhat noncommittally, double checking her uniform and pulling the sleeves a bit more taut with a bit more seriousness, adjusting the collar properly, and pausing to adjust her midsection; mostly just to 'make sure' more than needed. Then continues into the canteen. Moving along with the others to get food. She pouts for, like, a second. "Iunno... We don't really know her that well."
Sundancer picks over her own uniform regardless of her backtalk, checking every insignia is regulation distance from the pockets and seams
Brickfielder keeps his uniform in perfect condition to the best of his ability anyways.
Saffron casts a quiet glance towards Brickfielder for a moment. Or, well, up to him. She seems to look at him for a second as they go to sit down...
The mess hall was less congested than the last time you were here. With the shift changes in place and some squads eating at odd hours it seemed that the flow would be better now. Getting in and out with a meal in you would be quick enough. Some of the other squads on the same shifts seem to have been getting chummy in your absence.
Saffron squints. Puffing her cheeks as something crosses her mind. Then simply huffs and seems to just mutter: "I hope that bag of glue-goo I collected is actually worth something." She said, then looked off. And lifted her brow. "Oh I have an idea..." She smirked a little, and then just left it at that, eating a bit more quickly.
Brickfielder either doesn't notice or doesn't acknowledge Saffron looking at him as he settles in to eat… though he does spare her a cocked brow and a glance at her muttering about the goo.
Saffron meets Brickfielder's glance for a second, dabbing her lips with the hankie as she elaborates. "My mom's really into magic. She might know something. Maybe if... Hm." She pouts again, freezing to think about. Then just glances up to the others again, "I'm brainstorming sorry--either Cloudy Forecast takes it, or I send it back home. Or I keep it, worse case scenario, I'm sure there's a use for something like this."
Sundancer: "I'm sure Cloudy will call it classified and confiscate it."
Saffron: "Oh yeah, probably."
Sundancer: "Surprised you even kept that junk."
Saffron snorts at the fact Sundancer called it 'junk', "You don't know if it's junk!" Saffron exclaimed softly, "It's AT LEAST evidence."
Brickfielder shakes his head slightly. "It'd be best if Cloudy took it. Something like that needs to be handled by the state."
Ember Flare:"I agree, it could still be dangerous"
Sundancer:"It could be worse than junk, it could be poison. If you want to hold onto it, I'd suggest not bringing it up, but I'd strongly suggest not wanting to hold onto it."
Saffron gives Sundancer a weird look. She looked like she was about to rebut with something by the way she lifts a hoof and opens her mouth!... But then darts her eyes and thinks about it, closing her mouth so quickly one could hear her teeth clacking.
Saffron: "I mean yeah probably a good idea that Cloudy handles it, if anything! Is why I was gonna show it."
Sundancer closes her eyes and smiles "Good idea."
A bit before you finished up your meal and were out of the mess hall another Green came to speak with you. A runner from Cloudy confirming you were on base and letting you know to meet with her in her office at HQ. You had fifteen minutes.
Saffron nickers softly and briskly plugs her lips with the coffee that came with the food. She holds a moment of silence, stifling a chuckle as she drinks, which makes her almost choke up on her drink. Once she finishes that, she takes up the tray and starts standing up. She's about to go off, when the fellow green comes to tell them about their appointment. "Oh, cool, guess we better trot off then." She remarked, mirthfully, and resumed moving; albeit with more purposefully strides.
Sundancer doesn't get much more out of mess food than she does from rations and doesn't waste time savoring her food, leaving with saffron "No reason to not get there early."
Brickfielder finishes his meal quickly and heads out; thankfully, HQ is right near the mailroom. He'll drop off his letter on the way.
Saffron nods to Sundancer.matter-of-factly, cantering on back outside along with the squad--albeit taking the lead somewhat as she goes a bit quicker, slowing down to a walk once outside and heading past the hospital, to the HQ.
Saffron: "I guess it's normal to get debriefed inside the HQ instead of outside comms,..."
Doing any quick errands on the way your squad could get into HQ and be directed to a tiny waiting room where you could spend ten minutes twiddling your hooves. Cloudy Forecast would come down the main hall to collect you herself, giving you each a look over with her appraising gaze. Your CO was still prim and proper even in her less formal uniform. Given you had only seen her in a dress uniform prior. It still did not help her gangly nature when she moved however. Without much of a greeting she directed you to follow to her office. You would pass the open floor plan of the HQ's main room staffed with Greens at rows of desks already busy on typewriters for filing reports. Cloudy's Office was on a short branch off the main floor, opposite an office listed as Thermal Updraft's. When inside Cloudy's office you could note it was both quite sparse and crowded. It Looked almost used more for additional storage than a proper officer's office. The walls were lined with filing cabinets and there were plenty of extra chairs. But it held little in the way of personal effects, or even documentation occupied her in and out boxes.
Brickfielder keeps his head held high and salutes the CO when she arrives. Being on his best behavior doesn't stop him from sparing a small, jealous glance at the Greens at the desks, however.
Ember Flare would curiously look around the unorthodox office
Sundancer maintains military bearing in front of the chair force and doesn't acknowledge the desk jockeys at all
Brickfielder keeps his posture upright and stiff even once they're inside they're inside the office, staring ahead.
Saffron had quickly decided that, during the wait, that was the best time to get a new toothbrush. She left her squad briefly to go into the commissary and request a spare toothbrush because 'she lost hers', which was a SMALL lie. Coming back out, she would spend 10 minutes writing in her journal; drafting a letter for her parents. Until Cloudy Forecast showed up, and she near-instantly pockets the journal and pencil, standing up to salute the officer respectfully and standing at-attention! Until told to follow. She'd explore the HQ with her gaze, gazing at the Greens there with a childish curiosity, and then settling down once they're inside the ... 'Office'. She remains at-ease, but still stiffly so.
The office would be a little stuffy with six ponies inside. At least with five of you taking space to one side of the desk. Your superior tells you to be at ease and take seating where you could. While she moved to take her seemingly well worn chair on the far side of the desk. Cloudy Forecast started the meeting unorthodox. "How has your first time in a forest altered your view of the surface?"
Saffron moves her smoll self forward quickly to take a seat on one of the chairs there. Keeping her back straight nonetheless, with a small smile of pride and eagerness on her face. "It was uh... Uhm..." Her voice falls short, biting her lip, unsure how to word it. "... Well it wasn't as bad as I thought. I liked it, personally! Easy to acclimate. Minus the... Magic, fey creatures..."
Saffron: "... Or whatever they were supposed to be."
Sundancer can't scrunch her nose, so her face just pulls back in an indeterminate expression "I expected to prefer birds to insects and ground-creatures, even so I was surprised and frustrated by how much trouble they can be."
Ember Flare:"The magical creatures sure were a surprise. As were the constant noises in the forest everywhere around us. And the little bugs everywhere. But other than that it was... actually surprisingly... pleasant?"
Saffron nods along with Ember's description after she says 'pleasant'. "Yeah." She agrees, "For now it seems nice." Saffron adds, on a quieter note. Fidgeting with her forehooves a little bit.
Brickfielder clears his throat, since they clearly have permission to speak freely. "Hard ground and the constant sounds are things that take getting used to, yes. Overall, it's... similar to what I'd expected. But, clearly, there are things on the surface that can't be prepared for. Mystical beings and ancient stone circles, in our case."
Sundancer:"I also expected it to be a wasteland or wilderness, a chaotic place with random weather patterns. It felt like the forest was enemy territory managed not unlike Cloudsdayle managed weather in our sectors."
Silver Rush:"it certainly seems that the Normal idea of an Inhospitable, absolutely dangerous wildlands isn't as true as the stories say. No rampaging Mut-monsters taller than buildings or radioactive puddles everywhere you turn"
Cloudy Forecast draws everyone's attention to what Sundancer and Silver Rush were saying. "Keep those perceptions in mind for later. It will be relevant for your following mission. For now however I would like to say you all did well on your training exercise. You played to your strengths to accomplish the stated mission."
Brickfielder has to stop himself from looking confused at the phrase 'training exercise'. "...Thank you, ma'am."
Ember Flare attempts to hold her beaming on the inside
Saffron flicked her ears at the word 'training', then visibly lowered them. Turning towards Silver Rush once, then back to Cloudy Forecast. As her tail weakly wags behind her, beneath the chair.
Sundancer doesn't give much acknowledgement, successfully keeping her reaction internal
Cloudy Forecast "To preempt your inevitable questions. No, you have not been given clearance regarding the classified topic. For the time being you may refer to it as a U.I.I., or under investigation infrared. "
Ember Flare: This causes Ember to have a little questioning head tilt
Saffron pins her ears fully at that. She visibly pulls her lips taut for a moment, then after a moment of trepidation speaks up quietly: "... Ma'am? I-- I took the liberty of collecting samples of the U.I.I. that attacked us during the night, and put it in a bag. Would you like me to give it to you?" She asked, with a voice that bounced between concerned and eager.
Sundancer keeps quiet and stoic, but shifts her weight uncomfortably
Ember Flare:"...so if we were to encounter more similar U.I.I.s should we just deal with them with our own discretion?"
Cloudy Forecast gave a simple nod to Saffron. "I will have it forwarded." she stated simply as fact. "To be clear, you are not to discuss the U.I.I. to others. Sea Foam has had to be given the same warning as of your discussion last night. In general the other squads are being ordered to avoid the circles. Engagement protocols are for defensive measures at this time. "
Saffron reaches into her combat saddlebags which she had been wearing specifically to carry that specific bag and literally nothing else. Opening it, she lifts up this plump, sealed sack that came out of her survival kit. And slides off the chair to start looking for a space on the table. But seeing as it was ALL occupied by the typewriter, she ends up rather slowly and almost reverently stepping around the desk to put it either beside Cloudy's chair or on her end of the table. Then returns to her seat. "So, ma'am. Are there no plans to potentially try to negotiate with this Infrared? I ask this because... Last we talked to it, they said that if we did not pay tribute to it with a spool of golden wire, it would notify a 'lord'..." Saffron downcasts her eyes slightly. Already looking apologetic, expecting to be chastised.
Cloudy Forecast needs a moment to word her reply in an exact fashion. "Initial recon teams of this area did not uncover the now U.I.I. The possibility was likely discounted as superstition among local infrared populations. I am unaware of central command's intent regarding our reports on the subject." Again, a consideration. "In regards to your squad's interactions with the U.I.I., I had said that other squads are being ordered to avoid the circles."
Saffron lifted a hoof to rub the side of her neck, her face shifting to one of poorly veiled discomfort. She didn't like this answer. But regardless, she nodded her head; "Understood..." She simply answered.
Brickfielder leans forward where he's sitting. "With all due respect, ma'am. I had the most direct contact with the... U.I.I. For what it's worth, I wish to respectfully recommend that it be placated with a small offering of gold, as it requested."
Brickfielder:"I understand it is Central Command's decision, but if they do not take that option, I'd hope they could be convinced."
Sundancer clears her mechanical throat "If they routinely collect gold as our encounter suggests, the U.I.I. may have a hoard of it stashed somewhere
Cloudy Forecast keeps a stoic face regarding the topic. "As is the demands you had reported may be a consideration in your following mission. Should I, through Steel Rain, press the matter it is very conceivably possible that central command will assign an agent to investigate directly. A circumstance that would be best avoided."
Brickfielder nods. "Understood, ma'am."
Sundancer: "We'll do our best."
Ember Flare: "...so what is our next mission then?"
Cloudy Forecast opens a drawer in her desk and pulls out a dossier folder. She slips it across the desk for your team to look through. "This will be research material regarding your next mission. In brief it will be a form of infiltration task to make contact with and establish rapport with a splinter group of the local Infrared population." Inside the folder was a large number of photographs and some written reports, some of which have water and dirt stains. The pictures depict the sort of images you might have seen during movies or other programs that were set on the surface. Blasted hellscapes, utterly ruined cities, misshapen mutated animals, toxic and barren ecosystems, and some infrared settlements that are little more than scrap metal held together by twine.
Cloudy Forecast:"To be blunt, your changed perceptions of the surface are incorrect for the most part. These islands are an anomaly of bounty by comparison to wider former Equestria."
Saffron suddenly changes expression, becoming much more interested and less tense when the talk of their next mission comes to her mind. She leans forward to open the folders for the others to see, and for herself as well. She takes a good, long look at everything. Sifting through the pictures and skimming the reports, as her expression falls a little bit. Like a childish dream slowly coming undone. Saffron looked vaguely disappointed; but not by much. She also seemed very interested in the pictures. "Yeah..." She murmured, nodding her head slowly. Letting the others talk for the most part.
Brickfielder glances through the dossier and purses his lips. "...So then does this mean pretending to be surface-born infrareds ourselves, ma'am?"
Sundancer holds out her metal wing and frowns "How am I supposed to infiltrate anything?"
Cloudy Forecast:"That will be your cover story. You will be given time to craft legacies for the roles you will assume. Then you will be fitted with equipment more suitable to surface born ponies. You will be given directions on where to appear to make landfall by watercraft on the western side of the island. From there you will 'accidentally' attract the attention of the splinter group and make rapport."
Ember Flare: "and once we do?"
Brickfielder is struggling to maintain his stone-faced demeanor, looking at Cloudy as if she's grown a second head. But he's definitely not going to actually say any of his thoughts out loud.
Saffron finally looks up from the pictures and, as she goes through the process of putting the pictures as they were, sits back up on her seat with her ears fully perked forward and a small, eager smile. "Well, with our skillset, we could probably pass for... Honorable mercenaries? Or do-gooders of some kind-- Minuteponies I guess, or..." She tapped her hooves together and looked to Silver and Brickfielder, "Merchants and their escort? That's what comes to mind."
Brickfielder mutters, "Does the surface have merchants...?"
Saffron clops both hooves in front of her lips. Biting her lip as she looked at Cloudy Forecast, then Brickfielder again. She lightly shrugged with her wings.
Cloudy Forecast raised a hoof to stop Saffron from racing for now. "The main mission statement will be information gathering to supplement what is known about the group. But of equal importance is establishing an 'in' with the group for further goals in the future. You are to make a point of contact and establish yourselves as potential allies to this group."
Brickfielder nods, slowly. "...Understood, ma'am."
Sundancer: "Our backstory will depend on who this splinter group is."
Saffron likewise gives a quick nod of her head in understanding. Keeping her mouth firmly shut in that moment.
Cloudy Forecast gives a small nod to Sundancer. "The splinter group in question are effectively rebel exiles of Trottingham. Initial intelligence reports were able to determine the group left due to philosophical differences. Differences pertaining to views on the U.I.I. that were likewise disregarded by initial investigators as simply a break in religious sects. Branded 'Robin Hoods' the group has taken a naturalistic approach and have reverted to a tribal status."
Brickfielder is now looking at Cloudy as if she's grown TWO additional heads rather than just the one.
Ember Flare furrows her brow at the mention of 'tribal status'
Ember Flare: "They're not... completely primitive savages right?"
Brickfielder shakes his head some and frowns while looking down. "...If they left over 'philosophical differences', then, I'd... suppose not..."
Sundancer: "Do they hate metal as much as the U.I.I.?"
Saffron seems to slowly realize something. by the way her mouth gapes very briefly and her brow furrows. She stays still, not moving to rub or fidget her legs. But there is a bit of darting movements in her eyes. Looking to Sundancer at that specific question, and quickly deciding it was time to start reading the folder. Leaning forward again to get to the written parts of the reports, and start reading while the questions were answered.
Cloudy Forecast:"Having read the initial reports it would be easy to try and view the group as primitive. But they are a splinter group of Trottingham's military and would have had a template for similar organization. Having read between the lines I believe they are more than that." She regarded Sundancer. "I cannot state with confidence their position. It is my belief however that you will be able to leverage your medical and technical knowledge as an asset that would far outweigh their opinion of your physical form."
Sundancer nods "I'll be sure to pack enough supplies."
Saffron gives a quick nod of herself. Looking up from the dossier slightly. "Will our gear be scaled down for the assignment? As in, no exoskeletons?"
Cloudy Forecast:"You will not be assigned equipment with Cloudsdayle identification for this mission, no. You have had training with firearms and will be equipped with gear acquired by prior scout teams. I will work with you as my time allows to assist crafting your legacies. But as with many things in cover it will require your personalization to internalize."
Saffron nodnods her head, looking down at the dossier and looking for any particular remarks about 'factions' as she puts it back down on the desk. "I still think we could get away with being some sort of RUGGED group of survivors from the--" She looked down at the pictures and thinks, sort of sifting through the pictures of deformed animals, wasteland, and 'villages', "--The mainland, we had to---to leave our homes to find luck elsewhere, and decided this was as good as place as any." She states. Her mouth going perhaps faster than her mind as she thinks back to what her dad might have told her, since this was where it would come the most useful. "We do have a... Sunshower, so..."
Saffron lowers her voice, brushing her chin with both of her small hooves. "That COULD work." She quiets down, "Probably better than being guns for hire. More relatable?"
Sundancer:"We would need something to sell to be merchants. They'd need extra firepower if we were mercenaries. Strangers that happen to have a doctor seem like it would have a more broad appeal."
Ember Flare nods "it would make more sense, and going as mercenaries would carry the risk of them trying to hire us or something"
Cloudy Forecast:"To assist you with a framework I have some details which you will use for seed information. To start you will be from an old world coastal city named Fillydelphia. You left the region due to attacks by feral mutant ponies."
Cloudy Forecast pulls a picture from the dossier for emphasis, one showing a desiccated pony you could have mistaken as simply a corpse, had it not been standing and with alert eyes.
Cloudy Forecast:"You traveled north until you discovered a boat that could take you away from the mainland to a promising forested island on the horizon. In effect, it will be best to consider yourselves refugees. Consider this information and study the dossier. Of which you will keep private from other squads. It is not to leave the HQ, but you may request to enter my office to view it in my absence. I will soon need to follow up with other duties. If you wish to stay and discuss here for the time being, you may."
Saffron double takes on the image of the ghoul. She stares at it with a mixture of surprise, horror, and wonder at the fact that zombies were real. But made no remark. "That could easily work, yeah. Plus it would excuse the fact that we'd be coming in somewhat armed, and armored, and probably packing a bunch of supplies." Saffron adds, looking to Cloudy Forecast to listen. The excitement she felt was only shown by the way she swishes her tail underneath the chair, and the way she nodnods to the officer quickly. "Might need to get squared away by fully reading the dossier. Maybe come up with individual backstories if it will come into play... Just an outline I guess." She looked over to the rest of the group after saying that.
Sundancer reaches for the dossier on the table and examines the first page "Our Fillydelphia has to have some sort of technical nexus where I learned my trade."
Ember Flare:"Well... the refugee cover story should work pretty well... We really wouldn't have to justify our presence all that much"
Cloudy Forecast raises from the desk, indicating she will be leaving. "It may be best to pretend to be a fully artificial being, Sundancer. Construction of a robot may be technology considered on the surface as lost to the general infrared population. But you may consider the angle of a construct built before the general calamity, reactivated recently."
Sundancer considers it for a moment "I could play the part better by looking up pre-calamity medicine."
Ember Flare:"Uh... do we know their stances on uh mutants?"
Cloudy Forecast:"Given the general 'clean' nature of these isles it is likely in main part they are not familiar with the general phenomenon. I expect the griffons, that more routinely leave for the mainland, would be aware. But they do not have a presence in the splinter group that we know of. It should only be composed of pony infrareds. If it comes down to it you may be able to pass your mutation as traditional magic."
Sundancer: "Secret hornless alicorn Ember Flare."
Saffron side glances at Sundancer and, for some reason smirks playfully in their direction. But opts to not say what she was finding so funny.. She swept her glance to Ember, "Yeah, wizard Ember Flare. And soulless automaton Sundancer. We got a nice composition." She remarked, before glancing down at the dossier, "Is fillydelphia actually inhabited?" She asked out loud, while seeking out the information on the reports....
Saffron: "... Everything looks so awful."
Cloudy Forecast pauses for a moment at Saffron's question. She seemed actually hesitant. Then she answered. "Not any longer. The Fillydelphia region was the staging grounds for C.L.O.D.S. campaign 37"
Sundancer: "A plausible backstory then."
Saffron actually turned her eyes to Cloudy Forecast as she detected the pause. At the answer, a sad sounding "Oh..." comes out of her by reflex. "Well," She quickly regains her composure, "In that case, yeah, we can probably work with that."
Saffron then turned her head towards Brickfielder, who had been awfully quiet. "What do you think?" She asked him, suddenly.
Brickfielder tries not to glance at Cloudy as he glances through the dossier. "...It's our job. I'll just... need more time to read over the reports in here." His brow is as furrowed as can be as he's saying that.
Cloudy Forecast:"I will leave you to the task then. You have a lot of information to internalize. Once legacies have been established we will proceed to training for deception. I expect at least some of you have not had cause to lie to someone's face before. Let alone when it could potentially be a dangerous situation."
Saffron pins her ears and chuckles, "Eh..." Her voice drifts off.
Ember Flare:"Well, this sounds a bit higher caliber mission now doesn't it!"
Cloudy Forecast looks over everyone with another appraising gaze. "If this information has shaken you, consider making an appointment with Breezy Night to work through processing."
Sundancer figures being in the military is good practice for acting like a robot and gets a little practice in as Cloudy appraises her
Brickfielder manages to unfurrow his brow somewhat as Cloudy looks at him, wanting to look more determined than... well... unenthusiastic.
Saffron straightens up a bit more under the scrutiny. "No thank you, ma'am, it's just a lot to think about." She replied readily and with a cool soldier eagerness, turning her chin up slightly.
Your CO leaves you in the room that could be mistaken for an office to contemplate and discuss in what could be one of the few actually private spaces on the base. As noted by Cloudy Forecast you would have permission to come and go for this use. Even if you were curious there did not seem to be anything of worth intellectually in the office aside from your provided dossier.
Saffron watches their CO leave. And... Begins to relax to her usual posture. She instantly looks back up to Brickfielder. "What's ... Up, Brickfielder?"
Brickfielder doesn't exactly relax, but his posture does shift to be less rigidly upright, pulling one of the reports out of the dossier as his frown deepens.
Brickfielder:"What's 'up', is that we're going to be ditching our equipment and hiding our wings to pretend to be some... some, infrareds."
Saffron stays silent for a moment. The way he throws out the word 'Infrared' doesn't stun her, but it does make her entire face tighten a little bit. "... Job's a job..." She mutters.
Brickfielder sneers a bit, and deflates with a sigh, glancing at the... ghoul picture again. "This is beyond what I'd thought we'd be doing in C.L.O.D.S."
Ember Flare:"It is a much more prestigious mission compared to most though. Or would you rather guard the lumberjacks weeks on end?"
Brickfielder 's jaw tightens a bit. "...It might be a welcome change of pace from going through surveillance footage for a week straight, but this is just... ugh."
Brickfielder lowers the report he's looking through and glances around. "Well, we need to figure out how we're going to do this." He looks at Silver expectantly. "Leader?"
Ember Flare looks over the documents some more with somewhat cheery outlook
Saffron inhaled sharply and looked to Brickfielder with a slight, mildly disappointed grimace; but quickly sweeped that glance to Silver Rush, looking at them a bit more seriously herself.
(GM Note): It was likely Silver Rush’s player had fallen asleep at his desk.
Nimbus squad was left alone to your own devices in your CO's 'office.' With an uncertain amount of time until she would contact you again, you had time to yourselves. You could spend it working on your current assignment and/or recovery from your last mission.
Ember Flare: "Hmm so I wonder what sort of gear we'll be able to take with us. is it some trash brought back from previous missions? Eugh I hope not"
Brickfielder: "Trash, I don't doubt it. That's all that the Infrareds on the surface have, and we're going to have to blend in..."
Saffron spent an awful lot of time just reading their folder. Actually reading it this. It didn't quite click when Cloudy Forecast straight-up told them that the denizens of Fillydelphia had all been killed, but reading the folder and seeing that it had been their own army to do that actually made her go pale, sickly so. Of course she didn't show it much, she just read on from that in silence... "... You all figured out your roles, right? Or how to act, and what to say if they ask you what you did before this."
Silver Rush: "we can always trade things with the locals we're supposed to...investigate"
Saffron: "... This folder doesn't say ANYTHING about the mutants themselves... Apart from the ghouls and the mutated animals. Might be hard to explain things unless I just make things up. I'm just going to assume Ghouls are basically zombies."
Ember Flare: "the plan seems decent.. selling the services of our medical robot"
Ember Flare me nudges her head towards sundancer
Brickfielder: "...People are going to want to actually *buy* those services, then, will they not?"
Saffron rubs a hoof down her cheek, nodding slowly with Ember's statement. "Yeah..." She mutters softly in agreement. "That too. Medical stuff is PROBABLY in short supply."
Silver Rush looks at the dossier to see if there's anything about how pegasi are treated. "will we have to pretend to be mud ponies too I wonder..."
Saffron: "So, Ember. Are you okay with pretending you're like a nurse and an apprentice roboticist? Something along those lines."
Brickfielder: "Pretending that would put us in a fair amount of danger, if even one of us were found out. ...A surface-dwelling, Infrared pegasus..."
Within the context of the documents Silver can read notes regarding that pegasus presence on the surface is rare. The vast majority of infrareds are of earth pony stock.
Ember Flare: "Well... something I know some basic medicine and first aid from my training.. it covered a wide variety of things"
Saffron smiled distractedly. The red pegasus was still a bit bleached in the face when she looked back at their mutant companion, side glancing at them. "Yeah so... Here's the thing I have in my head. We HAD an actual medical station with a doctor, and you were the nurse, and since you knew how somewhat you were the one who maintained the robot, that is Sundancer, while they did the procedures. This should be enough to basically explain everything."
Saffron: "And if you want to work it from there you can just improvise."
Ember Flare: "Well it is an infiltration mission. But don't worry, we are supposed to be fish out of water in this scenario"
Saffron: "It also gives you the excuse of going with Sundancer wherever."
Brickfielder: "And we just... happen to all be pegasi as well, then?"
Saffron suckled her teeth a little, looking back to Brickfielder quietly for a good 3 seconds... "Well, we can't exactly remove our wings, can we..."
Ember Flare: "...we winged ponies gotta stick together?"
Saffron: "The best thing we could do if we wanted to pretend we're mudponies is to wear dusters over the wings, or cloaks."
Brickfielder stares back at Saffron with a flat look, his brow furrowed in the center. "...Correct. I just don't know which would be a safer option."
Ember Flare: "Best if we don't lie too much about things, if we come up with a blatant lie, we won't be taken seriously by the population and we'll lose their trust"
Silver Rush: "conceal our identities as best we can for starters. No need to raise unnecessary attention at first"
Ember Flare: "Just lie about things that preserve that trust"
Saffron chuckled mirthlessly to the look Brick gives her. It amused her, but also annoyed her at the same time judging by the way she pursed her lip. "Yeah." She glanced at Ember in agreement, "Easier to just say it's a coincidence..."
Silver Rush: "a pegasus traveling medicine pony may even be a tad more....'exotic' to the locals as well"
Saffron: "A robot medicine pony is probably weird, too."
Brickfielder: "We'll have to hope that the Infrareds around here are unfamiliar with Fillydelphia..."
Saffron has a bit of a giggle at that, adjusting her wings as she sits up a little more. Leaning more on her hind legs and leaning her side on the backrest to be more at eye level with everypony else. "Aside from that! Silver, boss, you can probably pretend you're some sort of Administrator for all us. Our boss below the actual top-boss. Managed supplies, quartermaster duties, inquisitive work. Would suit you."
Saffron: "Also, us having a sort of leadership established in our roles from the get-go would probably help show we're responsible and maybe professional to a degree?"
Brickfielder: "Will be easier to keep up the act if we stick close to our actual organizational structure, I suppose..."
The file would be a bit sparse about Fillydelphia, given it only contains post operation reports compared to preoperation scouting reports. What could be gathered is that the ponies of Fillydelphia were all second or third generation vault residents that came to the surface. Without operational tech but a knowledge base that let them set in the city core. It was largely a farming and salvage based community that had trade with somewhat distant neighbors. The city had an old-world advanced water cleaning facility that they fixed up. They had a larger number of doctors and a hospital. Cloudsdayle came through and took apart the water cleaning facility for tech components. The campagne killed everyone in the city when they resisted.
Saffron: "I mean the dossier rather clearly says the ponies in Fillydelphia were sort of organized and civilized. They had a hospital, and everything."
Saffron shrugged her wings to Brickfielder.
Ember Flare: "We shouldn't have too much trouble with being way more competent and knowledgeable than your average savage"
Silver Rush "we'll just give em the ol razzle dazzle'
Saffron "I could pretty easily pass for a Watchpony and scavenger. I've got those kinds of skills, surveillance and recovery missions. Doubled as a guard since I knew how to fight, even if I'm--" Saffron wiggled a forehoof, "Kinda small?" She pouts, then looks to Brickfielder quietly for a moment. "And you could've been a security officer properly. Probably above me, as well."
Brickfielder takes a deep breath and shrugs. "Security officer then. Sure."
Ember Flare: "Maybe we should go check out the kind of gear we've got in our disposal, we might need to fix or modify them a bit before mission start"
Saffron: "Yeh, you're big enough."
Silver Rush: "good idea. and pick out the best stuff so we're not left with scraps..."
Saffron glances back to the exit briskly at what Ember says. "I think Cloudy Forecast said she would assign our mission gear..."
There was a crack and rumble of thunder. Something most of you would only be accustomed to through scheduled examples during parades.
Saffron jumps slightly and reflexively mutters a "Fu--", craning their head towards the windows and peering outside. Pinning her ears slightly as her tail shifts nervously. "Okay then it's thundering' outside..."
(GM Note): Cloudy Forecast’s office did not have windows to the outside.
Brickfielder stiffens up with his eyes widening, looking around at the walls of the office and furrowing his brow even more.
Ember is startled at first but calms fast "Heh... a bit omnius for mission planning"
Saffron snickers nervously, her wings shifting on her back somewhat, "Heheh, yeah. It's not a movie tho! So it's not foreshadowing...!" Saffron remarked, nodding to herself with a smirk being given towards Ember. "By the way, unless there's other things you all want to add, we should be good. Bottom line is our place got trashed by not-zombies and we barely escaped our hospital by the skin of our teeth, with our robo-friend, fixed up a boat project we had going on, then skedaddled as fast as possible." Saffron mused, then paused. "Which leaves us to just... Preparing other things? Guess we have free time."
Brickfielder stands up and casts another glance at the folder. "...Well, let's hope Cloudy doesn't take long."
Ember Flare: "I'm satisfied with what we came up with... Tho I'd prefer if we kept my uh condition concealed from the locals. Don't want to learn their attitudes towards mutants"
Brickfielder: "That should be easier to hide than wings. ...Assuming you can keep it under control."
Ember Flare: "And it would be a hidden advantage as well. oh yes.. I'll be fine no worries."
A small puff of smoke would raise from Embers back ventilators as she said that
Brickfielder sighs and turns to leave. "I'm going to... just, head back to the barracks. I'd rather not spend time outside when there's an unsupervised storm."
Saffron nodnods to both, then sat back down properly on her chair. Likewise eyeballing the folder again and looking at the pictures of ghouls again, for inspiration. "... I guess what started the whole thing could've been an explosion, a sabotage from the inside... We may have had time to hole down in the hospital for defense, but ultimately decided for an evacuation--and we got cut off..." Saffron nods and smiles distractedly to Brickfielder as he leaves.
Saffron spends her time FULLY reading the folder and committing as much of it as possible to memory for future reference, making sketches of the ghouls in her field journal, while also taking out any questionable information that would give away who they are. And then, if she still has time, she's going to the commissary to see if she can get chocolate bars.
Brickfielder swings by Communications to drop off his letter, before returning to the barracks.
When the planning was settled for the time being your group would step outside to find the morning fog had cleared. You had spent a bit longer in the office than you realized. You would notice that more than a fre greens were standing about or a few meters up on wing, looking eastward. That storm you heard was over the sea, maybe a few KM from arriving. Massive dark grey clouds that intermittently threw slighting into the ocean.
Sundancer will have to go through a reverse hygiene routine to get her looking properly weathered and spend her time prior to that gathering mechanical and medical doodads to look the part of a wasteland mechanic.
Saffron came out of the headquarters much later than everyone else. Perhaps even half an hour later, until she'd walk out with the pallor of her face still having not fully dissipated. She almost LOOKED queasy. Before she could turn the corner to head to the commissary, she double takes on the bunch of Greens looking eastward. She furrowed her brow in confusion, then looked to the storm... And stopped dead in her tracks. She began to approach the greens, shuffling closer to ask a question... "... Is that scheduled?..." She asked, with some worry and confusion.
Sundancer starts to come to come to terms with all the downsides of a thicker atmosphere, getting buffeted by walls of wind
Brickfielder would not have an issue getting his letter dropped off. As per military practice however he would not envelope it himself. He would give the letter and the address to a clerk who would get it approved or censored as necessary before it would be sent off with the next vertibird to Cloudsdayle.
Sundancer and Ember Flare Could approach the commissary together. Sundancer had the need for parts to seal her chassis. Ember Flare could be wanting to be able to flex her current freedoms for the first time. There was a small, if rotund, issue when they arrived however. Silver Lining would be in attendance, seeming to not have anything to do other than keep an eye on the shop. When requisitioning parts Sundancer would be asked if she actually needed them.
When Saffron finally left the HQ she would get her reply with a headshake. At least no one was certain about how the weather was supposed to be managed out here. This would last until Thermal Updraft came around to start getting the gawkers moving. She seemed less willing to press her authority so much as take it in a joking “you all never seen some dark clouds before?” sort of fashion.
Ember would browse the selection with interest, possibly looking to get herself some sweet drink
Sundancer makes an attempt to pout, but doesn't have cheeks or lips to puff out. "Of course I need them. I'm going on a long distance, top secret mission. I need to be able to keep myself and my squad running."
Saffron would've remarked with a "This place is straight-up weird..." when she was met with that head shake. She spent a moment there looking at the clouds herself, fascinated by clouds that could simply appear out of nowhere and move on their own. At least until Thermal Updraft came over to get them moving along. She did so without further hesitation, resuming her way to the Commissary... "Seeing it in person is so much different than just hearing about it." She says, mostly to herself, as she went back indoors to see if she could squeeze one or two more TACTICAL chocolate bars from her own pay grade for TACTICAL trading and less-than-TACTICAL snacking, maybe.
Sundancer Settles on a mildly indignant look "Are we running out of medicine with all the splinters the reds are getting?"
Ember adds "We're about to go on an extended mission as well, she will need to be able to remain operational"
Silver Lining would consider Sundancer before signing her request forms himself. Even if he hoofed them over to a subordinate to fill. The portly officer would chortle a bit. Noting that the robot had best not let Champaign overhear that sort of dismissive attitude. He seemed to only remember at the moment, but noted that ‘oh yes, one of the mutant’s squads. Special cases, but not deserving special treatment. Keep that in mind when you make requisitions.”
The other’s use of the commissary would be a bit less impacted. Shopping for sweets to imbibe could go through immediate channels and without need for forms. Just a signing off of payment out of your stipends. Which in consideration were significantly more than a red class citizen’s wages. Not that it may be as relatable for Saffron or Ember to consider.
Ember Flare will settle for couple soda pops, one which she'll save for later on
Most of your day back in the FOB could be spent resting, studying, refitting, or spending time away in your cot. Most of the day would go by before Cloudy Forecast would have you called and assembled at the arsenal for a weapon’s check. The weather had turned to medium weight rain by then as the storm rolled in from the ocean. It seemed like it would have been a huge job to stop it. But at least the lightning had died off.
Ember Flare: "Do you want help with the paperwork?"
Sundancer: "Believe me, I wouldn't dare talk back to Champagne." Sundancer watches the forms getting filled out "I'm glad that not getting special treatment still lets us get what we need."
Ember Flare: "if you can specify mission requirements clearly, you're more likely to have your order accepted"
Sundancer: "Well Cloudy is probably going to want to keep our missions quiet, even when just talking to other senior officers. Who knows who could be listening?"
Ember Flare: "and possible requisition equipment that the brass might not immediately recognize as vital tools"
Ember Flare tilts her head "I doubt the secrecy goes that high up the ladder"
Sundancer slumps, realizing that frowns are a bit of a futile attempt "Cloudy's missions aren't going to make that easy. Next time we'll have to ask who we're allowed to tell our mission to."
Saffron, having now acquired a box of 6 chocolate bars--one for each of her squad mates if necessary, gives things more thought. She wasn't very far from the others and was side glancing at the ongoing conversation without really participating... Just taking note of the remarks about Champagne Shower... Then turning back to her own interface with Requisitions, and inquiring on if they had any healthy spices, specifically oregano, to flavor food with. She will want to buy enough for at least four meals, if there was. "Hey so--I'd like some spices for food? Healthy stuff, oregano if ya somehow have it laying around for cooking supplies, we're going to be away a while and I'd like to have food that isn't stale? Spice, is like, bare minimum. In Fact, you got salt?? Give me like a little bit of salt, too." She said, tapping her chin as she considers more options.
Saffron: "Oh and--also, I'd like some spare mechanical parts if I can afford those. It's for our robo-friend, I want to make sure we have enough parts to fix her long-term..."
Gamemaster
(moving along. Do note I listed Cloudy calling everyone to the Arsenal in the last post. Saffron can get all the tabasco and salt she needs. As for mechanical spares, those beyond what Sundancer needs to repair herself right now would need a negotiation+will test vs 5+)
Sundancer catches Saffron glancing at her and ordering what she'd just ordered a second time and cocks her head
(GM Note): Saffron tested her negotiation to try and get around the logistics roadblock. It failed.
Saffron's attempts to get her squadmate extra parts would come to a stonewall, despite her pleasantries. Repairing Sundancer’s chassis would be one thing. But HOARDING extra parts would be a different matter.
When your squad would assemble at the arsenal your CO would give you the rundown of what you could expect equipment wise. It would not be premium quality. While you would not be given it over yet, there was a selection of firearms in varying states of makeshift nature or with duct taped tactical attachments. The outfits would be extremely basic, most of it unarmored. You would be given equipment kits to cover necessary requirements like your survival gear or radio equipment. You would likely need to go without personal communicators for the length of the mission.
Brickfielder looks just as unwilling once arriving at the arsenal as he did when he left the office, aside from his mane being a bit messier. He wouldn't admit it, but he's spent his free time just mulling over things and steeling himself to do this mission.
Saffron was totally straight-faced in her request. She attempted a few different approaches, like asking for just a tiiiny bit and adhering to strict military etiquette without fail. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, and in the end Saffron nods respectfully in agreement to this decision, taking her spices and chocolate, and giving a crisp salute. "Yes sir, understood, have a nice day." She'd say, before turning to trot back outside. Following the rest of the squad at Arsenal. Once at the arsenal... Saffron is not surprised, yet still disappointed. Going over the weapons to check them out, check conditions to cherry pick something reliable...
Sundancer cranes her neck to get a look at the assembled gear, trying to figure out how to improve it with the limited tools she'll be provided
Cloudy asks your squad what seems like another out of the blue question. "Who among you can pilot a boat?"
Ember Flare: "Well.. Boat wasn't exactly on the training regime but I've trained with variety of vehicles, mostly simulations"
Sundancer: "Same."
Silver Rush: "how hard can it be"
The question made Saffron's eyes widen slightly. "Uh... No prior experience here." Saffron remarks, eyeballing the others while she goes and checks out the selection of fairly unimpressive melee weapons. She quickly goes for what is tried and true, avoiding basically all the scrounged stuff that will break with a sneeze, and going straight for an axe that would have a nice shaft and a heavy head in good-enough condition that might require some sharpening.
Ember Flare: "I might have had more flying lessons but a boat should at least be simpler"
Cloudy simply nodded and moved along with your mission. “For today you have a simple goal. There is a boat docked in the old fishing village east of the base. Your squad will go and acquire some direct experience being on the water and getting wet. I would encourage some basic swimming practice while you are there. What remains of the port is fairly shallow. Even with this weather the waves should not be too much for you to handle.”
Sundancer can't hide her discomfort about spending time on a boat subject to the whims of the sea
Sundancer: "Practice makes perfect, the Pegasus way."
Silver Rush: "it'll be like swimming through clouds, right?"
Saffron spends some time weighting the fire axe in her hooves. It was too big to simply carry between her teeth like she would with the ripper, so she put it back down where she got it from. Turning her head back to Cloudy to pay rapt attention. Nodding slowly, before she pursed her lip slightly... "How much time do we have for practice, ma'am?" She asked, her stiffly respectful voice not hiding her worry.
Cloudy continues on. “I will expect you to spend until sundown on the water, which leaves you five hours or so. Return the boat to the dock once you are through. We will reconvene tomorrow morning and discuss your cover story as you have so far created.”
Silver Rush: "Roger that, will we be utilizing the boat for the duration of our mission, or is it just our infiltration method?"
Sundancer keeps quiet and lets her squadmates sound off first
Brickfielder swallows any complaints he wants to voice and instead salutes.
Saffron nods quickly in understanding. Casting a quick look towards Silver Rush to give him a quiet look after his remark. Staying put for a while to wait for the mare to dismiss them to allow them to choose their mission equipment, or continue on...
Cloudy notes you will be provided a modified boat for the infiltration mission. If it requires abandonment later that would be acceptable. But as it would be your characters link back to the mainland it would need to be treated as such while in character. Your CO dismisses your group to your current task after noting that you will want to leave any valuable gear in your rooms for the time being. Unless you feel insecure and require a laser rifle to go skinny dipping?
Sundancer returns to her 'room' in the squad's tent and strips off her armor and uniform entirely before waiting outside to see what swimwear her squad comes up with
Silver Rush equips his best horse fur to faff about in the water
Saffron had a chuckle about skinny dipping with laser guns. But refrained from making humorous jokes in the process of an officer, saluting them crisply and respectfully before promptly returning to picking mission gear. She looked over the available outfits...
Brickfielder , with a bit of reluctance, leaves behind his weapons and armor in the barracks.
Ember listened to the orders nonchalantly until hearing the term skinny dipping which caused her posture to droop and ears to fold down
Saffron rather merrily canters her way out of the Arsenal and moseys back to their barracks and subsequently her footlocker to begin stripping off her uniform and beloved patrol cap, as well as her combat boots unfortunately. Swimwear is overrated as she didn't have that kind of stuff. Returning back to the Arsenal she would go back and grab the only item with a hood and a scarf that doubled as a facemask in stock and sturdy tall-boots (the burglar outfit), before rejoining with the others.
Ember would slip out of her armor into lighter uniform and toss a towel over her back
Ember Flare: "g-guess we won't be needing much"
Saffron keeps on her patrol cap to cover her head, and her uniform since she's going to be needing dry clothing. And stocks up on towels in her saddlebags. "Nope! Dry clothes, towels... It's probably gonna get cold."
Saffron: "And it's also raining, so drying up's gonna suck..."
Sundancer: "So, swimming lessons for four of us, boating practice for Ember."
Brickfielder: "I'm absolutely taking *something* to deal with the rain. I don't need to be soaked to the bone."
Your squad stows your gear and gathers outside your cell. There would be more than a few sets of eyes on you considering those who would be out of uniform. Perhaps you got lucky or there had been information put out that your squad was not to get reported for this. But no officer gets on your case and you would be able to check out through the front gate without issue. It would be a short hike through the chilly rain to the old dock town. While much of it was built atop the cliffs there was walkways and some buildings cut into the cliff face paths that lead down to the dock itself. Ancient stonework still held together to form a long stretch out into the water that made a T shape. Smaller docks were to the sides but had crumbled away. The bottom of the cliff face had a thin sandbar and shallower water. Moored to the end of the dock was an aluminum boat painted a dark green. It had mounts for a motor that had been taken off and in place had paddles secured inside the craft. It was a fairly wide craft and could seat your squad.
Ember Flare: "wait... no motor? I uh... I wasn't expecting this"
Silver Rush: "....oh uh..that's significantly less useable than we were lead to believe"
Ember Flare: "Is it even possible to row a boat from the mainland all the way to the island..."
Sundancer: "We're supposed to have crossed the sea in this thing?"
Sundancer: "We can tow it with a flyer and a rope. Take turns on the oars and in the sky"
Brickfielder: "What I'm more concerned about is how useful this will actually be as training without a motor."
Saffron didn't have too bad of a time coping with the cold and the rain. Her coat was fluffy (and now wet), and she had a hat. She did start shivering a little once they were getting there however, and mumbled a bit shakily as they got to the dock to see their ride. "N-no enginee--e-e... Woo!" Saffron cheered half-heartedly, and kept moving to the dock to wait near the side of their little vessel. "... So, uh, I guess we just go into the water while Ember just paddles around and rescues us?"
Ember Flare steps around the dock anxiously
Silver Rush dips his hoovsies in the water to test how much he will hate this
Brickfielder stands on the docks with his cap pulled down, just looking over the scene and frowning. He takes a deep breath, flings his cap off, and, while the others are moving cautiously, simply steps off of the dock and lets his whole body fall into the water.
Saffron begins doing recon to find a place that is suitable to put her stuff away from the rain. It was already inside her saddlebags but she didn't feel like risking her towels getting wet early. She looked under the dock to see if there was a nook in the dirt, then if there was slipped her saddlebags there. She takes off her hat, then just watches Brickfielder go into the water like he was. She blinked with a minor worry...
Sundancer doesn't trust her ability to float at all. Despite being built for flying, she's considerably more dense with aluminum bones than with hollow ones
Sundancer: "I uh, I think I'll head back to the beach. I don't want to sink to the bottom and get stuck in mud."
The water would be absolutely freezing. The spray that comes from the soft churning would be salty and stinging to sensitive eyes, nostrils, and mouth. While not a hard set of waves the wind was still kicking them up to knee height. The place smelled awful with a mix of brine and indiscernible scents, almost a sort of rotting smell. Seaweed was being pulled into the beach by the waves along with other small bits of debris.
Saffron: "Just dip in from the shore. You don't need to dive. Take it kinda slow near the shallows."
Sundancer nervously flies to the beach and stands in the surf, waves reaching her hooves as she lands
Ember also finds a place near the docks to toss her clothes safe from the weather and comes back with towel and underoos on
Brickfielder very quickly regrets his decision to drop in immediately, kicking at it some and bucking from the chill. "F-f... cold! It's cold! Ugh..." The saltiness is also something he's not used to yet.
Ember Flare: "not exactly the beach vacation you'd hope for...."
Sundancer isn't concerned with the cold, or the salt, but the strength of the waves terrifies her
Saffron straightened up a bit, stiffening as the rain falling on her made her shiver and tuck her wings. She chuckled a little to Brickfielder as he is already in deeper waters. She begins to get into the water slowly, carefully. Biting her lips as she powers through the sheer cold of the water slowly climbing up and making her limbs kinda numb. She was small, and it doesn't take long for a wave to hit her and make her start paddling a bit...
(GM Note) I had the character’s without any Athletics dice test body to see how they fared swimming. Ember Flare Botched.
Brickfielder grits his teeth, but, moves out into the water enough to get a feel for it. He takes to it with relative ease, moving his weight through the water passably.
Ember Flare has what could later be described as a negative reaction to the salt water. Dipping her legs in would not be traumatic. But when she would muster the courage to take a dive under things could go south very quickly. When her back contacted the salt water she would become frozen with searing pain of the brine contacting her unique physiology. The shock would make her want to scream, but that would just get seawater into her mouth. Ember flare would need to receive a quick response to get the water out of her lungs as she started to drown.
Saffron would likely get front-row seats to Ember Flare almost literally dying. It takes her a split-second to process that their comrade did indeed need help, and she starts near lunging in that direction, doggy paddling as her wings extended up above the water while she got there. "Brick! Ember straight-up sank, we need your long legs over here!" She called out, as the waves smacked her cheeks, making her wink as she tried to reach down to try to grasp at anything of Ember, and pull her up despite being small.
Brickfielder notices something going wrong quickly, given Ember's thrashing, and swims to her. "Keep your head above the water, Flare!" He manages to cast Saffron in a frustrated look as he moves to retrieve Ember.
Brickfielder has little trouble hefting Ember back up, given his strength, and tries to shift her onto his back, jostling her around to make her cough the water out... and, well, trying to ignore what he's seeing on her back.
(GM Note) Sundancer tested Academics for assisting the almost drowning Ember Flare. She passed
Brickfielder swims back to shore, half-carrying and half-dragging Ember while keeping her head above the water as best he can, finally depositing her on dry ground and huffing from exertion. Then, he takes a deep breath, before turning away and trying not to heave from seeing what's on her back.
Saffron helps a little bit, lightly picking up Ember by the foreleg and paddling to keep them from sinking further, until Brickfielder reaches them and flexes the mutant out of the water. The red pegasus casts one look at the mare's back to take note of the mutation, but otherwise keeps damn quiet about it and does her best to ignore it. "Y-y-you g-good Ember?? Wanna get out-t??" She asked as Brickfielder carried them along, the smaller mare just worrying from the side, teeth chattering a little from the cold.
Ember sputters and coughs the dirty seawater painfully from her lungs while the cyst like holes flash erratically producing puffs of smoke along the rhythm of her coughs
Saffron: "B-buck that's a b-b-ad s-start..."
Sundancer can rush over and give Ember Flare rescue breathing to force the thin mare to regurgitate the sea water from her lungs. It will take a long while to clear and likely need to bring the cold mare into the remnants of a building to try and recover heat. But she can be brought back to working order with Sundancer’s care.
Saffron hastily goes to pick up the towels from Ember's things that they brought along, rushing indoors to start rubbing up the mare's back and shoulders to generate some heat and dry them up, waiting for Sundancer to give the all-clear so she could drape the towel on the mare.
Brickfielder feels content with how much he's learned about the water to start trying to dry himself off, as best he can when it's still raining. And purposefully avoiding looking at Ember while he's doing it.
Sundancer struggles her way out of the water and back to the dock once she hears the commotion. At first she's vexxed, not by the mutation, but by the reaction to sea water. Recovering her senses, she helps the poor drowning pony with the water in her lungs
Sundancer gets a closer look at Ember's mutation and regards it with fascination "Have you ever swam before?"
Saffron spends a while in silence while Ember recovers. She herself was still soaked, shivering and wincing from the cold while her wet feathers stuck to her side against her wet fur, her mane hanging over her forehead and neck. But, in that moment, she was more concerned with assisting Ember in the best way she could, by giving her the towels and some shoulder rubs. Purposefully avoiding whatever weirdness was going on at the back of their chest. She's about to open her mouth to speak, when Sundancer does first. She clamps her mouth shut.
Sundancer waits until they're under cover before unloading questions "Water got in the lungs, but did it get in here?"
Sundancer: "How would you rate your pain from one to ten?"
Ember Flare: "uugh... Haven't had trouble with water before"
Ember still having some coughing fits between the words
Sundancer: "Interesting. I'm going to have to examine your back and do some tests before clearing you to go in the water. For now I think it's best if you rest, then focus on rowing the boat."
Ember would also pull off from Saffrons hooves giving awkward apologetic smile
Brickfielder stays nearby, but still isn't looking, looking out to sea sternly.
Ember Flare: "It's alright you don't need to bother... Doctors have looked at them before"
Sundancer starts heating a fresh wet towel to put over Ember's back "I'm surprised. Salt water is good for an open wound. What do you think happened?"
Saffron smiles weakly back before nodding a bit in understanding. She silently stands up and departs from Ember's side, trotting to their saddlebags to take out her own towels and start fiercely drying herself. "We're probably gonna have to keep swimming around for a few hours." She muttered towards Brickfielder.
Brickfielder glances back to Saffron. "...I think I'm good. You all need more practice than I do."
Ember pulls the towel tighter looking down her hooves "I don't know, maybe the sea is so polluted here"
Ember Flare: "I'm fine now, really"
"M-aybe-e." Saffron replied, a playful hint coming to her shuddering voice. Sitting there idly, wrapping herself in a blanket, while Sundancer sorts out Ember, waiting while also looking past Brickfielder towards their little rowboat...
Brickfielder looks out to the boat as well. "...At least we shouldn't have to do much swimming around the surface-dwellers..."
Sundancer pauses and nods "You're right. The forest made me forget that this island isn't representative of the surface. The sea must be poisonous."
Sundancer: "Still, if you're not going to let me poke you, I'm going to want some notes or to ask a lot of questions. I can't guarantee you will be conscious the next time you need first aid."
With the excitement starting to pass the atmosphere was left with primarily awkwardness. It could be quite telling how you individually have reacted to Ember. She was a mutant, even if also your squad mate. When recovered it might be time to get some practice on the water instead of under it. Together Sundancer and Ember would not have issue piloting the boat. Even if the stronger members of your team might make the best use for it they would find the task very awkward this first time. It would be difficult for them to get a feel for it and be able to keep a straight course.
Ember would keep the towel wrapped around her for the duration of the exercise. Afterwards she would go pick up her stashed dry clothing, stop for a second to concentrate before giving out a bit stronger pulse of magic clearing her... insides and letting out a thick cloud of smoke
Saffron for the most part kept up conversation idly while they recovered and eventually got to the part where they'd have to start getting their sea legs prepared. Saffron, wet mostly from the rain now and kinda shivering still, letting the more experienced ones paddle at first to get a good idea of it. Before starting to get a tiny bit sea sick, grumbling about the "stupid waves." when she'd start trying to row herself with Brickfielder.
You would have a few sights while out on the water, even if you kept to shore. The rain would start to clear up as it got closer to dusk. With the sunlight lower you would see a school of silvery glittering fish near the surface a bit off the side of your boat. They would be chased by a much larger fish that could be academically identified as a porpoise. It’s fin breaking the water and its grey body is visible. A bit further out would be a couple spouts of water from others of its pod that came up for air.
Brickfielder does not care for the strange surface creatures.
"Y'know the pirate movies made this seem a little bit more fun, but I'm totally startin' to feel like garbage bags." Saffron remarked, "At least it's getting--a bit better??" She adds, huffing and rubbing her face to get the rainwater and splashes from the waves out from her eyes. She chances her eyes on the fishes by coincidence, noticing a fin... Then leaning over to look straight down, "Hey it's fishies! There's cool fishies here." She called out quietly, instantly distracted.
Silver Rush: "are those...animals?" he does not like this wetness...or the giant unseeable nothing beneath the black void "why do people live here"
Sundancer growls mechanically "Those things are huge. If they're magic or mutated, we're at a disadvantage if they fight us."
Sundancer: "We can just fly away, but if we're off guard we could end up underwater first."
(GM Note): I have the characters test observation here. Only Brickfielder fails.
For the most part your group spots the unknown creature among the animals, which seemed to be focused on hunting fish. It had a green-grey scaled body with thin back fin and was distinctly pony shaped. However in place of hooves it seemed to have flippers for limbs. Silver rush and Ember get the best sight of it. They catch the wide unblinking black eyes and the mouth of sharp-needle like fangs. It was only at the surface among the fish and porpoise for a few moments near the end of your boat trip. But it likely was a factor in returning to shore.
Saffron wiggled excitedly at first! She liked fish! But then she actually saw the bigger 'fish', and began to notice some distinct features. "Uuuhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm..." Saffron's brain stops working for a second, "I wanna go back to shore."
Sundancer coils herself up, ready to launch into the air before watching the sea-pony recede "S-same"
Ember Flare: "I guess the trip could have ended even worse..."
Brickfielder glances down to Saffron and raises an eyebrow. "What?" He then looks over at Sundancer. "...What happened, what?"
Sundancer:
"Mutant fish aren't the only thing to worry about. There were... ponies down there. Freakish, abyssal ponies. Out of nightmares. Don't fall in the water. I bet those creatures rule the deep like the butterflies rule the forest and we rule the skies."
Brickfielder stares down at Sundancer. "...Right... well, at least we don't have to actually cross the sea..."
Saffron starts to laugh, both nervously and with some amusement at the other's reaction as they hastily make it back to the dock. "H-hahaha! Haaah--That's a BIG nope, chief..." She remarked, not answering Brickfielder's question immediately, "Yeah, something like that...'' She remarked after Sundancer. Once they did get back to shore, she hastily stepped off the boat, staggering a bit as she got used to stable ground again. She goes off to bury herself in her towels again to quickly dry up, and then finally put on her dry uniform later...
Saffron: "Alright so we're done with the whole swimming thing, yeah?"
Sundancer: "You couldn't get me back in the sea if you were the President."
Sundancer: "We can practice in the river if you want."
You have had some excitement today. The sun was getting down and it seemed best to return to base. At least the rain had stopped. You would all need showers to clean the skint of brine and other things out. Otherwise the whole barracks might smell of it. But at least being a late return to the base you would not have to interact with other squads besides patrols. You would be questioned on entrance as to what you had been doing however by a new shift of security at the gatehouse.
Saffron would have quite the messy mane, fur, and tail once she was done FIERCELY RUBBING the wetness from her body before putting clothes on. She was happy just not touching water for today, and it was late anyways. On the way back to the gatehouse, she looked more like she had just come out of boot camp. All frazzled and perhaps a bit bleached in the face and ears, teeth chattering. "We were literally following orders from Cloudy Forecast." She mutters at the guard's general direction, letting the others speak.
(GM Note:) Ember Flare’s player was away this session.
With your return to the base your group split up temporarily. Ember was administered to the field hospital for monitoring due to the ongoing pain. The rest of you would need to clean the brine and other less pleasant scents off of you with a shower. After cleaning up and getting a meal you would need to turn in. Swimming burnt a lot of energy for the fleshy among you. In the morning you would find out Ember Flare was being held for a day to mark her status and let her recover. You would have the day to yourselves as your only ongoing orders were to work on your cover story.
Sundancer stands outside the tent, picking salt from her wings
Sundancer: "We just have this folder, right? There isn't a general recourse for surface knowledge, is there. Oh, no, I know. It's going to be classified."
The early morning when everyone else wakes up would be a lull in terms of Saffron talking and being energetic. She was not much of a morning pony and spent some time being grouchy after finding out Ember was gonna be held up, and doing morning stretches,outside their barracks. Until Sundancer came nearby and spoke up. Drawing the attention of The Saffron. "Nnnnno... Not unless we ask. The dossier we had had remarkably little about 'surface knowledge'."
Saffron: "Kinda shittastic but--it's not like it's that big'a deal. If they think we can make-do without it, I guess that's what we're gonna be doing, yeah?"
Saffron: "We already came up with roles and an outline for the background. We just have to work out the little details, like names of ponies that might be relevant in the cover story in case they ask... Most importantly, we need to come up with a 'how it all happened'." Saffron kicked around outside, brushing her wings against her sides and fluffing up a bit in her uniform .
Silver Rush sits on his cot grimacing as he recalls the previous day "god why do ponies like boats...that was simply miserable GAH--I still have damned water in my ears"
Sundancer can't hide her lack of enthusiasm behind her synthesized voicebox "Yeah. Creative writing. My favorite."
Brickfielder only comes out of the barracks after the others, brow furrowed as a wing fluffs up his mane slightly. "Boat. That's how it happened, right?"
"What do you meaaaannnnn!" Saffron very playfully replies to Sundancer's remark, "Creative writing is fun! If you're into it. You don't look into it."
Saffron: "It's okay, in the end only one of us has to be into it at a minimum."
Sundancer: "I think I'll let you be into it for me."
Sundancer: "I get the easy job, remember? Look like a robot, try to not blow it."
Brickfielder: "...It's hard to be into something when you barely know what you're doing to begin with."
Silver Rush: "how hard can it be? I mean most of the ponies down here probably aren't even literate"
Saffron rolled her eyes and leaned indoors towards the others still complaining about 'boats' and 'water'. She lowkey mutters "C'mon..." beneath her breath with some disappointment to the other's lack of enthusiasm, mostly out of earshot. She glances back to Sundancer, then snorts weakly. "Just practice your acting, at least. Figure out if you want to act like psuedo-normally or be more stiff. Those catbirds probably have NO idea what a robot is."
Saffron grumbles a little bit. Looking towards Silver Rush and widely shrugs her wings. "Underestimating them is not something we should be doing, boss! We can't just be lazy 'cause we think they're dumb, 'cause if they're smart then we're screwed!" She lowkey exclaims, keeping it quiet but she was getting a bit agitated about it.
Brickfielder: "Not that I want to give surface dwellers credit, but, erring on the side of caution would be preferred. I think I've already had enough of the surface exceeding my expectations."
Sundancer: "Uhhh... I'm going to be... I thought it would be somewhere in the middle."
Silver Rush: "well that's the thing isn't it. we barely have any frame of reference at all. if we're going to be traders, what money and prices are...normal"
Saffron smiled weakly in a moment of appreciation to Brickfielder's statement. Then turned back to Sundancer, flicking down her ears at that statement. "What does 'somewhere in the middle' look like tho?"
A squad you did not really recognize passed by heading to the mess hall. But one of the members paused, broke off, told the others to go on, and came towards your gathering. He was short and pimple faced. To say this pony was ugly would be being kind. He stopped a conversational distance for your group and gave a quick salute. “Squad 59, right?” He asked.
Sundancer assumes military bearing, eyes forward, posture upright and rigid
Brickfielder salutes the short pony in return. "Affirmative."
Saffron eyeballs Sundancer as she ASSUMES THE POSTURE. She observed, trying to be the critic... Though before she can really do that, the fellow Green approached them. Her eyes flicked at the pony's face, then down quickly to not stare. As usual, she keeps it polite, giving the fellow soldier a practiced, automatic salute back and a wry smile. "Yah, that's us. What's up?"
The squat and ugly pony offered a hoof to shake for anyone willing to take it. At least he seemed clean despite his personal care. “Leader of squad 22, Thunder Pudge. We’re also working under communications officer Cloudy Forecast. Not quite set on if that makes us special squads or something else.”
Silver Rush assumes a professional demeanor but does not alter his stance at the approach of a mere equal! "pleasure, Silver Rush, squad nimbus" he takes the proffered hoof
Brickfielder, ever the diplomat, takes the pony's offer to shake hooves. "Not like we know either."
Saffron, ever the chummy mare, doesn't waste even a second catching the pony's hoof for a shake; "Saffron." She introduced herself. "We're definitely special somehow, that's for sure." Saffron said with a bit of dry humor, "We're getting all the cool assignments so far."
Sundancer refrains from introducing herself, remaining at attention
Silver Rush "Communications eh? don't suppose you've been given any more information about the surrounding area, have you? the surface is quite fascinating but not a lot of time for fact finding"
Thunder Pudge took the offered hooves to shake in turn. “My squad and I were in training, with deep diving next. From what I have gathered we all have had some crazy assignments.Not sure we will end up on base for much time at all it seems.” He seemed pleasant enough despite the off putting aura cast by his appearance and some kind of supernatural miasma about him. Being close to him now made those with skin feel clammy.
Brickfielder... leans away from Thunder a bit. "Well, we're all certainly busy..."
Silver Rush does not miss the opportunity to draw from this over eager display "deep diving? how lucky, you must be getting to some excellent locales"
Saffron made a focused, stubborn attempt to ignore the extremely uncomfortable feeling on her skin. She looked down to her hoof to see if anything was sticking to it, but then started to come to terms that her entire body felt gross... Her face briefly grimacing with an icked out look, but she was not deterred from politely smiling and standing her ground, unlike Brickfielder. "Deep diving?" She asked, with some interest, "... Like, actual deep diving? I'd warn you because we saw some crazy stuff on our training out in the water, tryin'a learn to swim and manage a boat. We saw some weird fishes."
The squad leader with the uncomfortable aura keeps up his fairly chipper tone. “Oh? Weird fishes? Do tell. We are supposed to get practice with harpoon guns and fishing techniques too. So knowing what to expect should be helpful.”
Saffron nods in interest at the mention of harpoon guns, her eyes widening with interest. But she doesn't derail herself, even if she almost does. "W-wow uh--" She pauses, clearing her throat, "Well there were small, harmless lookin' fishes. But one QUOTE UNQUOTE "fish" we notice before hastily going back to shore was about pony-sized, and LOOKED like a pony crossed with SOME kind of fish. Looked kinda horrific, not sure how to describe it, but things like that are out there apparently." Saffron looked back towards the others to see if they were going to correct her.
Sundancer speaks up robotically, as if she were a terminal answering a query "Additionally, we encountered aquatic mammals known as porpoises."
Silver Rush swats his tail subtly at saffron "don't envy you at all, if yourve been given boat training. sounds like you're going to become proper seaponies!"
Saffron's eyes drag more towards Silver as she notices his tail brushing her like that. She then sort of looks him in the eyes to catch any meaning out of that gesture, and by the way he speaks she takes a step back to let him take the spotlight.
(GM Note): Silver Rush tests Questioning to get mission details from Thunder Pudge, he passes.
Despite being a bit evasive about talking direct details and the uncomfortable nature of having him present, Silver is able to get some details out from Thunder Pudge. His squad’s first mission involved trampling around in the woods, not unlike your own squad, although they went to the mountains. Due to related events and likely because they lack a pathfinder like saffron, their callsign is Bramble. His squad was given information about the seaponies, given the purpose of their mission will be to observe them. The fish horses are apparently some kind of magical mutant, and discovering their capabilities will be a priority.
Silver Rush seems to ease and become jovial to egg their new 'compadre' on as he talks about their past week "fascinating...can't say I envy you, I much prefer the air to the sea. But what a unique opportunity for your first CLODS mission..and it looks like your squad has departed as well, we won't keep you"
Sundancer turns her head to look at TP for the first time, keeping it a stiff motion. "I do not envy your squad either. Good luck."
Seeming to have made some friends, the little leader of squad 22 bids you a good rest of your day and takes his leave to go catch up with his squad. When he leaves that palpable aura lingers for a small time before following. Like it had some kind of rapid halflife. With some easier breathing you could get back to yourselves. Or gossip about the unfortunate pony you just met.
Sundancer looks at Saffron "Would something like that suffice?"
Saffron gave Thunder Pudge a quick nod as she bid him a good day in kind. Then, as he starts going away fully. Starts to wipe her fur and mutter, "A mutant as a squad leader..." Saffron said beneath her breath, impressed.
Brick finally exhales after he stops feeling that... 'aura' Thunder gave off. He gazes in the direction the short pony went with a slight sneer.
Saffron then flicked her glance to Sundancer, refocusing on her previous train of thought. "Yeah! It works out, actually. I like it, personally."
Silver Rush: "well looks like we could have a worse job, for sure"
Saffron smiled to Sundancer with some mirth, then turned to Brickfielder and Silver Rush with a slight clipclop of her smoll hooves. "I dunno, our job gets pretty close. Back to the important topic at hoof though! By the way," She turned to Silver Rush, "I think we established that we were going to be refugees from a settlement, not 'merchants'. Not sure if yours was a suggestion or you saying that we're merchants now period."
Brickfielder: "Refugees should be an easier sell, I'd hope."
Sundancer: "Posing as merchants is suspicious and easily proven false. It also means we have to carry junk around."
Silver Rush: "trade is a universal language, so regardless of our cover, we should be as adept as we can be, in it. But I have no idea what anything is worth either, which is also a hole in our story regardless. we don't want to seem...out of touch with local item values"
Saffron briefly looked up to Brickfielder, as if curious to see what he thought... "Well," She slowly turned back to Silver with a confident look in her eyes and a bright smile. "If you're confident about it we can roll that way, boss! This is also why I thought about you having the 'role' of the Administrator, since, in settlement terms, you would be the interface the merchants from outside would interact with to get stuff in and out. Since you're good with words, it works out."
Brickfielder glances down at Saffron, sensing her looking at him. "...What? We're all going in blind regarding how trade will work. We'll need to just... figure it out as we go."
Sundancer: "Are we forming a settlement now? Our objective was to infiltrate an infrared settlement. I don't want to build a cabin in the woods to sell the refugee settler story."
Saffron shrugs her wings. "Just like knowing what's on your mind, is all..." She muttered after him in earnest. Then looked at Sundancer with a pout. "We're supposed to pretend!... Building a cabin would totally sell the idea anyways!"
Saffron: "But that's not the point--These are small details! We should go talk to uh, Cloudy Forecast. She's probably better at this than me."
Sundancer: "We'll just tell them our 'administrator' hasn't found a good spot yet."
Saffron sighed through her nostrils. "I was more stuck on the bit about how our imaginary settlement got overrun. There's lots of mutant creatures and zombie ponies according to the dossier. I don't really want to hoof wave it, since it's kind of a big deal..." The red pegasus ambled towards the side, taking a few steps in the general direction of Communications before stopping to face all the others. "... I'm open to suggestions by the way."
Sundancer: "Right, the former settlement, I forgot."
Brickfielder: "Surely any number of excuses will work. Unless you're suggesting something particularly dramatic had to have happened for us to leave across the ocean."
Sundancer: "I was a robot, so I didn't think about it. Ember was a mechanic. Brick was in charge, if Saffron is so adamant about it."
Sundancer: "What were you two doing before we were overrun by flesh eating cannibals?"
Brickfielder ears perk up slightly. "Since when was I in charge?"
Sundancer looks at Saffron and silver
Saffron's ears progressively get lower and lower as the others talk. She seems to sulk in the background, flicking her tail once behind her. "At one point, when we were looking at the dossier, I spitballed some roles. Basically, I would be the unofficial-ish Lookout slash Scavenger; basically the pony that goes out on a regular basis among the mutant freakshows and grabs things of value to bring back. What Brickfielder would be the more integral 'guard' of the settlement, since he's big, mean, and exudes authority. He'd be above ME since I'm mostly on the outside, and so I try to work under him."
Sundancer: "So you two are what's left of the security force."
Saffron: "Basically!"
Sundancer: "How did Silver end up in charge? Hereditary position, or elected?"
Brick casts a glance at Saffron, and gives a small shrug with his wings. "Fine by me. I was in charge of making sure order was maintained."
Silver Rush: "i earned my position by merit, of course!" he chimes
Saffron
Saffron crosses her forehooves and visibly taps one fetlock over the other. "Silver would've been the Administrator beneath the Mayor themselves. Basically the right-hoof pony. So..." Saffron darts her eyes to think about it as she goes, "While the Mayor would be a leadership elected by popularity, Silver would've probably been elected." She nodded to herself.
Brickfielder: "...Who was the Mayor?"
Saffron: "Iunno! Throw a name."
Sundancer: "Champagne Shower."
Brickfielder: "How cute."
Saffron actually snickers and smirks at Sundancer. "Fine by me!"
Saffron: "We were all bossed around by Champaign Shower."
Sundancer shakes her head mournfully "Gone before his time."
Saffron puts on a phony mournful look, nodding slowly. "Shame, yeah." She nods her head once slowly. Then coughs out a chuckle and has to regain her composure for a second. "Another name of note would be the Doctor that managed Ember and Sundancer. We can go with Breezy Night." Saffron then springs on her hooves, kicking out one hind and one foreleg cheerfully and fluttering her wings once! "I'll write all this down!" She nodnods her head.
Sundancer: "Do we want alternate names for ourselves? It might not hurt to keep the same ones so we don't slip up, but I've never heard of a robot named 'Sundancer'"
Saffron: "We could just scribble it on your flank and say 'it's just what we decided to call them'."
Brick watches Saffron barely come up to eye-level with him with her leap. "...Yeah, I think our normal names will work fine."
Sundancer: "I'd rather do some stenciling myself. I'll write SUN-DY on a part of my casing that's visible through the armor, and you can call me Sunday. That way you can get halfway through saying my name before catching yourself."
Brickfielder: "Clever."
Saffron beams rather cheekily for some reason, and nods in understanding. "Okay Sunday! You're Sunday now and forever." Safforn states matter-of-factly.
Saffron: "You're also the best day of the week. Wink wink."
Saffron grins. She doesn't actually wink, she just says it. She doesn't have it in her to wink at Sundancer in that moment.
Sundancer smiles awkwardly, trying to shrink from any kind of familiarity
Brick looks between the two of them with a raised eyebrow.
Saffron almost immediately laughs, rubbing her cheek to massage her face to force her smile to ebb away while rolling her eyes to it all. "The last detail we might need to work out is 'why' we took a boat to this side of the river. As far as I know, our Settlement got smashed by mutant things. It could've been that we were sabotaged and had to run away hastily before we all died, or something else." She said, quickly regaining some seriousness.
Saffron: "H-heheh..."
Sundancer: "This island looks nice. Looking at pictures of Filly and our time in the forest, it seems reasonable that hearing rumors about this place is reason enough to visit it."
Brickfielder: "That was my only concern. Taking a boat to an unknown land instead of just, trotting somewhere else, seems like it'd require something major."
Saffron glanced to Sundancer specifically, scuffing the dirt somewhat with her bootclad hoof. "Yeah but it's so lush here... Like, WAY too lush. According to the photographs the entire mainland is messed up completely, so it means that most ponies might not even know this kind of place even exists. I guess if you wanted to hoofwave it we can say we had insight from a traveling gryphon, but otherwise it might've been completely accidental that we stumbled into it."
Saffron: "I mean, if they did know about it, everypony would be falling over themselves to get here..."
Sundancer: "That's good. Heard about it from a griffon. We're pegasi, hearing things from griffons makes sense."
Saffron starts to wiggle her sides around, nibbling her lower lip in thought as she considers it after Sundancer says it. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... Alright..." She nods slowly, "We can try to present this to Cloudy Forecast and see what she says. It's a good outline for our story if you asked me."
Saffron starts to turn around to begin ambling off towards the HQ to go find Cloudy Forecast. "We can go do it right now! Unless you all have other plans." The red mare says, looking over her shoulder back towards them.
Sundancer: "Hopefully we got the embarrassing parts of our brainstorming out."
Saffron leads the way; leading the squad of increasingly taller ponies towards the headquarters with a confident purpose in her strides! "Yeah, hopefully. Sunday." She replied with a bit of a cheeky undertone to her voice, as she approached the entrance to the Headquarters. Quickly stiffening her gait and keeping a stiff upper lip as she goes inside, to head to Cloudy Forecast's office.
You would be in for a small wait at the HQ before Cloudy Forecast would return. But she would be able to meet with you in what amounted to her office once again. She wore a different cut of uniform and matching hat today. She still kept a sharp look, but her colouring seemed more casual? It was hard to explain. When you had gathered in the office and received the dossier again she would ask what your current status was. She had already been informed of Ember Flare’s temporary stay in the field hospital.
Saffron put up a more military flat look as she salutes their CO in greeting. She filed into the office, then turned her head to Silver Rush to see if he wanted to start, or if she should.
Silver Rush presents in a military fashion "Ma'am, squad nimbus would like to present our cover story for approval, and if able acquire more information about the locals we'll be infiltrating"
Saffron seems to beam a little more at his introduction. She stills keeps quiet, looking up at their squad leader with an encouraging look in her eyes. Letting him speak, until he looked down at her and prompted her to speak for him if he wanted.
Your CO gives Silver a nod to continue after saying "I expect there will be many small details to forge, but tell me what you have so far.".
Silver Rush nods to saffron since she seems to have the best grasp of what it all entails
With a quick nod, Saffron lightly claps her backhoof on the floor and stands straighter as if making a report. "... We have managed to come up with most of the basics, ma'am. We took your advice and went with the cover story of being Settlers that were forced to vacate; so I came up with roles for each of us." Saffron inhales sharply, as if suddenly feeling a very slight apprehension that was only tangible if one looked at her intently. "I would be the Lookout and Scavenger of the Settlement, mostly operating on the outside--thus being more rogue-ish than the others. I mostly operated outside and brought stuff in, while Brickfielder acted as the de-facto Militia or Guard leader, to whom I would answer to. Ember and Sundancer would be medical staff, with Sundancer being a medical robot labelled as 'SUN-DY', or Sunday, under a Doctor we decided to name Breezy Night." She paused again, so the others could keep up... "Silver Rush would be our Administrator--or the Right-hoof-pony of the Mayor, the Settlement's face for trading and the like. The Mayor we uh... We decided to call them Champagne Shower."
Saffron: "There... Probably would've been other ponies, and such, but we glanced over the tinier details. The bottom line is that we were a settlement that survived due to Trading, and aggressive scavenging. In my mind I decided it would've been a mostly temporary settlement with the intent of fixing our boat to get off-shore as soon as possible, but due to the way it worked out, mutants overran the settlement and we were forced to leave most ponies and things behind. Presumably due to sabotage, or.. Bad luck."
Saffron smiles weakly towards Cloudy Forecast. "Sundancer would've probably been our most vital member, since they would have the skills required to fix said boat." She nodded to herself, ears slightly lowered with some veiled anxiety. "I'm still debating whether our plan to go off-shore was more desperate or we had a hunch that something was out there..."
Sundancer: "Our plan was that we heard about the island from Griffons and decided to head to the place that plants grow."
Your CO waits until Saffron has finished before stating “It is good that you will be using elements of truth. For falsehoods having a grounded basis will help keep the lies straight and assist in preventing slipping up. So using names and other details you are familiar with will help sell your conviction in their honesty.” Cloudy considered the other details. “Fillydelphia was an equivalent of a city. Several thousand residents. You will need to factor this in, including those all your characters have lost. It may be important details in the event your contacts had heard of the mainland in turn. Keeping the scale with reality will help the sale.” She looked to Sundancer. “Why the adjustment of name?”
Saffron gives a quick nod along with what Sundancer said. Perking her ears straight forward when Cloudy begins to give her verdict, widening her eyes a bit to the note of 'several thousand residents', and nodding again in understanding. Though she waits on saying anything, as she looked to Sundancer as well.
Sundancer: "Posing as a robot with such a familiar name... it seems unlikely. I suppose with Saffron around, a nickname was inevitable, but she seems to have taken to the one I suggested."
Cloudy Forecast accepted it. "As long as everyone can keep the details straight." She seemed a little distant in contemplation until she spoke up again. "You will need to build a shared mental model of fillydelphia so that if you were to be questioned separately you would all have the same details. What did you do for fun? What were your favorite foods? Seeming inane details that help the sale can be important. What may be most important are stories you can tell. Of both good times and bad. Anecdotes from your childhoods and work. The story of what happened the night your city died.” Her wording on the last part seemed very specifically chosen.
Brickfielder tightens up slightly, not helped at all by Cloudy's tone.
On that note, Saffron seemed to pipe up to ask a question. "I am not sure about the 'food' part. I'm guessing the terrain can't be farmed, so not much food unless traded for?" The small pegasus asked curiously.
Your CO shook her head. "You are mistaken. While it is difficult to consider, it is a fact that earth ponies are able to grow crops from seemingly infertile areas. Fillydephia had crop fields, if not always sufficient." She looked over your group with her appraising gaze once again. "Have any of you experienced true hunger before? Not simply missing a meal, but days without or at least only tiny portions?"
Sundancer meets Cloudy's gaze and decides to not state the obvious
Saffron was genuinely flabbergasted at this reply. Her brow quirking with awe, eyes darting with sudden realizations... "Earth ponies..." She muttered beneath her breath. But then looked up to the CO when she asked that troubling question. Saffron's eyes withdrew downward to the floor... Trying her best to find an example. Sure she sometimes refused to eat to spite her father, but it was never days on end... "N... No, ma'am." She answered hesitantly, like she had just willfully given a wrong answer.
Brickfielder's brow furrows in the center slightly. "...No, ma'am."
Your CO nodded knowingly, having expected this reply. “Consider this next order part of your training for your cover story. You are to fast for three days. You will be required to drink water, but may not eat until the morning of the fourth day. Daily exercise will still be required, but avoid added extraneous activity so as not to suffer injury.” She noted a special case for sundancer though. “ In your case Sundancer you may have half your current rations. I am unsure the effects fasting may have on your unique physiology and lack of fat stores for energy.”
Brickfielder's jaw tightens... but, as usual, he says nothing.
Silver Rush dies internally
Saffron, for her part, only looked at Cloudy Forecast with a touch of concern to her order. Though there was no protest of any form. Infact, with a more resolute glance, she nods firmly in understanding the order. "Understood. Three days with no food, only water." Saffron states firmly. Sighing subtly through her nostrils.
Sundancer frowns, unsure of the effects herself "It will be good to learn my limits."
Saffron's ears pinned against her head as she speaks again, softly. "I will make sure to write down all the questions to attempt to complete our cover story, ma'am." She said, simply. Then turned to Silver Rush.
Cloudy leans on her desk, hooves folded over each other. Even seeming professional and prim, her gangly nature undercut it. “Consider it an order to instil sympathy. Surface infrareds often have periods of famine to contend with. While I am not ordering you to starve yourselves to death, it is a fact of life that it is the fate of some ponies. But do not make a mistake and fall into empathy. That will be something you must have in the back of your minds during the mission. You must feel sympathy for the circumstances of the infrareds. But empathy will cause your mission to fail, or worse.” Her tone was hard and experienced.
Sundancer: "I'll try to find sympathy with the machine."
The way Cloudy tells them about 'empathy' makes Saffron's eyes downcast a little bit. Gulping. But nodding firmly. "I will follow in my father's hoofsteps then." She stiffly stated, nudging her snout upward a little more.
Cloudy left the tone hanging for a few moments to have the gravity of it sink in properly. “Do you have any questions regarding the mission? She asked finally.
Sundancer: "How do we know when the mission is over, and how can we get out?"
Like a weight off her shoulders, Saffron sighs out a bit as Cloudy speaks up again. She spends a moment in silence, her tail flicking nervously behind her while her wings tightened on her back. "... Is there anything else we should be practicing towards that we still don't yet know about?" She added to Sundancer's question in earnest.
Your CO answers Saffron's questions about the start before answering Sun dancer's questions about the ending. "For now you will continue to work on your backstory, refining the small details. Soon I will have you train with the mundane equipment and go over expected lesser skills that will help your sale. But one step at a time. I expect this training to take at least three weeks in total until I am satisfied for your mission to begin properly. As for your exfiltration that will happen once enough information has been collected to satisfy central command. I cannot state for certain what circumstances will be provided for your exfiltration. It may be staged to help keep your cover story intact, or you may need to discard it."
Sundancer: "We will keep working on it until we're ready for equipment training."
Saffron gave a slow nod in understanding to the two week estimate. In truth, that amount of training time seemed to ease the smaller mare's gaze a little, then nodding again to the latter's answer to Sundancer's question. "Thank you, ma'am." She simply said, satisfied with the answers for the time being.
Brickfielder exhales perhaps a bit too strongly... but, is at least relieved to know that they're not rushing out on this mission. Multiple weeks is plenty of time.
With all that said your CO had her many other tasks to return to. You could continue to stay in the office-like space if you required privacy to discuss and access to the dossier. In any case Cloudy Forecast would be returning to Communications.
As usual Saffron would only really ease her stance when their officer would've fully left the room. Throwing out a long sigh through her nostrils, "This is a bit beyond creative writing." The small mare remarked. Lingering there a moment. "I will try to write a series of questions on a few pages of my journal and we can try to work everything out... Before the stomach cramps start hurting our ability to think."
Sundancer: "I typically don't feel hungry. It will be interesting to feel myself fall into malnutrition without traditional biological feedback.Remember to drink lots of water, everypony."
"You know. That's uncanny, Sundancer. You're a weird robo-mare." Saffron playfully jabbed at the cyborg, albeit with at least SOME seriousness to her voice. As she turned towards the exit of the office, "I'm gonna go get started. I've got a letter to write, too..."
(GM Note): Ember Flare’s player and I did a minisession interlude for her time away from the party.
Ember Flare had been administered to the field hospital on return from the aquatic training exercise. She was to be monitored overnight and to be cleared the next day at some point. She had been only somewhat tended to by the greens in medical training. Mostly cleaned and left to dry, her back still stinging. Ember could hear the whispered talk despite the wide floor plan and cloth partisans between the cots. What was the point tending to a mutant? It wasn’t even real medical practice. Weren’t lame animals supposed to be put down?
Ember Flare Ember would try to let the somewhat familiar comments slide over, she wasn't entirely accommodated with them but she knew of her value to the enclave
It was unlikely Ember could get much sleep that night. In the morning she unexpectedly had her breakfast brought to her by the medical officer, Breezy Night. The officer was a little on the short side of average and a fairly pretty mare. Light and dark lilac colours. Despite being in medical she was wearing her tailored officer uniform. She wore a friendly disposition and told Ember Flare to be at ease. It still sounded like an order. With the meal tray placed on an attachable table over Ember’s lap the officer brought up a chain and sat with her, a clipboard and at the ready. “I have to say this is the first time I have had a mutant patient. I hope you will not mind me satisfying some curiosity?”
"Ah I'll try. I seem to have the time" Ember tries to give a wavering smile indicating her current condition
“To be candid.” The officer began. “I would like to examine your physical corruption once you have finished eating. I have read your charts but reality often does not match cold analytics.” With that said she seemed to want to hold a conversation while Ember was eating. “How do you hold up against the objectification your situation raises? Any particular coping methods you employ?”
"You're free to do so, however I should mention that I was examined thoroughly in the academy and ah.. while it's not my place to say, I got the impression that they could not glean much about my condition. I guess I should also mention that some of the early examinations caused unexpected reactions that were somewhat hazardous.. That hasn't been a problem in a long while now that I've learned to control the magical force embedded into me" The last bit was added a bit hurriedly. "And well... I mean we were of course instructed about our unfortunate, but still privileged position. The enclave cannot allow mutants to exist freely in the society or we could fall into the same state as the infrareds below. Those that possess unique abilities like mine can still serve a higher purpose for society" Emote would almost recite some parts of her sentence but you could hear a genuine hint of pride at the end of it. "Most ponies reactions are understandable, but as long as it doesn't impede my missions it's inconsequential"
Breezy Night took the potential risk in stride. “I believe for both our sakes you will be capable of preventing any of the, well, outbursts that had been detailed in your file.” She offered a smile of assurance. It was very practiced. “I would certainly not wish to be set alight. You would not want to have the repercussions of injuring an officer.” The tone was assuring but the underlying threat was clear. With a pencil at the ready the officer was making notes regarding Ember’s reciting, the tone it took, and her actual answer. Her expression was neutral until she took a bit more conversational tone. “It has been a little over a week into the campaign. It seems your squad has been tossed into a literal deep end. How have your expectations been challenged by the surface?”
"The surface condition was surprising, but our CO has already informed us that this area is a rarity and less impacted by the tainting devastation that covers most of the equestria. Making it a great source to gather resources from" Ember Flare seems to talk maybe surprisingly easily in the situation. It is however a very familiar set up for her. Ember Flare keeps taking small bites between her sentences in efficient manner cleaning her plate rapidly but not so to disturb the interview
The officer gives Ember a few moments to eat while she makes notes. If examined in turn by Ember the officer seemed to be physically younger than the other officers but with a fairly worldly and sage-like presence. Some of the researchers she had met had that intellectual quality, but were all far older. She did not seem to miss anything and spoke up without raising her eyes from her note taking. “I take it you, like many of the other greens, see me somewhat out of place in this role. My specialty of study was psychology after all, which is well known. I can assure you however that even while green myself I was working in medical tents on campaign. Few make it through a campaign under a medical officer without surgical and first aid training under their belt.” When she looked up she had that practiced smile on again. "If you are finished, please sit facing away and open your gown."
Ember Flare almost seems to remember something "oh you mentioned the coping mechanism... The ventilator cover was a suggestion I received before I was assigned here." Embers tone switches to a bit more serious "it is a crime to hide that you are a mutant, but ponies are more likely to have a more positive attitude towards you if you do not display outward signs of mutations." Ember Flare me carefully removes the tray and places the tray on the table and turns as instructed. As she removes the gown and sets in place the glow blazing inside her dims and calms visibly as she waits for the doctor to begin her prodding
It would be a short while until the prodding would actually start. From the sound of the pencil moving the officer was perhaps making a sketch? It would be a few moments of pencil scratching before she idly seemed to speak to herself. “Wonder if you would self cremate after expiration.” She took a tongue depressor to do a small amount of prodding, opening a vent for the purposes of more sketching. Next Breezy Night spoke up with intent to question. “There is a particular scent associated with you. I cannot place it. Have you noticed, or had others describe it before?”
"I think someone described it as a faint metallic smell. Apparently somewhat similar to what comes out of welding. I do not smell it myself really normally unless I'm expending a lot of force. I do not know what might happen if I went down, however most likely the magic would fade away from inside me." Ember Flare does a decent job masking her discomfort about the prodding
The examination was quicker than practically any Ember Flare had experienced prior and might have surprised her when she was told she could redress. If the officer was revulsed she was not showing it. A minute of silence went by as the officer finished writing or sketching. “You will be cleared to leave shortly. While there seems to be inflammation that is causing your additional discomfort it should pass on its own in short order.” She tapped her chin in some momentary self debate before being authoritative. “Your subservient mentality is commendable. I would encourage you to keep aware of your position in life. Despite the apparent leeway provided to our communications officer she is well aware of her role in this organization. Remember that you will be expected to provide your all and more for Cloudsdayle. You are military property and will perform above and beyond what is asked of you.”
"Yes ma'am, I graduated among almost the top of my academy patch. I'll keep the same track." Ember seems to slightly bite her tongue after that. Maybe a bit embarrassed? Seems like she might have become too comfortable in the situation.
Breezy Night gave Ember a formal nod at her reply and raised from her seat. Despite her generally polite management of the encounter the officer gave, if in hindsight later, the impression her opinion was not far off from the Greens that had been whispering among themselves. It was evident she saw Ember as equipment and not a person. It might be disconcerting however if her opinion was shared among all of the other officers. That would make her longevity a potential concern.
Your few days of fasting will be a terrible experience. Either you suffered through the experience and had to contest with the worst hunger pangs of your life, or you cheated and have the ire of those that honestly suffered. Perhaps all of you cheated. Maybe you focus on your mission and let this just be part of the learning experience.
For Sundancer the symptoms would be a bit different. She would be extremely lethargic mentally compared to just bodily sluggish. Her thoughts would have difficulty finding focus and she would be suffering some delusionary sensory inputs. Compared to her squad mates who would have hyper fixation on their own suffering and the need to alleviate it.
(GM Note): I have the PCs test endurance for weathering the fasting. They mostly pass except for Ember Flare
Silver Rush gnaws on his blanket idly, eyes sunken as he spends most of the day staring at the ceiling from his bed. Woozily he gets up at times to sink his head in a water basin
Ember tries and push through the hunger and cramps but that would more likely lead to her pushing too hard and crashing down periodically and considering how she's not the heftiest of horses, she'd easily get light headed
Saffron was in two places during the Great Famine. She was either outside looking over the basin out near the basin, or in the barracks laying in bed with a very grumpy belly, her canteen in hoof's reach, and her field journal infront of her. Even in her hunger she tried to write, since the others seemed to delegate that to her rather than do it themselves. Not that she blamed them, ever, since they were all hungry. She was less creative in her hunger too, but at least she had the questions down...
Brickfielder, being an exceptionally large pony, is used to keeping his body fueled with more food than most. Having that taken from him leaves him sapped of energy. He tries to force himself to jog around base daily, but, doing that leaves him virtually completely spent.
Sundancer initially tried to distract herself from her hunger with work, but once it became clear that her mental state was being affected she spent all her free time sleeping
Brick would be tempted to cheat but would resist that temptation. Faltering like that would just be embarrassing.
Ember feels like she's gonna lose her mind and... become a liability during the mission if she's too malnourished, yes that's it... that's the reason… So she attempts to sneak a little bit of food for herself... for the sake of the mission.
Ember Flare falters and sneaks in the mess hall and snatches couple breads and chomps on them in private as fast as possible. It wasn't fair... she had been hospitalized and had barely recovered.
Saffron doesn't outright see Ember do the dirty, dirty deed but as she looms outside to write in the open air; she looked up to see Ember sort of going in and out in a hurry a few times. Though she doesn't focus on it. Even if her eyes trail her once. Eventually she runs out of things to write, and ends up just going on a flux of consciousness to JUST write something... And stay distracted.
Saffron: "Fick... I still do need to write that letter huh..."
Taking a day to recover from the fasting you have a few weeks ahead of you to get your squad's cover story in order. While Cloudy Forecast can be available part of the time for direct assistance, she is mostly only able to periodically check up and give you what amounts to grading in your efforts. A few days in you have training to get familiar with the infrared weapons. Your C.O. borrows from Thermal Updraft and instructs you to get as familiar with them "as you would your sweetheart." You were expected to become intimate with your equipment, as surface infrareds view their tools as companions. A working firearm can be the only difference between life and death. A knife may be the difference between a meal or starving.
When the time came to TOUCH the gear. Saffron finally got to lay her hooves on the Semi-Auto shotgun with another shotgun attached under it. As soon as she gets to wield it, she starts to grin and giggle with suspiciously malicious intent, and beelines to the firing range to start blasting things with it. To get used to the recoil, mostly.
Sundancer meticulously strips and reassembles her ion rifle after each session on the range, trying to get a better idea of its points of failure and capabilities
Ember Flare would struggle a bit with coming familiar with the pistol that fires actual bullets, she was only somewhat familiar with the recoilless laser weaponry that was standard issue
Brick doesn't necessarily feel enthusiastic as he looks through the equipment... but, his brow does raise slightly upon seeing the sword. It'd certainly take time for him to get used to handling such a weapon, but, he seems determined to make it work.
"I am the deadliest rogue!" BLAM. Saffron has way too much fun firing an arguably much realer gun than the laser guns that, while advanced, didn't kick much and weren't as RAW as the ballistic weapons. "I am the greatest scavenger! I am a shameless packrat!" BLAM. She giggles once she had shot all the ammunition out of her shotgun. Then switched to the full-auto magnum, and the shield. Shield held with her teeth, magnum in the hoof...
Ember Flare: "I do hope we won't have to actually depend on these things for our lives. Not feeling entirely confident with this junk"
Brick also takes one of the 'Zip Pistols'. He's not keen on engineering... but, disassembly and reassembly does at least seem very, very simple. "We'll have to make them work."
Ember Flare also waves the makeshift shield making it give rattling sounds "and I don't really trust this to actually hold if I had to block anything worse than a tossed rock"
Brickfielder finishes snapping the Zip Pistol together and glances at Ember. "There's that larger shield in there too. Definitely sturdy... I'd take it myself if I weren't worried about the maneuverability of it."
Ember Flare: "It seems a bit too heavy. I prefer to be able to move fast and avoid danger than drag that thing with me"
Saffron's attempt with the Full-auto conversion Magnum pistol was a bit awkward, since the trigger was so sensitive it just blasted as soon as she put pressure on it, and didn't stop. The sheer recoil of such a (fragile) hand cannon made her backstep once by half a step before she poised herself correctly. She tried to shoot it slowly. POW POW POW, POW POW POW, CLICK. That's when she turned around to the rest of the squad that was deliberating; looking between Ember and Brickfielder; dropping the junk shield to her legs. It still covered her up to her upper leg. "These guns are cool!"
Saffron: "Hey Brickfielder! Hey! What'd you pick? Big sword?"
Ember Flare shrugs but smiles at Saffrons enthusiasm
Brickfielder glances down at Saffron, hefting the sword up with one wing. It seems a bit difficult to do even for someone of his size. "...Yes." He fails to share Saffron's enthusiasm, given how... pathetic the Zip Pistol is.
You would have time to get familiar with the base and other squads. You knew Seafoam and Brambles are out on missions. But you had yet to meet the last squad under Cloudy Forecast. Maybe they had relieved Brambles squad and were in the woods. For the base as a whole things were fairly insular along CO groups. Those under Champaign Shower were indignant for the most part. Not only were they mostly kept bored they had also suffered the only well known attack and injuries so far. The squads under Silver Lining had security details. It seemed appropriate they were around the base to keep watch on everyone else so nothing got stolen. There were rumors of some missing supplies already.Squads under Thermal Updraft seemed to be having the fun of practicing vehicle maneuvers in hilly terrain, digging earthen fortifications into rocky ground, and, admittedly, enjoying blowing up explosives in sapper and heavy weapons training. Breezy Night leads what amounted to a medical corp among the largely uneducated Green. Many of whom seemed to need to learn which end of a scalpel to hold. Hearing what they were training for and getting to know some of them would redouble any thoughts of never ever being hurt and requiring their aid.
Steel Rain seemed a very hooves on sort of leader from when you saw him, being ready to get shoulder to shoulder if a task could use it. He led exercises during off periods and could easily keep lead the pace of the most spry greens. While easy to earn respect he was also as hard an ass as his name could imply. Any infraction he witnessed was immediately punished with cold directness. He never got mad. Simply putting the law down without a hint of compassion.
Everyone in your squad except Ember Flare would receive mail during the next couple weeks. Family checking how you were holding up and otherwise being nice reminders of what you were doing this all for. It could be a while until you get a chance to read another letter from them. You had no idea how long this mission could take.
Saffron had her mind all over the place during their waiting period. She liked to talk with people--namely Brickfielder, trying to tell him that the Big two handed Axe would totally fit better than the two handed sword, and such; and if he picked up the machetes he could also use the shield, maybe with a holdout pistol! She seemed enthusiastic about trying to advise him on things. Fortunately she'd let off in the days to come, and she got distracted with the rumors of 'missing equipment', which got her snooping for a spell, before she remembered they had to finalize their backstory. And then the letters came. Immediately she dropped everything, looking to grab her letter and give it an INSTANT read!
Brickfielder is much more of a 'being talked at' rather than 'talking with' type, as far as interaction with Saffron is concerned. He is, however, set on the sword. Over the downtime before the mission he'd start trying to take proper care of cleaning and sharpening it. Even keeping it under his bed, closer than most of his other belongings.
Despite what Cloudy Forecast had told you previously the time table had been moved up. Your mission was to begin after just three weeks of training. Orders from Central Command. You were in Cloudy's office when she broke the news that you were to be shipping out the next day. Your cover was not yet perfected and lacked some smaller details that would help glue it together. Your CO said you would simply have to improvise. She at least could provide encouragement in seeing you as resourceful and quick learners.
Sundancer writes her parents a bit of sentiment and a few anecdotes about mundane camp life and the bumbling of the green medical team
Brickfielder wasn't planning on shipping out so quickly, so, the first thing he does after hearing the news is return to the barracks and write to his family one more time. He wants to let them know it'll be awhile before he can write again, and encouraging his siblings to be good little pegasi.
Silver Rush doesn't compromise the mission info but sends off a letter describing some more interesting duties happening. No playing bodyguard for reds!
Saffron herself had a three second moment of a minor panic attack when the news came. Though after a bit of regaining her composure, and some encouragement from Cloudy Forecast (Saffron took it at face value at that point), she'd go back to being calm, confident, and stalwart. "We wont disappoint you!" came out of her, shortly before the time would come for them to return to the barracks. With the letter from her parents--from her mother, she writes back. It was a long letter in which she unloaded the baggage of her anxiety, asking her father how he could deal with it--how he dealt with 'empathy on the field', and how she envied him now and wished she had listened to him more. She was going on a MISSION that she was NOT going to fail, and she would make them proud...
Your send off would be in the early hours. It was only a bit over three weeks since the campaign started and you were already being thrown in over your head. Spying on the other greens seemed like foal’s play compared to what awaits. Our CO would escort you down to the docks below the base and give you parting instructions. These included your radio encryption codes, a confirmation to only make reports as you could without raising suspicion, and a confirmation that you were not to act too eager to please the rebels. You were now wastelanders and needed to look out for yourselves. Demonstrate your usefulness without asking to help them. Let them approach you and build from there.
"Act selfish then." Saffron would remark, "That sounds doable. Right?" She'd look up to Silver Rush and Brickfielder both.
Silver Rush: "and interested in self preservation. Risking our necks out here isn't for cloudsdale anymore"
Brickfielder casts an unamused glance at Saffron, while adjusting the awkwardly-baggy survivalist attire he'd taken. ...Or, well, it would be baggy, if he weren't definitely larger than the original owner.
The boat you had paddled around before now had an old looking engine set on the rear. Having Sundancer look it over would show it to be a powerfully built item hidden in a case that was intended as a disguise. If you had to use it as such it could be field stripped for materials to make a timed bomb. It was time to board and begin motoring your way around the island. It was expected you would make landfall near the rebels in two days, with stopping to camp between.
Ember Flare had been somewhat excited to start another mission, but seeing the boat and the endless ocean did make her a bit uncomfortable
Brickfielder gives quite a large sigh as he comes upon the boat, but, loads himself into it nonetheless, steeling himself for the inevitably-unpleasant journey around the isle.
Rocket: "not even an airship...I'm sure those exist out here right?"
Saffron was likewise uncomfortable, albeit not initially. They had trained for this, even if only for a day. Looking down at the water she kept an eye out for anymore pony-shark-things, and other fishies that might look horrible. Though roughly in the middle of the voyage, she'd start to wander more towards the middle of the boat, looking a bit sickly. "How confident are you, boss?" She asked out loud, looking towards Silver Rush with a concerned look. "On this whole thing."
Sundancer would be wobbly and shaky until she's seated firmly in the boat and goes stock-still
Silver Rush: "the boat? Im sure it will... Work. I really don't expect much else from it. Or are you talking about if it's sturdy enough for anything living in the water?"
Saffron: "Oh, no, the boat's okay. Ant the things in the water--I'd rather not think about that right now, I'm about half-way to throwing up already." Saffron smirked playfully as she casually puts that out there, hoof on her chest as she speaks, "I meant the mission. Are you ready for it?"
Ember Flare packs her things in and settles herself firmly in the boat starting to rev up the old motor
Brickfielder only realizes once he's in the boat and seated that the strap he'd gotten put together for the sword (given it lacked a proper scabbard) is... rather awkwardly-positioned. It leaves him shifting around in his seat every now and then, knocking the sword against the seat as he does.
Silver Rush: "absolutely. We've even never seen these infrared before, that'll be our biggest challenge I think. Just put on a Stern face and we'll give em the ol razzle dazzle"
Saffron grins, happy with the confidence coming from their squad leader. "Fuck yeah, boss." She lightly cheers by giving him a weak bump on the shoulder, "Glad you're with me on this." She adds, as she shakily moves back to the gunwale of their 'mighty' vessel to sit there, in case she does throw up.
When you were out on the water things were both quick and slow. The boat would move at a quick clip, but compared to the wide ocean off the port, the movement seemed insignificant. It would be a few hours out, just as the fog was clearing, that you would find something particularly anchored out closer to the southern side of the island. A wide, flat boat that looked like a floating house parked a bit out of sight of the cliffs near the FOB, west of the bay. As you get within sight and the sound of your motor reaches them you see Thunder Pudge and his squad come on deck to investigate. Spotting you as you spot them, their leader gives an enthusiastic wave.
Brickfielder raises a hoof, and leans back near Sundancer. "Keep going."
Saffron would be remarkably silent during the trip. She preferred watching the water go by. Looking up a little more when she noticed the fog clearing, and the big flat boat comes into view. She lingered her eyes on it warily, keeping her roguish grey hood on her head and tugging it over a bit more. Though when she sees THUNDER PUDGE, she sits up and waves at them with both forelegs, waving the big junk shield that says "ROAD WORK AHEAD" with a chuckle.
Saffron: "Hopefully they don't get eaten by fish-ponies!"...
Ember Flare raises and eyebrow at the interaction but keeps the course towards their destination
Saffron: "Well, to be honest, with the aura thing he has going on, I doubt the fishponies would even get near him..."
Sundancer: "The sea-ponies might be observing them from a distance, we should move."
Sundancer huffs "we are moving, but..."
Saffron snickers through the little face-wrapped black bandanna she has on her face, looking back to Sundancer once. "This thing doesn't have a turbo feature, unless you can make one up."
Brickfielder glances over at Sundancer, a bit surprised; she was so quiet and still that he almost thought she'd... shut down or something. "Keep moving and not stop, I think is the idea.
Sundancer meets Brickfielder's eyes, her face not betraying fear, but her voice obviously strained "Glad we're on the same page."
The southern region of the island is strange to put it lightly. Sheer cliffs based with jagged rocks line the southern reaches. But what actually gets attention is that you cannot see the tops of the cliffs. Streaming down in a blanket is an endless waterfall of fog. It seemed untouched by the sun unlike the normal morning mists. At points you might see a tree break the fog bank above but for the most part it was a wall atop the cliffs.
Brick stares at her for a moment, before glancing in the direction the boat is moving in, his expression firming up some. "...We'll be fine if we keep on the move, Sundancer."
Silver Rush: "never get out of the boat..."
Saffron silently peeked from her side of the boat, looking over the THICK fog... She didn't say anything, but her eyes were glued on it, her tail silently sweeping the deck nervously while her wings tucked further into her web-gear covered vest...
It would cut close to nightfall by the time you passed those fog shrouded cliffs and could find a place to land. Thankfully the boat had been powerful and swift enough to get you to a grass choked shore with a bit of daylight left. Without the mountains in the way you would be able to see the sunset into the ocean. Maybe the orange waves would make this journey a bit more comforted.
Brickfielder would, if nothing else, be quite happy to be on solid ground again, wasting no time getting to work pitching tents.
Sundancer jumps out of the boat and flies the last dozen meters to the grassy shore, such is her anticipation to be ashore. After emotionally recovering, she helps Brick get camp established
Ember Flare would share the sentiment giving a sigh of relief getting her hooves back on firm land
Saffron spent most of the journey in silent discomfort. She had only been on a boat twice and she STILL felt sickly; she hated it. It made her miserable and sway around a little more against the boat's movements along the waves. But also quiet. Eventually she'd dismount after all the others had, and with her carrying the additional survival equipment, she breaks out the other tents and sets them up for the others. Albeit clumsily at first.
Your evening in the woods before your final stop would be a bit active. For whatever reason this side of the island seemed to have a lot more animals of significant size. With sundancer’s and Saffron’s field knowledge it was easy enough to identify the racoons, badgers, rabbits, and squirrels that come by and try to steal food in the middle of the night. Your watches manage to fend them all off thankfully.
Saffron quietly complains about the raccoons, saying: "I'm gonna stab them if another one shows up, president help me if another one tries to steal my shit." After having kicked away the invaders with a long stick.
Brickfielder is far from... eager about seeing the large pests of the ground. But it's easy to spook them and make them leave.
Sundancer occasionally practices shooting small animals to decompress after the boat ride before going to sleep
Silver Rush: "I don't like this plan all that much... Waiting for infrared to find you camped out on their land. should set up some defensive posture just in case they're less curious and more unwelcoming at our trespassing"
Sundancer: "Try to keep the jargon to a minimum. They could be listening."
Ember Flare: "Yeah wouldn't want anyone to try and just rob us either. Bet there's loads of unsavory ponies in these woods here"
Waking up a tad more groggy than usual, Saffron rises and shines with a groan--arising with the grace of a slumbering dragon. "Hhhgh..." She goes, still cradling her shotgun (on safety of course), as she rises up again from her bedroll and blanket. She staggers out of the tent with her gun, still fully dressed, and packs up in utter silence. Taking all her things, the tent, helping others pack their tents, then going back to the boat and sitting down.
Your trip north would only take half the day. At least you could eat lunch on solid ground. You haul the boat up onto the shore for a lengthy stay.The remainder of the day would be spent getting the area scouted, the camp set up, and a perimeter established. The campground itself was, well, beautiful. If not impractical for defending. It was a cove between two rocky raises that ran a half circle of a hundred yards in either direction. Weathered exposed slate stones would make a solid foundation for the camp. But the area was wide and fairly open, leaving you generally exposed to anyone skulking in the trees.
Ember Flare: "Hmm, well here we go then... should try and get into the roles from now on"
Saffron spent a long time just using her survival kit's grooming tools to comb her mane and brush her fur, patting at her wings to check them for any grime, and generally trying to clean herself up even if she slept with her clothes on. She double checked her weapons to see if they were dirty, then settled down, and sighed shakily; eating her rations. But keeping the snack chocolate bars handy for now. Then, when they're there, she eagerly takes up her shotgun and hops off with a bit more energy. "I'll check around... Pretty place, shitty defensive position..." She remarked, nodding to Ember once in passing as she strode ahead to peek around for anything useful, or dangerous. Dropping off her survival kit at the camp, while she patrolled once.
Sundancer: "That probably includes keeping the grime on." Sundancer remarks, watching Saffron leave to explore
Saffron: "A good survivalist doesn't stay dirty." She rebutts, as she goes.
Brickfielder looks around the area after landing, quickly taking to muddying up his mane a bit. "Not concerned much about defensiveness. If whatever infrareds find us want a fight, we'll be fine."
Scouting around the area where camp will be made Saffron can find a few interesting marks of note. This side of the island does not seem as poisonously inclined as the eastern half. Maybe indicating part of why it was actually inhabited. There are plenty of herbs and natural edibles that could practically replace your survival rations entirely. Provided they were cooked well. The issue may be however that there was a stone circle not more than a hundred meters south of the camp site. It was not identical to the ones you had encountered prior. But it had rings of mushrooms and a thin amount of that slick goo in patches on the rocks. In other respects however the forest was pretty good save a burrow of badgers that might need to be scared off.
Silver Rush feels even more dread seeing this terribly exposed spot. It fills him with the scent of death and anger at such a trap "fuck. Alright well... We can set up a fallback position behind the main camp... Anyone stupid enough to charge us over open terrain could be caught in the open themselves if we fortify the boat into a makeshift stronghold"
Ember Flare: "Uh I hope you aren't planning on trying to talk to that thing again..." Ember says once Saffron mentions the rock circles
Silver Rush: "anyone have some spare tin cans?"
After a good amount of time making a thorough search of the time, occasionally dipping her head past the treeline to check on something and then coming back out--keeping out her road work sign shield defensively moreso than her guns. She eventually returns to report to Silver Rush, letting him speak first. "Uhh, Canned food yeah. From yesterday." She passes him over the one tin can that was now empty, then speaks up. "This place is RICH with food. We just need someone who can cook well and we wont need to use our rations; two things though? One is that there is ANOTHER circle about a hundred meters south, ish? Full of wacky mushrooms, and then there's a burrow of badgers I'm gonna go scare off, probably with my gun."
Brickfielder immediately shakes his head to Ember. "We are going to avoid any circles as much as possible."
"--Actually, Sunday!" Saffron turned to their ROBOT friend, "Your gun isn't as loud as my shotgun, you could help me remove the pests without alerting everyone on the island that we're here right away and make us look like dumb-dumbs."
Saffron: "Unless, uh, you all WANT me to do that. Plus the rifle of yours doesn't use up any ammo..."
Sundancer: "No, I can hunt badgers. I don't understand the need, but you're the surface wildlife expert. If someone wants to cover my back it would be appreciated."
Saffron: "I'm not necessarily planning to eat them as much as I want them not near our camp. Because fuck badgers."
Sundancer: "Ember's supposed to be part of my backstory."
Saffron: Saffron gives a quick nod and draws out her magnum pistol to keep it readied, smirking to Sundancer. "I got your back." She simply says, and starts off leading the way to the den of pests soon-to-be-removed.
Ember Flare: "Ah right! Should stick a bit more together"
Ember Flare trots to sundancers side, moving considerably lighter in her doctors coat compared to weeks before in the power armor
Your badger hunt does not go as well as planned. Waiting around for them to leave their burrow will not work. It ends up being deep and well ventilated enough to not suffer a simple smoke out. Plus your collective patience wears out faster than the badgers do. It might be an ongoing problem but one you can't waste more time on today.
Brickfielder grumbles to himself as he leaves the badgers behind. "Forget the damn pests..."
Saffron groans from her position near the burrow, shield in front of herself with her chin resting on it. "They may have won this battle but they haven't won the war." The red mare laments, as she goes to pick herself up and haul herself back to the main camp, that they would still need to set up...
Ember Flare: "Well, might be for the best. I'm sure they're not really that interested in us anyways"
Saffron: "They're interested in the food." Saffron rebutts with a grumble. Whatever they can stay there a bit longer. Now it's time to get serious, and..." She goes back to her survival kit to start setting up tents, and a firepit, "... Act depressed."
Sundancer: "Way ahead of you."
Brickfielder: "However, will we achieve that?"
Saffron: "You can't be depressed, you're a robot, Sunny."
Sundancer: "In fact, that might be the hardest part for you. You might want to consider fasting again to get back into the mood."
Saffron pouts in Sundancer's general direction. "Oh yes, I need to starve myself to achieve real misery." She mutters sarcastically, adjusting her face-bandanna to cover her face, hiding her slight sneering smile as she does.
Silver Rush paranoidly sets up noisemakers in the treeline, setting up barricades on the boat in case wild rabid natives charge across the field
Ember might also occasionally check if she manages to sense anything magic sources in their vicinity
With the labor involved in cutting down logs for the work you will need a solid five days to build a single room cabin. While you might not be intending to build a village at least having a couple of such structures will go a long way to selling your intent to stay there. At least your time spying on the lumber camp has helped ready you for preparing logs. The boat being a higher priority will come first however and you can make a nice covered pit that faces inland. The hull of the boat would be reinforced with sandbags.
(GM Note): A sixth player was added into the campaign, starting with a quick interlude to place them into the game.
Today had started like any other day for Quick Fix. The overseer’s son had been his patient for the morning, dealing with a mild fever brought on by spores; the decontamination teams were in the process of cleaning. Having been in the overseer’s quarters would turn out to be a stroke of luck. When the announcement came over the public service channel of his and the teen’s pipboys it would be chilling. There was an emergency evacuation in effect. The reactor was leaking radiation and could not be shut down. Everyone had to evacuate before the system locked down.
Panic would grip the young doctor. Thankfully the overseer’s wife had been there to take charge of the situation. Taking her child on her back she would guide Quick Fix to the escape access in the overseer’s office. One that unsurprisingly the doctor had never heard of being there. By the time the three of them would reach the vault door and begin the process of it being pulled open the vault systems behind them would have engaged the lockdown. They would be the only three making it to the surface it seemed. A dark cave system would await them on the far side of the massive entrance.
Quick Fix had felt uncomfortable that day. He dealt overwhelmingly with injuries over sickness, so even soothing a fever was a little outside of his normal range of activities. He *knew* something wasn't quite right. He never could have predicted that the reactor would fail, however. It was a miracle that he made it out of the Vault, that was for sure. Though they each had PipBoys that could illuminate the cave around them, Quick saw fit to use his magic's light to lead the way out of the cave.
The trio would spend over an hour navigating some dead ends in the cave as they made their way forward. The light outside the cave would be comparably blinding when they finally stepped into it. They did not know what to expect on the surface, but a green, lush forest might not have been even on their list. The surface outside the vault was alive. They could hear bird songs, smell the damp foliage and earth, and feel a cool breeze. Using the mouth for cover the trio took a break. But shortly after the overseer’s wife asked Quick Fix to take a look around and see if it was safe.
Quick Fix was reluctant, but he tried not to let that show. He gave the mare a weak salute and headed out into the forest to investigate it with squinting eyes... and gosh, was it pretty. He was so caught up in its vibrancy and its smell and its wonderful breeze that he'd hardly notice losing his way, or any creatures watching him... at least, at first.
Searching around the cave mouth would be a dizzying experience. There was so much going on with sights and sounds that it could be easy to get sensorly lost in the forest. At least the doctor’s auto-map would make sure they did not get lost. After about twenty minutes of wandering wide there did not seem to be any apparent dangers in the area. That is until he saw reflected rainbow light from a large creature lumbering towards the cave. Circling it to get a good sight Quick fix would see a terrifying creature he could not put a name on. Superficially it was shaped like a bear. A bear made of stained coloured glass and silver binding between the shards. Its back was more like a porcupine’s, with rows of razor sharp glass bristled along it’s back. Academically Quick Fix was unsure what the beast was, even if it sort of resembled creatures from history books. It was heading directly for the overseer’s wife and child.
Quick Fix knew what he had to do... but he didn't know if he had the strength to do it. Well, maybe he didn't... but he had the kindness to force himself to. He ran over to the terrifying creature and screamed some cowardly gibberish at it to try and get its attention. If those two died, he'd be the only pony who escaped the Vault. He couldn't do that. He could be the last pony left on Equu, for all he knew, without those two....he certainly wasn't the last creature, though, judging that glassy freak of a 'bear'...
The glass creature seemed to not be surprised, or possibly very self aware at all. It reacted in a very mechanical fashion, turning towards Quick Fix. In a sudden lurching fashion it made a swipe at the doctor with glass claws as long as the small stallion’s limbs. The claws caught in the armored vault suit’s heavy canvas, preventing more than shallow scratches on the doctor’s chest. But it was more than enough to engage a panic response. With the creature’s attention drawn and the doctor’s fight or flight triggered, a chase would occur into the forest. The beast did not roar or sound alive. Only making supernaturally eerie grinding and creaking sounds above the thunderous stomping and shredding of foliage as it would chase its quarry.
It has been two days since Nimbus squad made camp. The defensive position using the boat was built. Preparations for building log cabins could start soon. Felling and cleaning trees would not be so difficult with your survival gear, mainly time consuming. It would take at least a week to get the process in order and the first one built. But from there the others should be simpler. Clearing ground took a lot of time with the small spades available to you. You will have a lot of work to make some semi, or possibly fully, permanent structures to keep the weather off. This mission was likely for the long haul.
Quick Fix had been running for miles with that bear creature on his tail. He had found some temporary respite by attempting to hide a couple times. But the creature had managed to find him and continue the chase. The chase led all the way to the coast where the seemingly both lucky and unlucky pony would happen upon a beachside campground. The residents of it being ponies as well. He would be in sight of the camp when the bear creature came crashing through the underbrush and caught up again.
(GM Note): To summarize the following combat the squad PCs engaged the glass bear creature that chased Quick Fix into their camp. A second bear and a pack of butterflies soon joined the conflict from further in the forest. A very important element of the combat was Ember Flare revealing a new power: conjuring a smoke-like magical being that can fight in her place. Saffron rushed into the woods with a shotgun and ended up dealing the final hits on the bears. Ember torched the butterfly swarm. Brickfielder and Quick Fix rallied allies. Sundancer helped characters recover from damage they took. Silver Rush unfortunately found out directly the bears could counter attack at range with launching glass shards and had his rifle jam, letting one of the butterflies escape. Silver was also injured by a large bite from a bear.
Saffron's eyes swept towards the butterfly, already changing the grip on her shotgun to hold it by the underslung shotgun--as her bigger gun had now run out of shells. She was expecting the brainless little thing to keep attacking her in a frenzy, but it seems to have brain cells and actually leaves them alone. With her eyes narrowing, Saffron just watches it leave as she lowers her gun, and eyeballs the two dead bears. Or what's left of them, really. Letting the butterfly escape, she turned around and walked back out the treeline back to the others...
Silver Rush doesn't miss a beat and swaps to his holdout pistol, keeping it readied, but lowered, as he faces the infrared that happened upon their camp
Saffron makes a beeline towards Ember as she stows her unloaded shotgun back across her back. She beams with an earnest smile to their mutant-friend, and extends a hoof to her. "Hoof bump?"
Ember Flare pants keeping her hurt wings partially stretched before tossing her hooves in the air "WOOO! What a rush!" completely forgetting about the pony that brought about this situation
Quick Fix almost immediately collapses onto the sand. Miles of running and a tense fight tends to take it out of a soldier, let alone what appears to be some sort of doctor. He's dressed in a medical canvas suit with blue and yellow patterns.
Sundancer has been pretty focused on the action within the camp and her immediate medical charges. Finally taking stock of the situation, she marvels at the puddle of burning goo that Ember left in the forest and gets a closer look at the shattered bear. Second, she looks over her squad's injuries, doing an account of their injuries from a distance.
Ember Flare meets the extended hoof with surprising gusto and confidence
Brickfielder takes a deep breath and quickly reloads his pistol, before stashing it away. He watches Saffron with a raised eyebrow, before slowly turning towards the... new arrival.
Sundancer is about to call out to her squadmates when she remembers she has a cover to maintain
Smokey hovers silently back to Embers side glancing around the other party members with smile. ...a bit disconcerting one maybe with the fiery mouth and glowing eyes
Sundancer tertiarily regards the new arrival and comes to a course of action, bringing her medical kit to his side and judging his condition
Quick Fix blinks at her. A fellow medic, by the looks of it? "Oh, don't worry about me, I'm just bruised... the suit kept th-those things' claws off my fur."
Brickfielder also casts a lingering gaze at Smokey. ...He doesn't like the way it's looking at him. "...Ember, is uh... why is that... thing looking at me...?"
Sundancer stares at Quick quizzically for a second, then stiffly goes to attention and mechanically intones "Medical assistance denied" before turning to help Silver
Ember Flare finally focuses on the arrival "Ah the new pony! Seems like you were in quite the trouble there"
Saffron grins brightly when Ember's hoof hits hers with such confidence, "HELL yeah, we're the BEST survivors EVER! We kick all the ass!" She cheered, not entirely phased by the new presence besides Ember, so elated she was, she was just bouncing up and down, and only now taking it into account. She stares at it with a concerned yet still smiling look, then IMMEDIATELY whips around towards the new pony, trotting to their side, and patting them gently on the back. "You okay? How'd you end up all the way out here?"
Casting a second glance over Quick, Saffron looked at his outfit. Eyeballing the color scheme, and briefly checking for any insignia that might give away affiliation...
Silver Rush steadies himself against a rock as the battle thrill subsides, leaving him with just the pain of his bite mark. "and more importantly who are you, and why are you here"
Ember Flare lowers her voice a bit as she answers Brickfielder "Uh... it's... hard to explain. Uh it's just magic thing kinda...? You can ignore it for now" With that Ember turns her attention more towards the newcomer
Brickfielder lingers a bit too long on Ember and the smoke... thing, only to then slowly look back to the new arrival.
Quick Fix regards the robohorse with quirked brow and a tilt of the head, but other ponies call for his attention. "Yeah, yeah, just bruised, like I said. They chased me all the way out here. Thank the stars above I ran into all of you, I don't think I could have run much farther."Aside from the strange colouring and an odd logo, there's a number on his back: '28'."Well, my name is Quick Fix. Why I'm here... is a long story. Short version is that I could really use your help."
Sundancer tries to suppress her reaction to the flaming creature that she only recognized as not a tent on fire after Ember mentioned it
Silver Rush: "no. talk. who are you with, why are you here?" he doesn't relent, clearly unamused from the events that transpired to bring the unknown here
Ember Flare looks around a little spotting wounds on the arrival and Silver "Uh Hey, Sundancer, could you be a dear and take a look at Silver, me and... uhhh what was your name again...?"
"Ahuh..." Saffron looked up to the rest, namely to Silver Rush as he gets more aggressive. She purses her lip a little at his tone but doesn't question it, she just sits down a step away from them all, and starts taking shotgun shells from a belt pouch, loading them steadily into her gun as she listens. Click, click, click...
Quick Fix: "Uh..." He seems slightly taken aback by Silver's aggressive nature. "My name is Quick Fix.. I'm not *with* anypony. L-like I said, why I'm here is a long story. Maybe we should make sure everyone's okay and gather 'round?"
Brickfielder raises a wing at Silver. "You're hurt." He then looks to the new arrival, trying to put on a slightly more diplomatic face. "Apologies for the rough introduction. We're not in a good spot ourselves."
Ember soothes Quick "Oh don't mind him, he is such a grump. Come, make yourself comfortable. What exactly is bothering you"
Sundancer finishes fixing Silver and turns to Quick
"Take it easy boss, I don't think he's the bad pony here." Saffron quietly helps Quick along with the argument as she looked to Silver with an intent glance. Nodding along with Brickfielder as she finishes reloading her gun. Her face was half-covered by a bandanna, which was slightly torn by a claw that had just missed her.
Sundancer: "Your clothes are in the way of medical attention"
Silver Rush keeps his eyes on the pony momentarily, distrustfully, maybe it was just a chance encounter after all
Quick Fix considers moving a little closer to the nice, soothing pony, but a glance over at the smokey fire monster is... dissuading. With soreness evident in his movements - like he's bruised, or worn out - he spreads out on the sand and sighs.”I'm a doctor. I've lived in a Vault all my life, but... today, there was a major radiation leak. I have no idea if... i-if it reached everypony," his voice hitches slightly, "but most couldn't escape anyway because the stupid system went into lockdown. Only two other ponies made it out with me; we were separated by the bears. I think I managed to lead all of them away, but... they have no idea where they are or what to do. I have to go back for them."
Saffron perks her ears at the mention of 'vault'. Her eyes shoot to Brickfielder once, pursing her lip in the background; letting the others do the talking for the time being whilst she puts her shotgun into safety and keeps it on her lap.
Quick Fix turns to the medical robot, blinking. "Oh, erm... I.. guess I can take this off. I'll go change behind the boat."
Brickfielder shares a glance with Saffron, waiting until Quick is behind the boat and lowering his voice. "Do not let him realize we don't know what a Vault is."
Ember Flare: "You're a doctor, well colour me surprised, looks like we're colleagues. This bot here 'Sundancer' is a medical robot."
Sundancer tries to not express her disappointment at the failed name change, but it's her fault for leaving it up to other ponies. It would have bitten them eventually, anyways
Saffron likewise waited. Following Quick with her glance, before standing up and slinging her shotgun to her back; leaning an ear to Brick. "I'll just stay real quiet then. Maybe he'll lowkey explain it to us..." She replied, nodding to him once.
Ember Flare: "Don't be to too frightened of it. It has some sorta sophisticated AI system installed on it. Haven't dared to touch that part fearing the thing might break"
Quick Fix returns shortly with his suit draped over his back. If anypony's confused about what he 'is', his being naked doesn't really help unless they're shameless.
Brickfielder: "Look, it's some sort of... shelter, if there was a radiation leak and he never left. So just go with that."
Sundancer waits for Quick to disappear from view "If there's a radiation leak, I can enter the area. Could be valuable."
"Here." Quick returns, walking rather stiffly, to his previous spot beside the bot.
Sundancer turns to Quick and engages bedside manner subroutines, or at least pretends to, affixing an artificial smile
Sundancer: "This will only hurt a bit."
Saffron tucks her wings in a bit more and sighs heavily. She nods again in acknowledgement, keeping it at that as Quick Fix returns to them; prompting her to just casually step back and sit back down near the tent behind her, looking to Quick curiously from the background. She didn't seem to care that he was 'naked'. "... Do you know where your friends were before you split up? I could try to track them if they left anything."
Sundancer cleans the wound and the area of hide around it with alcohol and cleans it again with hydrogen peroxide for good measure before applying an adhesive bandage "Emotional damage remains. Reuniting with your friends is a high priority."
Quick Fix meets her eyes with an expression that says 'I use that phrase, you know.'"Oh, sure, it was at the entrance. I don't know if my PipBoy marked it or not, but it has a mapping function... ...ack." Quick winces at the treatment, but otherwise remains strong in the face of... a little sting."They aren't exactly my friends, but they're... a-all I have now. One's a foal. We can't just leave them out there."
"Well sounds like we should hurry and help them" Ember gives a look to the others looking for approval
The word 'Pipboy' elicits a briefly confused look on saffron’s face, then 'mapping function' makes her eyes widen with pure curiosity, leaning in a bit more to look at the device on his foreleg with an eager stare. "A--foal? Out here?" Saffron sputters in surprise, all of her trains of thought colliding and derailing as she straightened up. She stands up suddenly, looking to Sundancer. Then to Quick again, "Does your Pipboy have a way to tell the time? We might have enough daylight to make our attempt."
Brickfielder's interest also gets piqued by the mention of a mapping function, and he nods in response to Saffron's question. "...We never saw many of those PipBoys back where we came from."
Quick Fix checks said wrist-computer. His eyes light up!"Ah! It mapped the whole island for me! And, here, there's the Vault, on this side of the mountains."The unicorn shows the screen to Saffron, who can see the Vault entrance is practically due East from camp."Oh, sure, it's around... two PM. We should have more than enough time to get to the site and back before it gets dark." Quick Fix then nods to Brick. "It's Vault-Tec... technology. As far as I know, Vaults are the only places you can get them... maybe they have warehouses of them somewhere, though?"
Brick just snorts. "We know, that's why they were so rare even back in Filly." He glances at the others. "...So... a rescue operation?"
Quick showing Saffron the screen of his Pip Boy makes the squat pegasus IMMEDIATELY stride over to him to get a closer look, looking at the screen with a mixture of wonder and awe. "This thing is *awesome*!... Aw man--" She reflexively mutters, before coughing and clearing her throat--her tail swishing nervously as she straightens up again, "--Alright-cool! You can walk straight, right? All good?" She asked, bouncing a step back excitedly.
"Fillydelphia..." Quick seems to lose himself in a daydream, at that. These ponies must be travelers... and so knowledgeable!
Saffron nods her head quickly to Brickfielder. "Would give us the chance to explore. We haven't cased the island at all."
Sundancer: "Affirmative."
Ember Flare: "Right. Right... I best get rid of this thing then" Ember turns to the smoke thing for a moment, looking at it "Hmm.. begone? away!"
Silver Rush: "mapped the whole island? Now that sounds useful... How far away did your group separate?"
Quick Fix then is snapped out of it by Saffron's... enthusiasm. She's certainly an excitable pony... "I'm.. mighty sore, but I should be able to walk along with you. Better they see me with you, too, than a group of strangers out in the forest. As for where they went? I never saw. They could have hidden in the entrance, for all I know."
(GM Note): Did a quick count of who all would go with Quick Fix. Everyone left Silver Rush to tend the camp.
Smokey still floats around
Brickfielder raises his sword and slides it into the strap. "Let's get ourselves ready, then."
"Aight, aight." Saffron nods her head one more time like a bobblehead, sideglancing Ember while she has trouble 'banishing' her weird smoke-thing-monster. Then back to Quick, doing her ABSOLUTE BEST to ignore that to the best of her ability, even if she couldn't not glance at it several times as she speaks, "No promises! But I, for one, will do my best." She beams, fully looking to Quick, "My name is Saffron, by the way. I scavenge a lot." She smirks, starting to take steps towards the woods again.
Quick Fix offers a hoof to shake, but Saffron's already off! Well, you can't win 'em all. "I-I just hope they're alright. And... maybe the ponies in the Vault are still okay, too, even if they're stuck. I can't be the only one who.. who survived."
Quick Fix has put his suit back on, in the meantime.
The group sets out east to locate the entrance to the vault, following Quick Fix’s electronic map. Saffron could have also followed the trail to the cave that Quick and the bear made when they trampled their way through the forest. It will take a bit over an hour or walking to escort your tired little pony. Some breaks will need to be had along the way. Sharing some water would help. When the group reaches the cave entrance they find it vacated.
(GM Note): I have Saffron test Observation to check for tracks at the cave.
"Oh no! I'm sorry." Saffron, however, isn't that much of a baddie as to leave Quick Fix hanging. She makes sure to double back and offer her hoof to him to shake/bump, before they'd go along to the cave. Her keeping to his side as they both lead on.
While it would not be apparent to anyone else, the evidence of some kind of scuffle happening at the cave mouth was evident to Saffron. Something had happened here. There was no blood or anything clear but someone was dragged kicking to the north west.
If following the trail Saffron could lead the group a few hundred meters until they found themselves facing a clearing with standing stones. The trail entered the clearing and vanished.
Sundancer can't help but grind her 'teeth' in frustration at seeing one of the hated stone circles
Saffron She didn't pester him TOO MUCH during the walk, but she was interested in his Pip Boy; asking about all the things that it could do, and if he was really a doctor; she thought of the fact that he was a doctor to be REALLY cool, for some reason. When they get there, she goes quiet and breaks off from the party to investigate; casing the place slowly and with some professionalism. She eventually picks up the trail, and starts walking along, "Looks like somepony crawled or... They were kicking around judging by these marks, so it seems more likely they are being dragged actually..." And, following it, until they got to the stone circle.
Saffron: "... Oh ... No."
Saffron sighs loudly and starts hastily taking off all of her gear.
Brickfielder stops when coming in sight of the circle, not approaching it and swearing under his breath. He glances down at Saffron, opening his mouth to ask... but, as soon as she starts stripping, he takes it as a sign to start stripping off his gear as well.
Ember Flare: "Um... This looks rather strange... you sure you want to mess with this?"
Sundancer scans the clearing for a good piece of cover to provide overwatch from and takes up position behind a tree, weapon drawn but not raised
Sundancer: "Newcomer. You may wish to strip again."
Ember Flare looks somewhat uncomfortable with the stone ring
Quick Fix definitely is a doctor! He reveals to her that he's practically fresh out of the course, but by the Vault's standards, he's qualified! There's various other bits and bobs he feeds to her - perhaps to be discussed another time - but his enthusiasm slowly wanes over time as it becomes apparent the two ponies suffered a less-than-positive fate. Once they arrive, he looks at all the ponies' reactions concernedly and keeps well back from the clearing. "Erm.. why are we all undressing? Is.. this.. a magic circle..?
Brickfielder leaves his sword and pistol on top of his attire and looks at Quick. "Robot's right. It's complicated, but there are circles like this near our landing sight. Bad shit happens if you bring metal in. So if you want in, strip. That includes that PipBoy coming off."
On stripping and entering the stone circle Brickfielder and Saffron would seemingly encounter nothing. It took straining their ears to hear that soft, tuneless humming.
Brickfielder looks around the circle once he's inside, ear's raised and swiveling ever-so-slowly to pick up the humming. "...Is it... quieter here...?"
As Saffron is rather hastily taking off all of her weapons--which consisted of her shotgun with a shotgun attached to it, a large, heavy pistol converted for full-automatic fire, a switchblade, and a road sign converted into a shield that says ROAD WORK AHEAD. "No, I'm not sure at all..." Saffron replied to Ember, "But I'm going to try anyways. You're all free to stay here while I potentially get hurt on your behalf." She adds. Turning to Quick, she gives him a strange look... Then side glances Brickfielder, as if for help. Then back to Quick, "Stay here, don't go in the circle." She tells him, simply. Then goes to step in. Lingering there a while. With Brickfielder next to her, towering over her. "... Yeah..."
Ember Flare curses under her breath as others seem intent on interacting with the blasted things again. Ember removes her gun and other metals from her possession and approaches the circle warily
Ember Flare: "Maybe... I can get something out of this" Ember creeps closer to the circle putting one of her hooves in and starts concentrating
Quick Fix rubs the PipBoy. "I can take it off, sure... but it's probably best for me just to stay back in any case. You... ponies seem to know more about this stuff than I do. ...out of curiosity... what happens when a pony enters with metal?"
Saffron's ears flick and lower slightly as she picks up the humming. Yet says nothing, instead sideglancing Ember as she concentrates, getting up close next to her, as if to protect her left; glaring at the nothing around them.
Sundancer: "More bears."
Brickfielder: "More bears."
(GM Note): Quick Fix’s player had not read prior game logs, so was as confused by the situation as his PC.
Quick Fix: "I... see... so, it's like... a magical metal detector that signals them. They're not really animals, are they? Something's controlling them."
Sundancer: "Our observations are consistent with the construct hypothesis."
Brickfielder: "Mm, but, we don't know for sure yet. We only made landfall a few days ago. Ember?"
Sundancer: "These circles are communication devices that may connect to the controllers. Their motives are unclear."
When Ember enters the circle and focuses on that ambient magic underhoof she feels like she runs into something. Not exactly a hard sensation but it was startling in the same way raising and knocking your head on a cupboard door would be. It seems to have a similar effect as well, closing something. Those in and near the circle can hear the androginous, ethereal voice of Gatekeeper. “Oh. A gate had been left ajar. Oh forgetful lords.”
Ember Flare pulls her hoof quickly from the circle and takes couple of steps back
Brickfielder raises his head up and glances around. "...Gatekeeper. It's us."
Quick Fix: "Gate...keeper. It's you..? What are you saying?" He glances between them all, terribly confused.
Saffron watched Ember intently, furrowing her brow slightly with a mixture of worry and questioning; though then Brickfielder spoke up. She turned back around. She grimaces and glares to the air around them. She was on the verge of saying something nasty, but lets Brickfielder talk.
You seem to have gotten Gatekeeper’s attention now, for better or worse. “Closer has garnered appreciation. What will your compensation be for the service?”
Quick Fix would be brandishing a cross, if he had one. This is otherworldly and entirely outside anything he knows.
Brickfielder looks down at Saffron, and then back up at the standing stones. "...A trail led here. We think a pony was dragged here by the glass beasts. Where are they now?"
"Yeah, we would like you to tell us what happened to the beings that passed into this gate. We would also like them back as a reward, because their kidnapping is VERY displeasing to us." Saffron adds after Brickfielder, underlining this with a tone that edged just slightly between annoyance and anger.
Brickfielder nods to second Saffron, slipping back into that older brother's voice. "Please and thank you."
Ember Flare: "Uhh.. Saffron, remember what happened last time"
Saffron gave off a low growl in response to Ember. Her tail tossling around behind her as she snorts angrily, lowering her head a bit while her ears pinned against her head.
Ember Flare puts a hoof on Saffrons shoulder "Don't get too riled up"
Gatekeeper replies with what sounds like a nod. "Ah yes, information. Don't know. A lords used the entrance while attention was elsewhere."
Ember Flare: "Well that's not really anything to go by"
Quick Fix had no idea what a nod sounded like. Now he does. The poor thing sits by a tree outside the circle, struggling to comprehend exactly what is happening between the pegasi and the incorporeal voice.
The gatekeeper elaborates in nonsense. "two plus eight entities dispatched to Hunt. One returns, injured. Attention was elsewhere.”
Brickfielder takes a deep breath. "...Is there a way we can find out, Gatekeeper? Speak to the... lords?"
Ember Flare presses on "elsewhere? isn't gatekeeping supposedly your whole thing?"
There was a simple and resounding "NO." after Brickfielder's request.
Brickfielder purses his lips a bit, ears flattening backwards. "...Forgive my ignorance, but... why not?"
Quick Fix takes a deep breath, stands, and walks over to the edge of the circle. "Listen. A few hours ago, two ponies were dragged into this clearing and went through your.. gate. All we want to know is where they went and if you can bring them back."
"Compensation has been mete, Closer." Gatekeeper informed. "Leave." It commanded. It seemed less child-ish today.
Saffron's head shoots up, she's about to speak up when Brickfielder takes up the lead again. Luckily this prevents her from raising her voice, as she instead starts stalking around the circle to look for any more tracks that might help them more than Gatekeeper was. Though the 'NO' makes her double back. "Their disappearance is VERY offensive, Gatekeeper! They passed through this gate--that we have just shut for you, and we would like you to help us retrieve what has been stolen! We ask that of you POLITELY; PLEASE help us find what has been lost, and we will find a way to repay you."
Gatekeeper had a darkened tone before the conversation was entirely halted. "For this annoyance the matter will be brought to a Lords attention. The mortals will receive an appropriate response soon."
Sundancer: "This might be a different gatekeeper."
Ember Flare pulls on Saffron a bit "Come on... it's no use"
Sundancer: "We should finish our camp. Explore the vault entrance. Get ready.
Saffron gives off a low growl of quiet simmering fury. She nonetheless takes this response. And as Ember pulls her, she turns around rather gently, snorting loudly through her nostrils as she strides away from the circle and out of it. The anger was visible on her face, reddening the insides of her ears as she returned to her gear, and began to redress. Looking to Quick, frowning as she sighs again; "Sorry, friend. This might not be easy at all."
(GM Note): Silver Rush and I did an interlude to cover the time at camp while the other PCs were away.
While the others escorted the infrared on some fool’s errand to assist it, Silver Rush stayed at the camp to keep it secure. If nothing else kept secured against more animals. He had the unenviable task of using a sturdy branch like a broom to get the glass shards as far from their camp as he could. He knew that stuff would dissolve into goo by the morning. Maybe the sand would soak it up and they could toss it into the ocean after. Silver might have been distracted, but he was not so distracted that he could not catch onto somepony watching him. They would be hard to see directly due to their forest patterned camouflage cloaks. But an unknown number of ponies were about forty meters north of the camp, staying in the treeline. He could play it out as if he did not see them or make it known they had been caught.
Silver Rush slyly averts his gaze, not letting the information be known. He pretends to act busied, making his way towards the more hardened cover, picking up the most obvious valuables he can find. Silver Rush makes a show of talking to nonexistent people, pointing and directing at nothing "hey make sure not to drop those too hard!" he laughs and gets into the boat
Silver could get into cover and hunker down without issue. The ponies watching him take a very long twenty five minutes before making any changes. One of them breaks off and walks down along the beach openly. He will approach the camp in an open and somewhat casual fashion. The stallion was an earth pony who had camouflage paint obscuring his actual colouration. Or he could be earth tones, hard to tell at a distance. Silver Rush does not move either, letting the stallion get closer and assessing it. He looks for any signs of weapons or a uniform of some kind
Silver Rush waits for the stallion to get into the complete open of the beach, perking his ears and eyes to try and overhear any clues as to this groups intentions
The stallion had a bow with a full quiver on his back. He could have something else under that cloak but it was hidden. He will approach the edge of the camp but not get into it. Seemed he intended to keep a respectable distance from your stuff. It would be difficult for silver to watch him and not be watched back, so the stallion raises a hoof and calls out. "Stranger! I'm only here to talk. Your scuffle with the magical beasts was heard for a long distance off."
"so much for stealth" he mumbles, slightly surprised they speak the same language. Flourishing, he hops onto the bow of the boat "SO, not bandits after all! much wiser than most to not approach the camp. who are you all, and what is it you wish to speak about?" he flashes a look towards the rest of the group for signs of much less amicable intent
The stallion was a good twenty meters away so both he and Silver would need to half shout across at each other. Particularly over the regular sounds of the waves. "A respectfull distance, aye. Quite rude to enter one's home without invitation. I am part of a group we self refer to as earthen cloaks. I wished to sate curiosity of who I am now speaking with, and what caused your attack."
"Earthen cloaks...well you might be in luck. We are refugees-- traders, you see. our home is gone, and we arrived here. As for the beasts, they came from the woods. Are they familiar to you?" Silver Rush keeps special attention to hesitation--a sign of holding back from this...pony.
"You have my sorrow for your loss. " The pony seemed almost business like? His emotion might be getting lost over the din. "If it would ease you, may I approach and offer you bread in exchange for your revelations?"
Silver Rush is impressed "a splendid Idea. sit with me by the fire, I am being quite the uncourteous host." Silver Rush hops down into the sand and makes his way towards the camp "and tell your companions to stop sulking in the woods."
The stallion would approach and greet you in person. While again keeping what seemed a respectable distance he, with slow motions, drew a cloth wrapped half loaf of dark & dense bread. It was studded with what would be found to be nuts. He approached the fire and laid the loaf down on the cloth for Silver to inspect, then retreated a little to sit. "They are watchers, I am a speaker. It is just our roles." The cloaked pony, now up close, looked to have been painted in colours that matched his cloak. It was clear he had some sort of military bearing. He looked at ease but was clearly ready in the event Silver was to attempt something.
Silver Rush sits opposite. Curious. for savages this is quite the overt ritual. Much more endearing than attending a bad cocktail party, however they seemed to serve the same purpose
Taking the initiative once food was presented the cloaked pony attempted to gain control of the conversational flow. He said his name was Speaker Tree Feller. He asked for introduction.
Silver Rush inspects the loaf with an astute glance, taking it in hoof and tearing it in two, offering the other half to his dinner guest "we have been living off packaged food for some time, it is surprising to see baked goods"
(GM Note): I called for a negotiation test from Silver to oppose the NPC’s test. To see how much information they got from each other. Silver flubbed pretty hard
Silver and the speaker will talk for about an hour. Well before the rest of your group would have arrived at their destination. The Speaker was quite adept at getting around Silver's techniques. He keeps silver on the defensive and ends up having him spill your cover story. He does not let on how believable the story sounds, only keeping it going with seemingly small questions. It was probably the first time in a long time silver had been able to do what he enjoyed, and the stallion capitalized on it.
The bread, it turns out, would be enjoyable if silver had a taste for nut flour. It would be unlike anything he had eaten in Cloudsdayle. Earthy and dense would be an understatement.
In all Silver would not be able to get much direct information in return. Only snippets and references he would need to piece together. He was speaking with someone from the group you were sent to find. Their leader was apparently named robin hood, compared to the whole group? They had something called druids that would look into the magical beasts for you. They were some kind of speaker for the magical beings. The speaker would give some parting words to silver once the bread had been eaten and Silver had been put through the information ringer. Your group would be welcome to stay where you are, and build if you required. You were not to head north without invitation however. There was a city on the island named Trottingham, but you would need to either cross the mountains or their land to reach it. Once he spoke with their leader it was likely you would be contacted again soon. Welcome to the griffonian isles.
Your group was currently split. Most of you were investigating the lost ponies, the vault, and the nearby stone circle. Silver Rush was tending the camp and failing at digging substantial information from his guest. Having been a bit stone walled by Gatekeeper the next item to follow up on was the entrance to the vault itself. Quick fix had a map of the cave available now from his travels outward. He could still connect to the radio signals from the vault once he was closer.
Brickfielder had remained quiet during the group's... discussion of Ember's new friend. Partially out of just thinking and considering the current situation, but also because he doesn't really want to have to deal with... that.
Sundancer has a few ideas of what to say to Ember's smoke friend but keeps it to herself for the time being
Maybe wanting to turn the discussion other way Ember asks the newcomer "so... how far away is this thing?"
"Hey mister Quick Fix?" Saffron suddenly piped up as they sort of swing by the mouth of the cave Quick had originally come out of on the way back, "Are there any radiation suits conveniently past the front door of your vault-place?"
Quick Fix turns his head to regard Ember as they approach the Vault. "It's not long from here. We ran to the circle after we got there, remember? It should only be a few minutes."Then, he looks to Saffron. "No.. I might be able to use my PipBoy's radio to contact the ponies inside, if... i-if they're still alive. That would tell us if the whole Vault was irradiated or not."
When the away group would investigate the vault they would find the massive steel door still open. It led into an accessway entrance but did not allow passage further. None of the pegasus had seen so much metal used in construction. It was like being on the inside of a vehicle, and even the vertiberts had tempered glass canopy. Yellow emergency lights swept the space. The heavy steel doors would be fixed in place by the lockdown. If you had metal cutting tools or a controlled explosive it would be possible to get through the doors. But for now all that you could do is experience the terrible ambiance and make plans. There were still active radio signals being picked up by Quick Fix’s pip boy.
Sundancer inspects the machinery of the heavy door and turns to Quick "Does that device function as a key to this door?"
Sundancer: "How did you get out? Did it close behind you?"
Brickfielder's eyes narrow as he looks around, being put off quite a bit by the ever-sweeping emergency lights. "Hope it looks better on the inside..."
Saffron pins her ears at that, looking a little more concerned as her eyes shift between looking into the cave, and back to Quick. "That... Does sound like an idea. Might as well go and see then." Saffron said with some good-natured enthusiasm, stepping back to get beside Quick so he could semi-lead the way to the vault. Until they get there... Then she steps aside and peeks her head around curiously, staring at the MASSIVE steel. And the accessway itself. "Wow. This place has a heck of an ambiance..." Saffron remarked, not going past the open threshold of the giant steel door. Instead preferring to stay in the cave portion, outside, while the others peek around. She looked back to Quick at that point, tucking her wings a bit tighter on her back. "So, can you talk to anyone from here?"
Ember is awed at the huge structure (and the implications)
The emergency vault signal was the most potent currently. Tuning in would start playing in the middle of the currently, and seemingly live, broadcasted message. It sounds like the overseer to Quick. “...containment. Remain where you are. The ‘bots are securing the reactor leak and will begin decontamination. Remain calm to maintain clean air supplies. Ration what food you have available. Water seems to still be clean and functional. I can’t say how long the robots will take and the lockdown can be lifted. Hold onto hope everypony.”
Sundancer listens to Quick explain why he was useless as she starts examining through the door's mechanism for spare parts
Sundancer: "They seem to be alive. Perhaps if we just knock."
Ember Flare: "Seems like the situation is still pretty much ongoing... You might be fine but the rest of us?"
Brickfielder casts a glance down at Quick and the PipBoy playing the message, furrowing his brow as he does.
Quick Fix blinks. He's always getting pulled between multiple ponies at a time..! Not like that, perv. "Y-yeah, I think so, and no, it didn't close behind us. It just... stayed like that. I'd never seen the door in my life, before." He messes with his PipBoy a bit with his magic. How the fuck do earth ponies use them, anyway..? Probably their mouths or something. Gross dirt ponies. In any case, that plays the message, and his eyes brighten."I-it sounds like things are okay in there, then... and once they're done, we can let them out, and they... well, they'll have to decide what to do. It's... livable out here, that's for sure, so... maybe it's time to leave."
Sundancer: "We have a two-way radio at home. If we are going to settle here, I'd like to try to contact them. I don't trust their repair team."
Sundancer:"Nothing we can do for now, though."
Ember Flare: "It might be best to get back yes. Silver has been alone there for a while already"
Saffron quirked her brow, the small mare trotting besides Quick and leaning up her muzzle to be able to see the screen of his pipboy with the curiosity of a filly. "Is that a live broadcast?" She asked softly. Her mouth lingering half-open when Sundancer speaks, and quickly nodnodding her head to her, "Yeah we could--help! If we manage to open the door, somehow. I mean, Sunday could at least. We can't without protection..."
Sundancer glances wistfully at the tangle of spare parts the entire vault is made of, refined metal being so precious to her
Saffron: "... And besides Sunday is the only one with the knowledge to repair anything."
Sundancer: "The overseer may be trying to calm down his people. I'm sure he's not going to turn down help."
"But... they're robots. You are a robot. What are you saying, Sundancer...?""Oh-" and, once again, Saffron's up all close 'n personal and checking out his PipBoy. "Ah... yes, maybe we could help... I'm not sure what kind of radiation the reactor puts out, actually! If it's standard gamma, then we're all boned... but, it could be magic. I must confess it's not really something I focused on in my classes..."
Sundancer tries to not act offended and fails "I don't trust *your* robots."
Quick Fix: "If it is magic, though, Sundancer will be able to enter without a problem. Stuff doesn't go through suits and won't do a thing to a robot."
Quick Fix regards Sunday incredulously.
Sundancer: "Pride in your work is a desirable subroutine."
Brickfielder casts just as incredulous a look down at Quick. "We've not gotten much of a reason to trust most of this isle. Let alone the robots here."
Saffron speaks up quietly. "I mean if your robots are doing okay then... Sundancer, being cool as she is, she might be okay too. Otherwise your robots will have been slagged by now and, your overseer just straight-up lied in that case."
Sundancer averts her eyes
Quick Fix: "Mmn.. I don't know. If they had lead chassi, then they'd be fine in any case. Again, I really couldn't tell you.. and, personally, I don't have much of a reason to trust *you*, either! ...helpful as you might have been so far."
Ember Flare: "Well do you wanna keep trusting us and come back to the camp or are you staying here?" Ember says in jesting manner
Sundancer: "Talk to the overseer yourself. I fear the situation is worse than they're letting on."
Saffron, while everyone else plays up their wastelander traits, shrugs with her wings and slightly falls back down to her height from standing on her tippy hooves. She was smaller than Quick, albeit slightly! She looks between the others and Quick, taking a step back as she wries her lips bitterly at the current conversation of 'trust'. "Mhmm... Uhm." Saffron pauses, trying to shift the subject a bit, "We have a radio, a two-way one? Big bulky one. We could get in touch with anypony or maybe the robots inside, and maybe we could get in that way. We could also break and enter. But... Iunno, up to you mister Quick Fix. It's YOUR home..."
Quick Fix: "Look, let's move past that. Point is that we have no idea if the Overseer is telling the truth or not and going inside could be deadly. I don't think it would be a bad plan to go get that two-way radio and see if we can contact him... if that doesn't work, Sundancer can go in, and hopefully not get fried by any potential gamma radiation. Or... we could just wait and see what he has to say later. The ponies inside can go a day without water, if he was lying even about that... and we can decide what to do tomorrow."
Saffron lightly kicks a stone and pouts a little. But nods her head in agreement. "Back to camp we go then." Saffron chirped, turning around and starting the walk back the way they came in through the cave system. Biting her lip as she stays quiet, grimacing a bit to herself.
Brickfielder doesn't have any objections to leaving, being more at ease once he's away from the discomforting atmosphere outside the Vault. "We'll figure something out...
Quick Fix leads the way through the system with his horn lit and his PipBoy light on, and soon enough they're staring at sunlight once more. From there, possessing a neat little map, he leads them back to camp and is just as quiet as he usually is.
Your trip back out of the cave might feel like a breath of fresh air. To say it was stuffy at the vault entrance might be an understatement. It might even be called claustrophobic. It would take a little bit of time to get back to the camp. But once you were there Silver would certainly have some news regarding the time you were away.
Quick Fix is permanently immune to claustrophobia because he's not a fucking idiot bird.
Saffron visibly puffs out a huff once she's approaching the exit of the cave. "You lived there for how long, mister Quick Fix?..." She asked Quick on the way back, even whilst she picked up the pace to a stride to get back a little bit quicker... eager to see their boss again, and if he got shanked or not.
Quick Fix: "Uh.. since I was born. I suppose I can understand how it might feel being down there, after experiencing such... openness on the surface. The sky... um, it still makes me a little sick to look up. Even if it's such a pretty blue..."
Silver Rush perks up as the sound of crashing branches hits his ears again... Only this time it's good news it seems. He hops off the boat and dusts himself of sand "well squad... We had visitors. I found the rebel griffons. Or rather... They found us"
Sundancer: "Did they leave a calling card?"
Silver Rush: "seems they have ponies on their side t--" he stops short as the smol vault boy manifests. Oh right he's still here. "no.. Some camo'd up ponies approached the camp and we... Had a chat"
"Oh." Saffron's ears lowered with some embarrassment for a moment, side glancing him with a small smirk as she chuckled to herself. "How old are you though?" She asked him suddenly, her curiosity getting the better of her. Though it's also around that time that they start to reach the shore, walking over the prickly grass nearing the sand as they pass the last few trees and shrubs. Though before he'd answer, Silver's call to them made her turn around; frowning deeply. "Oh, there's more ponies living around here huh..."
Brickfielder looks around the campsite with a more scrutinizing gaze as soon as Silver mentions that there were visitors. "Camo, huh..."
Ember Flare: "Well chatting sounds generally preferrable to other alternatives"
Silver Rush: "told them our story, refugees from our dead city, and their leader laid out some ground rules for our new settlement here"
Quick Fix: "Your... story, huh?" Quick remained mostly quiet throughout the whole exchange, but that little note made him quirk a brow.
Ember turns to Quick "We went through quite a lot getting to this island. We've actually only been here for scant few days really"
Saffron crossed her forelegs as she stood there in the middle of the beach, sort of in the open and soaking in the sun for a bit while she just scowled more and more. Turning to Quick Fix, she purses her lip. "We're from Fillydelphia. It's a bit of a story, a really shitty one--for us. Guess you could say we can relate to you since Fillydelphia got bucked over, and now most of the ponies we know are gone... We're all that's left, as far as we know."
Silver Rush looks to saffron "yeah it seemed like they were tribal kinda? They smeared camo patterns on their fur and were equipped with bows. Maybe they were locals first?"
Quick Fix softens his look, regarding both members of the party with an *empathetic* expression. "Ah, I see... well... at least you're here, now. Apart from the bears, it seems like this is a good place to settle... and you're well-armed, too. I'm sure we should be able to build something good here. Maybe with the help of the Vault?"
Saffron's lip purses further into her cheek. She shuffles in place a little bit, almost awkwardly, before turning to Silver when he addresses her. Her first response is an amuse snort through her nostrils and a blink, "Tribal? Is that who we're dealing with?" She asked, not too amused or pleased by that. It was easy to fake, since she really did feel hesitant about it. "Let's hope they don't raid us. They were friendly, right?" She asked. She doesn't ignore Quick Fix however, flashing him a sympathetic smile, and a nod, shuffling a few steps towards him. "That's the best case scenario, mister Quick Fix."
Quick Fix: "Right! Oh, and Saffron... my 18th is a couple months from now. Not that it matters, for now, alone and outside of society. It seems pretty lawless out here - though, Silver, you said something about ground rules for this settlement? There must be a town nearby, then, right?"
Silver Rush: "they seemed peaceful. He didn't seem to mind we were here, just said not to approach their camp etc etc. But that we could stay here. The battle with thr bears is what tipped them off to our position, so they know about that too"
Brickfielder looks down at Quick with surprise. Suddenly he's not the young one of the group. ...He feels old.
Saffron half-opened her mouth to answer Silver when Quick low-key lets on that he's 17, and a doctor. She blinked her eyes, utterly surprised by this for about a second, before smiling at him and nodding in understanding, "Heheh, you'll make us all feel old." She joked, jabbing him gently on the shoulder with her hoof and nodding at him amicably. Then, she'd return her glance to Silver. Taking a moment to soak in the information and let her smile ebb away, nodding along slowly... "Did you ask them about Gatekeeper, maybe?"
Ember Flare: "Oh yeah I didn't want to say anything while that thing was around, but I might possibly do something with those circles. Maybe. I got some feel to the magic but it was very brief"
"Elaborate on 'do something'." Brickfielder makes a conscious effort to not look at the smoke monster while asking Ember.
Ember Flare: "Well they're apparently some sort of doors. perhaps linking each circles together? I can't say yet. It might be risky to mess with them of course but it seemed that gatekeepers attention isn't always on the circles"
Brickfielder: "Doors, or windows, or something. ...You think you can get to one when the Gatekeeper isn't 'looking'...?"
Quick Fix can't help but blush. He's not *that* young... right? "U-uh... well, I'm sure you all aren't that much older than me. You don't look it, that's for sure."Ignored by Silver-senpai, he trots deeper into the camp and has a look around. Five tents... that means he's going to be sleeping with someone, or.. in the boat, maybe?"Hey, uh... where am I going to be sleeping?"
Ember Flare: "Well hopefully... I mean if you think it's a good idea? We should have enough beds, usually at least someone should be keeping watch when others sleep"
Sundancer: "You can sleep in the boat."
Saffron gave Ember a VERY worried look; frowning and half-lowering her ears. "You sure you'll be okay if you do that? Gatekeeper can zap you if he notices, so it'd be a bit of a gamble... But if you're sure, Ember." Saffron says, getting a bit closer to their mutant friendly and, bravely, closer to Smokey.
Saffron: "Oh and also, I think he could sleep in my tent? He's small enough. I'll go roost in the boat, is fine."
Sundancer: "We could finish this cabin tonight if we pulled together, but I'm going to work on fortifications first."
Quick Fix: "Oh, right! I didn't think about that. I guess we can just rotate. No need to give up your tent, Saffron."
Saffron tilts her muzzle upward and stands on her tippy hooves, wings arching by her sides as she goes: "Nnnnnnnnnn'oh." in wholehearted disapproval, "You deserve a reasonably good sleeping place after what happened. AND BESIDES!" The red mare lightly flaps her wings (because she almost falls over from standing on tippy hooves), "I have slept in worse places, and the boat is very safe." She lies through her teeth, nodding to herself.
Brickfielder stays silent. He's not intent on giving up his tent or sharing it with a kid.
Silver Rush: "I mean.. Grab some sticks and a cloth and make a lean to. I can't expect anyone to give up their bed, newbie. You're going to need to pull weight. I'm sure one of them could show lend you a blanket" he cuts off saffrons worry
Saffron pouts something fierce at Silver Rush. But seeing as he's the boss, she snorts loudly in silent disapproval and shrugs it off. She does cast an apologetic glance towards Quick Fix, "Hey, Quick Fix, you want to help me deal with some badgers?"
"U-um.." Quick looks between Silver and Saffron, unsure who exactly to listen to. "A lean-to... I've heard about those, in books.. I'm not sure I could make one. I guess, um, I can... sleep in the boat?"By the look on his face, it is a very unattractive prospect."Badgers? Where? And what do you want me to do about them?"
Saffron beams with a big cheery smile, she beckons him quickly as she rears up on her hind legs excitedly. "Over here, come on! We're gonna try and make them go away, since they might steal our food and be annoying later on. Maybe you can bother them enough with your magic I don't know anything about?"
Quick Fix walks along with Saffron, frowning. "I can heal ponies and ease their pain. Once... I teleported! But I've never been able to do it again. So, um, not very useful skills to deal with Badgers, I think? But I can give you moral support!"
Saffron laughs at the 'moral support' bit, "Alright, moral support." She hip bumps him with a cheeky grin all over her face, "--I've been having trouble even making them come out of their hidey hole, so maybe you can help me out in being patient." She turned her head back towards the trees where she had last seen the badger's hidey hole, "Maybe I should make some bait..."
If Ember was within hearing distance, her ears would definitely twitch at what Quick mentioned, She'd definitely need to talk to that pone
(GM Note): We move onto a time skip for a couple days of time. Everyone contributes to some physical labor for starting to set up wooden palisades for their camp to be. Ember and Quick go deal with an ongoing badger problem. Ember does some musical investigation of the stone circles. Silver tries to follow the tracks of their earthen cloak visiter.
Building the palisade with more or less everyone's help over the next few days will be a lot of work, but doable. You do not have a large camp to defend. Making bindings to keep them straight will take almost more time than felling logs. But with the space you clear from the forest you would have enough room to make a new camp. You can future proof your work by making enough space for cabins in the future. In all you plot out a space some forty feet across, giving you room for a few cabins eventually. After a few days you have made steady progress felling trees and preparing bindings and glues. From here full construction can begin in earnest.Saffron and Quick will manage to get the badgers moved out of their burrow with a bit of controlled smoke and plugging some holes. It will take quite a while to get it right but after a few days the pair can scare the furry monsters off. Silver’s attempt at following the tracks ended at the edge of the beach. These ponies must be pretty well versed in hiding their tracks. It seemed safe to say they likely knew the local area quite well. It would be extremely difficult to follow their movements.Ember Flare would find the smoke monster vanishing on it’s own when she went to sleep that first night. She might have some control over calling it, but had none when it came to forcing it to vanish. When it comes to the stone circles Ember will make some discoveries over the next few days. When Gatekeeper was not actively paying attention to a site their voice was distant. As long as she kept quiet she seemed to be able to avoid drawing attention. When she felt for the door she could get a feel for it, a force that occupied the center of the circle but was largely intangible and very hard to notice. It had no obvious way of entrance or opening however. It could very well not open from this “side.” It would take deeper investigation somewhere to figure what sort of key opened the lock.
Brickfielder's chance to focus on work does help him cope with the ongoing situation. Really, it's the times when he has no work to do that seem to make him antsy, scanning around more, mind wandering to places he'd rather it not. Then he generally tries to busy himself with his gear... but that sword only needs so much cleaning and tending.
Although Quick was only there for 'moral support', saffron still does give him directions; telling to put a bundle of sticks and kindling over there, lighting a small smokey fire--showing him how to do it at the same time, and having him help her plug holes while she scared off the critters with loud noises, angry flapping, and aggressive but brief chasing and stick throwing. For herself, she makes adept use of baits to draw out the badgers as well. And he also allows her to have good company while she does things. By the end of it, she comes back from it a bit sweaty and exhausted from being under the sun so much, but she smiled happily and gave Quick a nice HOOFBUMP for the good work, "How was that, mistah Quick Fix?"
(GM Note): Quick and Sundancer dice off to see if the vault dweller would be able to notice the robot was more than what she appeared. Quick did not notice anything in the first few days.
Quick Fix blushes lightly. Hoof-holding...! But only for a moment. He thinks he did well, despite not really having any idea about animals or fire or bait or anything to do with the surface, really... it's nice to gain a little experience! "It was.. c-cool! I'm not sure I really helped, but.. I'm glad you brought me along. I think I might be able to light a fire, now... or at least get some smoke going."
Saffron pouts at him and goes on her tippy hooves to match his height for but a moment, "Youuu shut the heck up right there, you helped tons." She falls back to the flats of her hooves and nods to herself sagely to underline her statement, "You were good company and you helped me do things a bit faster, that's really good." She nodnods again, looking back to their hoof work and sighing with satisfaction, brushing aside some sweat from her cheeks. "Now all that's left is picking up that radio and checking on your vault..." She said, already stepping off.
Saffron: "And maybe making a lean-to. But I'll be hecked if I let you sleep like crap on your first day with us, that's not cool. You're going in my tent, nuhuh."
It was four days in, eight since the squad arrived here, that the Speaker that Silver Rush had spoken to made another appearance. Silver would be alert enough to catch the cloaked ponies approaching and the speaker breaking off once they were within shouting distance of your camp. Once again the cloaked and painted pony made an obvious approach along the beach, stopping a respectable distance from your camp. Currently Brickfielder, Ember, Sundancer, and Silver were in the camp at the time. “Hello again!” The speaker yelled over the sound of the surf. “I see you are doing well! It is good I can meet some of your companions. May I approach?”
Silver Rush sees the painted ponies approaching and the familiar voice of their speaker. with a quick flourish he dons his salesman persona again "you've returned! come come, what is on your mind, neighbor"
Brickfielder's taken notice of the approach before the shouting started, and looks at Silver as the group gets close. These are people he's familiar with. ...Just to be safe, he makes sure his sword is strapped to him.
Sundancer uses the time she's out of sight to move next to the tent her rifle is in and stand still
Ember attempts to put on a friendly face
The stallion earthen cloak approached your camp and slowly drew out a bundle wrapped in cloth about a foot square. He offered the bundle to Silver Rush when nearby, it had three loaves of that nut bread that, while not warm, smelled fresh. “A small gift. I wished to check up on how you were fairing. It seems my timing is good to meet a few more of you at camp. It looks like you have done quite a bit of work since last time.”
Silver Rush: "yes yes, when your first introduction to this land are wild vicious bears, it pays to be cautious. cant have any animals ripping us to shreds at night, wouldn't you agree?"
Ember Flare: "Well nice to make your acquaintance, seems we just missed you when we were helping out this poor lad in the forest"
Brickfielder elects to follow Silver Rush up, keeping his wings folded tight at his side and his head up. He'd been keeping himself as well-kept as he could during this time, so considers himself still plenty presentable. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. Silver told us about you, given we did indeed miss you last time."
Tree Feller would generally keep a respective distance from Sundancer, brickfielder, and ember. But he gave each of them a nod of greeting in turn. He moved from small talk fairly quickly. “I have spoken with outour leader, Robin Hood, regarding your presence as well as the druids regarding the attack on you by the magical beasts. In time, once he is comfortable with your intent here our leader intends to come speak with you in person. I cannot say what he has planned, except that it should improve our relations. As for the attack, it seemed that another group on the island, likely those from Trottingham, have recently angered the masters of the magical beasts. Their masters however tend to be indiscriminate in retaliation for slights. Our druids have made efforts to mend their temperament.”
Brickfielder keeps a serious face, not at all betraying his internal reaction to the mention of 'another group' angering the magical beings. "...It's certainly an issue we're not used to dealing with."
Ember Flare: "Oh, anything we should know not to make them more irritated than they are?"
Tree Feller nodded to Ember once again and noted “You have likely seen stone and mushroom fairy circles in the woods. It is best that you avoid entering them, particularly at night. Especially so when wearing iron. Otherwise simply avoid the magical beasts that are sometimes found in the deeper woods. They do not act like normal animals and the larger ones hunt for sport. You look to have the right idea in setting up defenses for yourselves.”
Ember Flare: "You mentioned this Trottingham place? We're obviously a bit at loss on the island so we'd appreciate any pointers you might have"
The earthen cloak stallion tries to keep his pleasant persona, but seems unable to keep the naked disdain from his voice when speaking about Trottingham. “There is a city on the northern edge of the isle that is full of the small minded and childish. They cling to relics of the old world and refuse to listen when it comes to matters of harmony with the natural world.” He tightens up a bit. “But, hmm. I am unsure how large populations are on the mainland. But the city has some sixty thousand ponies and griffons living within and on it’s surrounding ,smaller islands.The griffons keep contact with the griffon lands to the east for trade. Getting past their self focused nature, the inhabitants are mostly honest folk. I would not say you should avoid them, but the trek to the city would force you through our lands, or to cross the mountains. Although you all seem to have wings, so perhaps crossing the mountains is not a major problem?”
Brickfielder: "It would... not be easy, necessarily. But, certainly not as bad as trying to scale mountains on hoof."
Silver Rush: "sixty thousand....would we be able to get into the city as normal? while we dont have much a city that size should provide opportunity to acquire more goods for us to survive out here. or potential work. And of course we wouldn't want to trespass through your lands to do so, but we might need some directions to navigate to it"
(GM Note): Silver rush tested Questioning to pull information in a friendly conversation. He succeeded.
Your group learns a bit more of the earthen cloaks and their leader robin hood, at least directly from them. You hear a bit that was in your reports. They are a separatist group from Trottingham that split a decade ago due to differences in beliefs. The earthen cloaks have a reverence for nature and have an aversion to technologies they cannot craft out of natural, unrefined materials. Trottingham is full of failing technology from the old world that they cannot maintain, but it still gives them a fairly decadent life that hurts the island's forests. They consider the city fairly toxic, but understand that it is only the higher ups that make it that way and keep that status quo. Their group numbers about two thousand and is split into a few specialtys. The watchers are their border patrolser and rangers. The speakers are their smallest group but keep relations with Trottingham stable, including converting some of the population to their ways. The druids are spiritually attuned ponies who deal with matters of magic and faith. Everyone is trained for combat and survivalism however. The most important and odd thing you learn though is their leader, Robin Hood, is ordained and chosen by a magical artifact granted to them by the masters of the magical creatures. It grants their leader great wisdom and keen senses. The artifact chose the bearer itself when their group formed.
Sundancer decides early on that reacting to any of this information in the slightest way could be disastrous so tries to play the part of an inanimate object as much as their ideology becomes more and more concerning to her. Luckily standing at attention silently is a skill she mastered in boot camp.
(GM Note):The following segment is an out of session role play between Saffron and Quickfix’s players. It is provided here mainly for potential context and entertainment.)
Quick Fix:
"Oh.. but doesn't that mean you have to sleep outside? It.. it d-doesn't feel right to just... kick you out." Quick frowns some. It's not a nice look for him... but, in the future, she might see worse faces. Things... will be rough, for him, in time.
Saffron:
Saffron rolled her eyes with a minor annoyance, slowing down just so she can turn around and look at him more directly. "You're not kicking me out. I'm kicking myself out so you can sleep better--there's a difference." She stares at him in the eyes with purpose and intent, a distinct determination in her fiery copper-colored eyes. "It would make me happier knowing you're sleeping better after all that's happened. Help eachother out." She smirked, lightly giving him an off-hoof slap on the chest. "Aight?" She hit with that, grinning as they paused there and she waited for his response.
Quick Fix:
The colt recoiled at the look in her eyes, naturally submitting to such a show of confidence and force. It was out of compassion for him, though... a strange combination. He let out a yelp when she smacked his chest.. it was kinda cute! And still quite androgynous. "Alright, alright! But we'd better find a way to make both of us comfy in the future, yeah? It's not great for anypony to spend the night outside, especially if it rains.. and I don't think the others are focusing on getting those cabins up any time soon." Then, though, an idea strikes him. "Wait... how big are those tents, exactly?"
Saffron:
Saffron's brow furrows slightly as he yelps from her light smack. She coughs out a chuckle, then she bites her lips and snickers--softly wheezing, but she contains her laughter as her ears flick down and then up again once; looking him up and down once... Before he sees her slightly shaking her head at him with a big smirk. She listens to what he has to say, rubbing at her cheek to massage away her smirk. Then she lifts an eyebrow at his question... Before her looks flattens slightly as she quickly connects the dots. "Well, they're one-pony tents. Brickfielder is huge so he has the bigger two-pony tent for himself. It'd be a bit of a squeeze if we both went into one; even if we're both tiny." She turned her head slightly, looking at him from sidelong briefly.
Quick Fix:
All Quick can do in response to that laughter is scrunch up and blush. So what if it didn't hurt? So what if he was startled because he was all tense from her strong attitude? He's not... weak! "A-ahem! Well. I.. wouldn't mind, I don't think? It'd be... new, that's for sure, but I suppose we could always put something thin between us if it was a little too tight."
Saffron:
Saffron just smiled with a mixture of amusement and genuine warmth at his scrunchy blush, crossing her forelegs as they had now stopped there to talk. "Well uh," She downcasts her eyes as she considers lying through her teeth for a moment, "I--uhm..." She swallowed her lip and suddenly her face became much more meek; her smile fading as her eyes darted with a slight panic. "I'veneversleptwithanyponyelseasidemymom." She rapidly confesses in one breath. Then, taking a breath, she looks up at him, "Muchlessastallion BUT--" She laughs nervously, grinning a bit more forcefully as she lifts a hoof to rub the side of her neck, "I don't--care?" She lied, nodding to herself once and giving a quick shrug with her wings; looking off to the side as she speaks. "I'm okay with it. If it makes you feel better it's fine by me. Though--we wouldn't be able to really put anything in between us without making it really uncomfortable..." She said, her tone deflating to a whisper by the end of it. Wings tucking onto her back.
Quick Fix:
That... was some serious fluster. Not even Quick could rise to such heights of apparent embarrassment. "O-oh. Um. You seem... a little... uncomfortable with it? I.. think, as long as I'm someplace I won't get rained on - it rains here, right? - then I.. should be fine. Perhaps if we overturn the boat, I can use it for cover and sleep on the sand. As long as I have a blanket underneath me, it should be at least... comfortable."
Saffron:
Saffron half-extends her wings as she goes: "NONONO--I'm--totally comfortable!" Saffron states with a flick up of her hoof, a gesture so quick it accidentally flicks some sand at Quick's boots as the small mare scrunches her muzzle like an accordion, "--It's fine, really; we'll sleep back to back, it's not--not an issue." She wiggled her snout, pouting at him for mentioning the boat again. "I'm not making you sleep on the boat. Or under it." She stated matter-of-factly. Stamping her hoof on the ground aggressively! "--And yes it does rain. Also gets super foggy." She looked at the sky once, then back down to Quick within the same second. Still sporting that pout.
Quick Fix:
"Oh. Okay! Okay!" He raised a hoof in defeat, shying back from the red mare as before. She was very strong when she wanted to be..! At least, in personality. Quick had no idea how strong the mare was physically. Hopefully, he'd never have to find out. "Well... alright. You sure you wouldn't want a blanket or something between us? Just, so it's less.. um... less a-awkward. You know...?"
Saffron:
Saffron's wings quickly fold back onto her back; flicking up along her back a little bit with a hint of nervousness as she fixes him the most scrunchy pout he'd ever seen for a good silent 2 seconds... Eyes darting as she thinks about it... Then: "Fine..." She muttered, with much more disappointment in her voice than she probably intended to show; which immediately made her pin her ears as she fixed her look on him again, nodding her head once. "I do have emergency blankets in my baggage; shouldn't be an issue to put something between us. It'd just be a bit uncomfy, maybe, kinda." She muttered, nickering softly as she turned around with a slightly lowered head; glaring around them as if to check for any eavesdroppers as she resumed walking across the beach to their camp, just so they can briefly steal the large, almost backpack sized scavenged portable radio kit (by asking permission from Silver possibly).
Quick Fix:
"...hm." Quick noticed that little twinge of disappointment evident in Saffron's features. Why would she... want their backs to be bare and together? Perhaps she wanted the warmth, the softness... it was a little strange to him, though. They would be naked...! Sleeping together! Naked! Nothing but their fur between their butts! What was the red pega getting at exactly? "Well, I suppose we should hurry back. There's probably still work to do."
Saffron:
"There is, kinda. I don't know if you're good at building palisades and stuff..." Saffron remarked back to him in reply, half-turning her head to look back towards him with that confident smirk again; despite the slight blush evident on her ears in spite of the red colored fur. "Plus we haven't figured out how to contact your vault, either... Gotta work on that." She adds, wrying her lips into a bitter frown, turning ahead again as she ambled along.
Quick Fix:
"Right.. well, it was probably encrypted. I'm not really a tech kind of pony... and the robot, she deals with medicine, I'm not she's really... programmed for that either. So our best bet is just sending her in and seeing what happens, after we give the broadcast another listen. Still not great... but it's our best chance at finding out what's really going on in there."
Saffron:
Saffron grumbles a quiet: "Me neither. Makes me angry." as she remained alongside him, turning her head to fully listen to him; both ears flicking down slightly as he speaks. "Breaking and entry then?" Saffron chewed the inside of her cheek as she looked off with a squint, "We'll have to get the proper tools, maybe. We don't have power tools laying around but..." She pauses to look down to the variety of tools she had on her webbing vest, covered in pouches of different types, clip-on harnesses, ropes... Plus the backpack of stuff she lugged around. "We'll give it a closer look tomorrow and with some luck we can figure out exactly what we need, and find a way to get it." She nods to herself. Then glanced ahead slightly more, "... Guess uh..." She lowers her voice, and then just ends up going quiet. If he'd look at her, he would see her just sloooowly looking away from him while tightening her lips shut.
Quick Fix:
"Probably. Or... maybe the Overseer will lift the lockdown, things will return to normal, and we can join forces with the Vault... though. Things are rarely that easy in these kinds of situations, huh..?" Quick sighed. His PipBoy probably contained significant power or software to help him mess with the Vault's systems, but he lacked both the skill and know-how to make use of it. The more time he spent with the squad, the more he was feeling useless... the doctor-bot seemed confident, he had little strength to help out around the camp, and his skill and knowledge with the outside word was limited to the few things he'd read in books - fiction and non-fiction. "Not sure where we'll find power tools just... lying around. But, heck, maybe that nearby settlement has something like that...?" He tilted his head at the way she was acting. But... failed to comment. His interpersonal skills were okay, but too weak to really tell or have the confidence to investigate what was going on with her.
Saffron:
"--We'll figure something out." Saffron, albeit with a more gentle tone, insists with confidence that things will work out. Her eyes didn't look at him, but she smiled earnestly as she spoke, "... Things will...-- Work out in the end." She said. Her voice stiffened, wanting to sound confident but not managing it entirely--her voice hitching with a sliver of doubt that lingered in her voice. But then that doubt quickly passes, and finally she half-turned her head to look at him with her sides from sidelong. "Au--hm--" She half-opened her mouth, wanting to say something. But nothing coherent comes out, she just smiles sheepishly and chuckles to herself, glancing off a moment then looking to him again as her hoof scuffs the ground audibly mid-step--making her half-stumble forward, but she kept going without skipping a beat. "Gosh dang its--I uh, do you-- I--" She scrunchies her muzzle something fierce. And then makes a noise when she realizes she's being bad at the whole talking thing. "Mrrgmrrr."
Quick Fix:
The unicorn watched her fumble and stutter, seemingly for no good reason. What was she caught up on? Well... the topic - her beginning - 'we'll work something out; things will work out in the end'. ...hm. Perhaps the pegasus needed reassurance. "H-hey, it's... I'm sure it will be fine. Sure, we can't get into the Vault right now, and it looks bad, but maybe the Overseer really does have things under control? And, if he doesn't, maybe we can find a way to get in? This can... go right. And we'll find a way. It's going to be... i-it's going to be okay, Saffron. I believe in us."
Saffron:
Saffron fully stopped walking at that point, again. She pinned her left ear and flicked the other half-up in his direction to listen, but didn't look at him; instead staring at her own boot-clad hooves as her tail slowly sweeped behind her with an increasing nervousness, and her wings shuffled along her back. Her eyes seemed really distant as she seemingly got caught up on... Something. "I--I believe in us too, Quick Fix." She quickly speaks up, albeit softly and without her usual bravado. There was honesty in her voice, but she did not have much in the way of conviction. "... I have a lot on my mind, is all." She wried her lip into a frown, sighing through her nose as her hoof scuffs the dirt.
Quick Fix:
"You should. The rest of the group... they're capable. Different, unique in their own ways... but they'll figure a way around anything. And you, you'll never give up. You have... that spirit." Quick, too, had stopped walking. Things had surely been rough on them all in recent times. Saffron just needed... a little boost. "Just... try and take your mind off for a moment. We had fun trying to drive out the beavers, didn't we..? We'll keep doing that. We'll work towards making this place livable and help each other. Help the Vault. Heck, maybe join the ponies nearby, one day - or make our own settlement! It's exciting." He gave her a gentle nudge - but.. no, that wasn't enough. Inspired by the confidence of an earlier butt-bump, he leant in and wrapped his forelegs around her neck in a side-hug.
Saffron:
Saffron winced as he just kept encouraging her and being nice to her. She smiled genuinely to him telling her she has 'that spirit'; while a soft chuckle escaped through her nostrils and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She still didn't look at him as he kept speaking, and being nice. Her smile fades, albeit slowly. "That--... That sounds nice, yeah." She mutters, gritting her teeth as the mere statement hurts her emotionally; wincing a little more as her eyes suddenly do dart towards him after the nudge, looking at his hoof. Then at him as he side-hugged her. Her eyes winking shut for a second as she truly looked sad, in a way she could not hide by just being stoic or smiling; eyes glistening wetly in the sunlight. "Fuck." Is all she managed to say at first, giggling as her voice cracks. "Hehehnngh--Just--" She doesn't lean away from his hug, despite herself, "--Just stop being nice to me for a second." She throws out a huge sigh.
Quick Fix:
Quick's smile began to fade as his behaviour seemed only to make her more melancholy... and the mood spread to him, too, even if he wasn't sure why either of them were sad. He was helpless to keep himself from empathising with this poor mare, whatever it was exactly she was going through. Whatever was making her want to reject his kindness as if she didn't deserve it. "Hey." His voice had deepened; the bass was softer and more soothing than his usual pitch.. and perhaps, in that moment, Saffron could tell what Quick really was. He was... opening up to her, instead of gaining distance; instead of shying away from her inexplicable sadness, he was making himself more vulnerable in an attempt to help the pegasus. "I don't know what you've been through. I don't know where you came from. I don't know who you are. But... you, you're a pony. Whatever you've done... whatever's been done to you... you're deserving of kindness." He leant down his head and nuzzled into her cheek.
Saffron:
It did not help. Saffron's ears pinned as he subtly changed his tone with her, and her wings tensed up tangibly--the other that wasn't currently against Quick weakly flapping once, flap, before returning to her back to nervously flick up and down nervously. Her eyes pointedly looked away from him to avoid eye contact, but did not lean away from his sudden affection. Specifically, she subtly flicked her head back a little bit from his mouth when it nuzzled into her cheek. But not instantly. As she swallowed dryly again, he could hear the squeak going down her voice as she closed her eyes and whispers pleadingly to the air. "This isn't fair... It's not." Her face grimaces into a wince as a tear does drip down her cheek from her eye, but she doesn't acknowledge it as she turns more towards Quick Fix. Her face flat at first. Inhaling sharply to regain some composure. "Not everypony deserves kindness, Quick Fix." She whispered to him. Despite how hard she tried to look cold, her tone was still gentle. "You do, for sure, but--" She pauses, looking away from his eyes. "... You don't know me, okay? I don't..." She stops there, unsure of how to continue.
Quick Fix:
Many little ideas and theories were floating around in Quick's head, but he didn't let anything take. It wasn't about solving Saffron; it was about helping her. Comforting her. And, hoh, did this poor little red horse need comfort. Even if she didn't seem to want to accept it… For some time, Quick did nothing but listen, and then stay silent. He moved his muzzle down to her neck, where he could nuzzle a little easier without making it hard for her to look around and speak. ...also made it harder to lean out of it, too. "You're right. I don't know you. But... you don't know me, either. It doesn't matter what someone has done in the past. All that matters is who they are here and now. And you... you're the nicest pony I've met out here. Nicer than anypony back home. Talking to you.. I could almost forget today." Quick still hadn't let go of her and his grip grew even tighter. "Something's tearing you up, bad. Maybe it's something that happened to you. Maybe it's something you've done. But nothing.. nothing is so bad that you are undeserving of my help. Of anypony's help. Alright?" His voice cracked, a little, but there were no tears.
Saffron:
Saffron's eyes followed him as he nuzzled into her neck, her expression wincing a bit more. He was close enough to hear her heart drumming against her ribs deep within her chest; quickened by some strong emotion that she wasn't truly showing. Her head shifts back predictably to try to lean back a bit more, but she doesn't put much effort into resisting and ends up just letting him do what he was doing. Flicking up and ear to listen closely, while her eyes finally do focus entirely on him; even if they do not really make eye contact for longer than a second. Her eyes narrowed slightly to something he had said, hastily flicking up a foreleg to brush off a tear with her sleeve while she spoke with a thicker, stiff voice; "What do you mean--back home? Nicer than back home? H-how is that even--possible?" She asked, in disbelief, furrowing her brow as she scoffs a little and mutters on a quieter note: "I-I'm not that nice, come on." She purses her lip into her cheek. Sniffling once. "Heh--all--all I did was try to help a little bit... Is all. You needed it." Then spends a moment actually looking at him in the eyes. And after a couple seconds, she sighed heavily and averted her eyes, but started to lean a little more against him; shuffling more towards him and leaning her side into him. Though she doesn't hug back, just tilts her head to allow him to nuzzle her neck like he was already.
Quick Fix:
That little heart beat so strongly... Was it the contact? Her past? Something... else? Quick couldn't know. He hoped, at least, some part of this was helping her feel better. That was all he was really good for. Making ponies feel better... physically, mentally... and feeling what they felt. He couldn't quite understand it, but at least he could use it to try and lift them from their emotional pits. "Back at home, I... wasn't really anypony. Sure, my scores were good, and dedicated myself to my job, but, I.. never really fit in. Doctors aren't common down in the Vault." He reached one of his hooves up to stroke her mess of a mane, relieving some of the pressure. "With you, today... it felt like.. I mattered. Like somepony cared about me. Like... I was unique. N-not just... special." His voice really was wavering, then, losing some of its bass as tears threatened to run down his cheeks. Not yet, though.. not yet. He'd cry when he had the privacy not to be strong. "Ponies help their friends when.. when they need it. And you t-tried your best to make me feel as nice as possible, today," he sniffled, "and I'll never forget it. I'll never forget it. Okay? So.. stop beating yourself up."
Saffron:
She seemed to squint slightly as she dedicated all of her attention to listening and comprehending what he was telling her, about how it was for him in the vault. And as he shares his feelings with her. And then pet her mane. Her head ducked slightly like a cat that still wasn't sure if to accept it or refuse it; but with a soft nicker she ended up accepting it, as her head stayed low so that he could more easily access her head. Her mane was short much like his own, rough from the sea salt and from not being washed daily, tangled up a bit from not having been combed in a good while; but still soft enough to brush through. Saffron's lips tugged into a frown at his last statement. Looking at him in the eyes for a moment, both of their eyes at least a little bit yet as they shared some emotion. Herself against better judgement and advice. "Fine..." She simply muttered to him in response. And then began to just glance forward again, then back to him. "... I always thought that doctors were the best kind of ponies though. My mom is--was... A doctor." She darts her eyes off to the side a little bit as she says that, "And she was the best. Doctors are really really important. You're very important and useful--you showed it to me." She nodded her head to herself, recovering her smile--as well as some of the energy in her voice, the more she spoke. "But..." She adds softly, her voice decreasing again as before. Only to look at him again, and inhale sharply to regain her smile a bit more, "--Look I am happy that you would call me a friend and--and I think you would make a great friend for me. I like you, Quick Fix. But I don't want you to get too attached to me, okay? A lot of things could happen... And you could end up disappointed." She said. And then, for the first time, lifts her hoof up to touch him. If only just so she can put the side of her boot clad hoof against his chest. It wasn't really an embrace, but it was a gentle touch.
Quick Fix:
"Saffron... what comes in the future, neither of us can know. For now... while we are safe... while things are how they are... we can take care of each other. We can be friends. Things change; they always change. But... sometimes... it's important to live in the present." He seemed to have more to say, but he kept his muzzle shut, for now. Those details... they were outside of what was important. She was important; not Quick. Not the others. Not what her past held. With his hoof brushing against his chest, Quick sighed softly. They were for him to worry about, though. She was keeping something back from him... something she felt terribly about. Something that could separate them. Though... it was useless to worry about something like that. If it happened, it happened; if the pegasus felt the need to tell him, she would. And maybe it was something he'd never have to deal with. The thought was buried, but that little twinge remained. He hummed softly. The unicorn was torn between snuggling her right in the middle of the forest, or... urging their return to camp. Hmn... well... maybe they could rest, for a bit. Quick suggested with the hoof still on Saffron's neck for her to lower a bit.
Saffron:
Saffron stayed quiet after that statement. She didn't even open her mouth to struggle out a reply; pausing to briefly dart her eyes and think this over... Before her eyes shifted further down to Quick's muzzle as it brushed so insistently on the side of her neck. Then her eyes darted sideward as his hoof as it urged her to lower. It took a few seconds for Saffron to comply. But after about 3 seconds, she starts to bend her forelegs and curl in her hinds to slowly start to lay down on her belly. Swallowing her lip and chewing the inside of her cheek with lingering nervousness--tail sweeping the grass as it touched it, but stilling once she had carefully settled down fully and the weight of all her gear and weapons jingled and clattered softly against her body. Then lowered her chin slightly to rest it over his head, looking down to him with a concerned, tense stare.
Quick Fix:
Quick said nothing. In fact, he closed his eyes, softly stroking her mane and nuzzling into her neck while one hoof rested across her shoulders. They'd picked a good spot to lay; it was soft, dry dirt, and would brush off with a good roll in the grass. There, they could spend as much time as they liked.. well, until the sunlight began to wane, at least. His movements remained as gentle and caring as ever all the while. Stroking, nuzzling... occasionally he'd open one eye to check on her, before closing it and returning himself to the moment. His tail slowly slid across the grass until it met hers... and rested atop it, the hairs mingling with each other while spread out on the ground. There was some gear between their bodies, but it didn't matter - not to Quick. He still felt the closeness.
Saffron:
She did not embrace him like he was at the time. But allowed him to snuggle her as he pleased, while she merely tilted her head to expose her neck, and smiled gently when he opened his eyes to look at her. But that smile died off quickly, as her eyes drifted away towards the distance. And she sighed heavily, with a quivering voice while her hoof lifted, brushing her cheek with her sleeve as she silently started to tear up again. After having brushed her second tear, she lets the hoof limply fall to the grass with a defeated look to her. Looking to him again... Nickering softly and nudging her head against his pets. Letting almost a minute pass like that, in silence. Finally able to take in the sounds and smells of the forest, even if she couldn't fully pay attention to it with all that was going through her mind. Eventually, Saffron lifted a hoof towards him, to his chin. She puts her hoof there, and starts to gently, veeery gently urge him to look up and lift his head; until they'd be muzzle to muzzle again. "You know, Quick Fix... I've... Never really seen friends that snuggle each other like this." She smirked as she said that, amusement in her voice despite the sad look in her eyes. "... You're so painfully sweet I might catch diabetes..." She whispered, her voice, despite herself, oozing with affection.
Quick Fix:
That 'defeat'... the giving in to enjoying herself with him... that was exactly what Quick was looking for. A certain warmth spread through him as, though he knew all was still not well, Saffron returned the affection he'd been practically smothering her with. It felt good... like he'd accomplished something. Like he'd helped her, at least a little. And so they kept on like that, near-silently snuggling each other for a minute or so. He returned her nickers, quietly. He certainly wasn't expecting her to make any moves, though. So... as Saffron brought his snoot up to hers - he didn't resist, of course - a blush that had been threatening to spread across his cheeks finally broke free of his control and put some red into that vibrant green. He'd never been so close to another mare's muzzle before like this... it was... intimate. "C..come now," Quick tried his best to keep a straight face, but her words tweaked the corners of his mouth up, "your mother was a doctor. You should know that you can't catch diabetes..." That was just stalling, though. They were so close... and her words were dripping with affection. "To.. t-to be truthful... I've never really snuggled anypony before. I just did what felt natural.. what felt.. r-right. It felt right to help you, Saffron..."
Saffron:
Saffron smiled a bit more as he tried to keep a straight face like he was. Then, at his reply, she bites her lip as she snickers--nearly laughing at at him; ducking her muzzle down a bit to conceal the extent of her mirth, and just how much she is enjoying this. "Hehahah... Shut the hell up..." She tells him, sweetly; shaking her head at him. Then, looking back and straightening her muzzle again, she just spent a moment looking at him and smiling warmly. "Thank you, Quick." She whispered to him. Then, downcasting her eyes sheepishly for a moment, she actually leans to nuzzle into his cheek, and brush her face against his own with perhaps a bit too much affection than she would've preferred to let on. Her cheeks were already red from her fur, but her eartips were practically crimson at this point. She kept it at that however, sighing heavily before she leaned her head away from his quickly before anything else happened. "... Maybe..." her words drift off, and her eyes shift from his; looking into the distance again. "--I really like... This. With you." She admits, on a tiny, sad note. "... Maybe when you get to know me better, we can, uhm..." She chuckles nervously and dips her muzzle down to look at the dirt. Biting her lip again. "ᴺ⁻ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳᵐᶦⁿᵈ..." She whispered through her teeth.
Quick Fix:
For a few moments, there, Quick had almost expected her to lean in and do something else... but, just as soon as she'd pulled him up, Saffron leant away, cutting the moment short. Well.. that was okay. Maybe.. that was a bit soon, considering they'd met only hours ago. The brushing, the nuzzling, the warm tones and affectionate smiles... well, it was infectious! He couldn't help but beam back at her. That was, of course, until she pulled away. And it was back to listening. "Listen... Saffron. When I told you to live in the moment... I meant it. Whatever you fear... whatever you dread... when you're with me, it... it goes away. At least, for a little. Don't focus on anything else. Just focus on me, the trees, the sounds of the forest." The hoof on her mane kept stroking, but his other slid down to her chin to lift it, just as she had with his. Not so.. close this time, though. Just so their eyes could meet. "There's nothing else. Just us and the birds. You don't need to be anypony, here. Just.. yourself." He kept up that soft gaze into her eyes. His were big and.. well, concerned. Those deep magenta irises sparkled with the fading light of the day. "Tomorrow isn't here. Just today..."
Saffron:
Her neck relaxes to rest her chin fully against his hoof, while her own moving from his chin and up to his cheek; cupping his cheek and lightly brushing it with her fetlock and the side of the hoof as her mouth weakly opens to speak a rebuttal... Which didn't come. After a second, her mouth closes, her eyes dart around a little more to give everything a little more thought. "I do live in the moment." She finally spoke, softly but with conviction. "I just thought you deserved better than me. With all good things--there's always a catch, same with me. But..." Her voice strengthens, as does the look in her eyes as she truly focused her fiery coppery colored eyes to his own magenta ones. "... I guess you're right." She sighed through her nostrils, against his face given the closeness. She spends another long second looking at him. Then starts to smile a little more as her wing extends across his back to give him a wing-hug. Then leaned in with her muzzle, nuzzling into his cheek again--more slowly now, and put a soft kiss on his lips. She holds it for two seconds, before leaning away to break it and just linger their muzzles against each other while her eyes just shoot off to the side and her ears are fully pinned on her head.
Quick Fix:
Words escaped Quick in those pauses he was allowed. He needn't say anything, though. It was enough to hear her voice, soft but unbroken, unhindered by what had been holding her back. It was enough to feel her touch, the convicted sigh against his muzzle; to see her finally meet his gaze with confidence. His smile had never quite left, but it came back then in force. The warm look in his eyes was shortly replaced with surprise. Those two seconds seemed to stretch for minutes. He'd never felt another pony's lips with his own, and Saffron's... they were incredibly soft, just like his own. And her eyes, they burnt with that spirit and strength. It almost seemed unbefitting for her to show weakness after she pulled away - and the embarrassment he surely felt was almost immediately forgotten, if not by the blood in his cheeks. Quick leant forward, heart thumping rapidly in his chest, to kiss at her for just a little longer.
Saffron:
Her head flicked back veeerryy slightly, as if she still had some hesitation for the whole act. But within that same second, her eyes flicked back to his own to make eye contact whilst he returned her kiss with his own. The pegasus' eyes hooding slowly, slightly, as she truly relaxes in the kiss and nuzzles into his cheek as she gives him one more smooch in tandem with his kiss while her hoof rests affectionately against his cheek still... Another minute or so passes, which feels like 10 in the moment. They were so close against each other that both of their hearts pounded in their respective chests with such strength that they could really feel each other's individual beats. But before it becomes more intimate than that, Saffron puts a hoof to his chest gently to lightly push against him--not enough to really move him, but more so to signal to 'stop', as she reluctantly brings her head back from his and breaks the kiss once more; which had left her almost breathless as she softly gasped and sighed against his snout. "We--we... We can't go any further--than this..." She tells him in between slightly heavy breaths, "... Alright?..." She looked at him intently. The fiery look she carried within her eyes slightly stifled by the sheer affection, and love, that she met his glance with.
Quick Fix:
Their muzzles pressed together for so, so much longer... in that moment, it was truly as if they were the only two ponies in the world. Quick felt like hours had passed by the time it broke, and he too was left panting against her. Their hooves still rested on each others' bodies, though he'd noticed Saffron had pushed him away, only slightly. He'd let her lead... the mare probably had a little more experience than he did. "Y..yeah -- that's.. that's, fine." There was a twinge of disappointment in his voice, though it sounded as if even he didn't quite register it. His eyes were full of pure, unfiltered affection, the strength of which had probably driven the usually reserved pony to draw her into another kiss. He leant his head past hers and gave her neck a single nuzzle, just as before. He was still panting and his horn brushed her mane a little. Quick could feel her pulse through her neck, and Saffron hit through the fluff of his chest; both heartbeats, regardless of training, had heightened staggeringly. There was no danger... but it had been exhilarating. And it had been real. "Do you want to go b-back to camp now - or?" Weakness had returned to the unicorn's voice. The nervousness of it all was catching up with him.
Saffron:
Saffron's head leaned against his, nuzzling against his cheek and brushing her cheek against his with some additional chaste affection to match his own. Her eyes flicking up a bit to eye that horn as it poked through her mane like that once, then back down to him again. She holds a moment of silence after his last question. Just slowly brushing her cheek on his and smiling warmly at him, looking up to keep an eye on their surroundings--still at least partially alert in spite of things. "Yes... There's nothing left to do here, for now." She finally answered after several seconds of delay; and with that said, she sighed happily through her nose and leaned her head away from his, reaching up with a hoof to very lightly boop him on the snout with the tip of her hoof, "Best regroup with the others, and see what they are up to... Maybe there's still something we can help with." She starts to lightly apply a teeny tiny bit more push to his chest to urge him off from hugging her, her wing slowly retracting to her back. "And... Don't tell them about this, alright?... They'll never let me live it down." She smirked with a bit of amusement, despite the seriousness in her voice.
Quick Fix:
Her hoof couldn't hold him back from giving her a short hug and a parting kiss on the cheek, though he soon pulled away from her fluffy warmth (rather reluctantly) and stood, offering her a hoof up. Quick seemed... worried, again, and plenty nervous, but that affection and a hint of love remained in his gaze. "I won't tell a soul; you have my word, Saffron. They.. might get ideas if they catch us sleeping in t-the same tent, though..." Their moment had ended. It was time for the colt to begin milling things over in his mind... sorting and managing threads and conclusions... there was really nothing much he could tell yet from the deep guilt and sadness Saffron had expressed, but at least for the next few weeks, he'd stay plenty observant of her behaviour and the interactions between her and the others. While he couldn't bring himself to interrogate her on what exactly she felt so terrible about, he could potentially learn something about the red pegasus from her companions.
(End of Saffron/Quick Fix ERP Interlude)
You have been in your camp for over a week when you felt you had time and sufficient privacy for Silver rush to sneak out of camp with the radio gear to make your report. You radioed out about your context with the earthen cloaks, your encounter with large enemies, your rescue of the vault dweller, and the situation regarding the vault. Silver would be in contact with Cloudy Forecast directly and could get a direct response on how to proceed. The issue though is Cloudy Forecast would give him options compared to just answers.Your progress with the rebel faction was good. Speak with their leader and continue to build good relations with them. Your current goal is information gathering so attempt to extract anything you could. Getting access to their territory would give you the best insight. Work towards this. In regards to the vault and circumstances surrounding it she could offer some choices. If you felt rescuing the kidnapped dwellers was a viable avenue to get the encryption codes and access you could attempt to bargain with the U.I.I. (under investigation infrared) through offering gold. How you would acquire it would be up to you, but it would likely involve going to Trottingham due to their mine. She could not offer more direct information due to it being classified. As an alternative Sea Spray could be sent with equipment to dead drop for you, letting you cut your way into the vault to further sabotage it for later acquisition. The residents inside are not a priority. This can be done as long as you do not blow your cover with your primary objective. Securing the vault is secondary.
Having settled to routine Ember would at some time approach the infrared"Hey Quick, do you have a moment?"
Ember Flare "I haven't really had many changes to talk to a unicorn and I was wondering what sort of magic you're able to do?"
Quick Fix looked up at Ember, blinking, from... whatever it was that he was doing. Fiddling with his hooves. Who knows. "Oh, um... sure. I can soothe the pain of ponies and I can... 'put them back together', so to speak. Healing, in other words. I can also do telekinesis, but every unicorn I've ever met could do that as well."He tilted his head at Ember. "None of the pegasi in the vault could do magic, though..."
Ember Flare "Ah.. well I think I'm a bit of a special case. Which is why I am interested in finding out how you natural spellcasters are doing it"
"Well that healing magic sure does sound handy, guess you did pretty well for yourself in the vault with that kind of skill"
Quick Fix hummed, and then shrugged after a few moments of thought. "I never received much formal education about it. I remember something about 'ambient mana', or something, and how our horns let us use it... for the most part, though, healing was just natural to me. It sure helped me get into being a doctor!"
(GM Note):There was a cut OOC discussion about how the group would want to proceed next. They realize they should be discussing IC about the vault and options. They presume Ember is distracting Quick Fix away from the rest of the group.
Sundancer "If they're dead of radiation poisoning, I'll position them outside by the entrance. If they're not, I'll hurry it up. Do you think negotiating is even worth it? They don't seem to want our help."
Ember Flare "Soo.. would you say you're an average unicorn with magic? Have you practiced anything... uh like... spells? I'm a bit lost with the proper terminology here"
Ember gives a weak smile
Quick Fix "Umn... actually, I've never *learnt* a spell like a scholar. I picked up my spells naturally. Once, I even teleported all on my own!... but, I never managed to do it again..."
Quick Fix returned the smile kindly. "It's okay. I don't either."
Brickfielder glances over his shoulder to make sure Quick is well-occupied with Ember, before turning back to Sundancer. "Wish I had a good answer to that..."
Sundancer "Silver can try and get their radio frequency again. Otherwise I don't think I'll have a choice."
Silver Rush wrangles his squad that isn't distracted, flapping gums with the filthy infrared "doesn't command regularly crack open these vaults? I'm sure they'd be interested in assisting if we told them one was here"
Ember Flare "Ah well. I guess we're both kind of amateurs. So what do you think about doing with that situation your home seems to be in?"
Quick Fix "Uh huh. Guess so. Well.. um... l-look. The ponies without access to water are.. they're... already gone. Some ponies might have died within the first day of the radiation... anypony who's still alive will stay that way for another couple weeks at least. We have time to figure out what to do... b-but we shouldn't waste it. We need to get those two ponies back from the spirit-thingy."
Ember Flare "How were you planning to do that?"
Quick Fix "The thing said that it'd get back to us with a response, right? Did we ever check up on that?"
Ember Flare "ah... I think that was more of a threat. it seemed very annoyed with us"
Quick Fix shrugged, sighing. "We're not getting in without them, that's for sure. Vault-Tec builds stuff to last. We're lucky I could get the blast door open."
(GM Note): The next bit involves a time skip. It would be after four days since Quickfix joined the group.
It would be eleven days since you made landfall that your encounter with the earthen cloaks leader would be arranged. The arrival of Robin Hood would include a little bit of fan fair. First the speaker Tree Feller would arrive and let you know what to expect. A group of two dozen earthen cloaks in total would arrive, with a few portable musical instruments playing to give the procession a festive mood. Their leader stood out visually, a tall and striking sort. While the earthen cloaks typically had their forest cloaks and matching paint, Robin Hood wore a red and brown cowl that bore a bird visage. In truth you would not get a good look at his face due to the mask like hood on his head. The cowl and cape were of fine craftsmanship, incorporating what looked to be actual bird feathers. Ember could sense the cowl's magic aura when in its presence. When Robin Hood arrived at your camp he would be jovial and polite. He would offer greeting, shaking of hooves, and a gift of bread and fruit in a woven basket. You have never had plums or strawberries before. Their group had brought a large round carpet and cushions for almost everyone in your group to sit and meet upon. Sundancer would be able to stay back without offending. The carpet and cushions were laid out on the forest floor conveniently where you have cleared out for later building. As you sat and had a chance to sample the food gifts, Robin Hood would ask you a fairly innocent question. 'What are your plans for the future?'
Brickfielder made sure his sword properly shines where it hangs at his side before the groups' arrival, knowing full well how important it is to put your best hoof forward. And he makes sure to give a firm hoofshake when Robin Hood offers to do so, otherwise standing as tall and stoic as he can. After settling down on the carpet, he cocks his eyebrow slightly and looks to Robin Hood. "...Near future, or far future? We're still, coming to terms with our new situation, as it were."
Ember Flare "We're kinda looking for a safe place to live. And we found this young lad who is in bit of a bind regarding his folk" Ember motions towards Quick
Quick Fix blinked at the strangely dressed leader, apparently utterly unaware of how to behave around someone of such status. "Oh, yes. I-I could use your help, mister."
(GM Note): Saffron’s player had to be away for a bit at the start of the session. They rejoined now.
Saffron stops being a background pony around that time. She had mostly just been pacing around the beach piecing together her plans for the day, but seemed to trot back to the camp proper just now with that little blue cloth bandanna on her face. Her eyes dart towards Quick Fix once, seeing him... Reserve a spot for her. Even with the bandanna one could see her smirk as she strides up to sit close to their new Vault pony friend, pulling down the bandanna and loosening her vest just so she could catch some wind. She stays quiet now. Just listening, catching up with the conversation.
Robin Hood "Coming from the mainland it is understandable you are looking for a new home. I can see you have already made progress. Know that we have no reason to stop you from building a new home here. We would just ask you to understand some rules regarding the magical creatures you have previously fought." He lets that topic drop for a small time to discuss Quick's concern. "What all troubles you?"
Quick Fix "I, um, recently emerged from a Vault nearby. Perhaps you have seen it exploring the caves... in any case, the other two ponies who were with me were taken by a magic circle. The Vault is in peril and one of those ponies is our only hope of opening it, without a nuke or something."
Saffron's eyes narrowed at that point, nodding along with Quick's words as he looked to Robin Hood with some hope in her eyes.
Robin Hood "If your friends were taken by the lords it is unlikely they will return. If they are returned it may not be for years. Those that are claimed are used as playthings for the lords’ entertainment in the other realms. If they manage to escape on their own they may be very changed.” He tries to add some context. “Our druids have never been able to make major arrangements with the lords and their gatekeeper. Only have we been able to placate them. Their gift of the robin hood was an unexpected boon we do not understand the motive for.”
Saffron side glances Quick Fix once. Then towards Robin Hood again; half-opening her mouth to speak, though he looked towards Quick Fix briefly--as if to ask permission, to not interrupt.
Quick Fix seemed stunned, offering neither Robin nor Saffron any response other than a slightly open muzzle. His eyes gained a certain... hollowness, for a time.
Brickfielder tightens his lips some at Robin Hood's phrasing, and glances at Quick briefly. "...So then, there is in fact only one Gatekeeper for the lords?"
Ember Flare "And uh what exactly are the lords then?"
Saffron sighed heavily, looking back to Robin Hood. "Mister Robin Hood--we have already interacted with Gatekeeper a few times. We've already spoken to Him or It about the issue of the disappeared ponies--and he has told us, with slight irritation, that he would present the issue to the Lords." She pauses for a moment, if only to just wry her lip into her cheek and lower her tone to a more serious one. "Is there ANY possible way to bargain with it? To bribe it--or to gain entry; we NEED those ponies back, it is very important... if there even is a chance..."
Ember Flare "And if I may... what exactly is that robin hood for? it seems rather... peculiar"
Quick Fix "If there's even a chance..." Quick could barely be heard, though he still projected enough for the birdie-horse to hear him. "Please."
"I offer condolences on your loss." Robin Hood would offer to Quick in legitimate sympathy. To the questions presented to him he responds: “To our understanding there is only one Gatekeeper, in control of all the portals to the other realms. As for what the lords are exactly, it is difficult to say. They are enigmatic to understate the point. To our understanding there is one ‘lords’ but they exist in multiplicity. One entity that forms a court of themselves. That is as far as we understand them.” He breathed deep, seeming to know this is all very confused. “When it comes to bargaining with the gatekeeper and the lords we understand they only desire gold, oaths, or children. They seem to have no use for anything else. What they ask for in oaths can be both strange and terrifying.”
Brickfielder angles his head back to Robin Hood. "...Do you know what the lords consider as children? Some of us are rather young ourselves."
Sundancer is burned by the question of where they keep their damn gold but manages to restrain herself in front of the guests
Saffron snorts through her nostrils with equine irritation, her tail sweeping the carpet slightly as her wings shift on her back and she throws a glance towards Quick. Then, specifically, to Ember once, then back to Robin Hood... "Could we... Buy our ponies back? Ransom them or something? Maybe with spools of gold?" She asked with mild, but composed frustration. "Has anyone ever tried anything? Force their way in, or something?"
Robin Hood nodded grimly. "It may be possible to bargain with them in exchange for something they desire. But that would be a very steep price. If you ask to pay in an oath you will not be given the opportunity to change your mind once they list terms. While gold would be the simplest way, I cannot say that would be easy to acquire either. We have run our own supply dry in the last year. It is too valuable for Trottingham to trade anything we possess for it.” He leaves the payment in children hanging. But he does at least answer Brickfielder that: “it was uncertain the cut off age for what they consider a child. Stories have said even sixteen year olds have been taken before.”
Ember Flare "and in some more mundane issues. Could you grant us entry or at least passage through your... village? I know you don't seem that fond of the city but I don't know if we want to or can pull off a full on settler life out here"
Saffron listened intently... And by the end of it, sighed slowly as she nodded her head in understanding whilst her tail fully swept to rest against her flank. Downcasting her gaze pensively, while still keeping her ears perked up to listen on.
Sundancer shifts, leaving her statuesque pose for the first time since company arrived "Where do they take the children? You didn't answer the question of rescue." Sundancer glances at Ember and fixes her electronic eyes on Robin expectantly
Quick Fix remained silent after it was all but confirmed that they were never going to see those two ponies again... and that their fate would be one worse than death. Quick's eyes hardened, but only for a moment.
Robin Hood nodded to Ember. “In exchange for following the terms I will lay out, we can grant you passage through our territory. You seem like intelligent and understanding ponies, so there is little reason to deny you. What I would ask would involve mainly how to interact with the Others, our term for the magical creatures, gatekeeper, and the lords. They can, to understate again, be fickle. In the past few weeks gatekeeper has grown frustrated, if we understand their tone of late. Someone had brought iron into their circles during the night, something that was under an ancient oath to not do.” Robin Hood would give details you for the most part already knew regarding that interaction, including singing that rhyme gatekeeper had said to brickfielder and saffron prior. Robin Hood confirms they used the last of their gold to make the requested thread. Otherwise he lays down ground rules that you mostly know, save washing before attempting to speak with gatekeeper, to remove any scent of iron or rust from your person. To be utterly polite and mindful of your words when speaking with the others. But above all, avoid them if you can. Particularly if they are hunting. Hiding is the best option in those cases.
Robin Hood would not exactly be startled when Sundancer spoke. Some of the others in his band might be, but he seemed more curious if anything. “The children are taken into their other realm. From the stories of those that escaped it is unlike ours. A world of glass and fog. Where the magical creatures form the walls and flooring of endless corridors. A maze that breaks the minds of ponies like us who try to traverse it. Somewhere deep inside it lies the castle where the lords hold court. The court is where the children are taken.”
Sundancer nods her head solemnly in response to both answers "No iron allowed."
Ember Flare "Oh and... We do appreciate your hospitality and we can pay you back for the access or goods... We currently have several ponies (and robots) capable of giving medical treatments" Ember points at herself, sundancer and Quick "We do however lack quite a bit of resources"
Saffron nods along in silent understanding. Not speaking much more than she already had while keeping a somewhat disgruntled frown on her face. While the others talk, she turned her head a bit to be able to see Quick Fix. Her brow furrowing with concern.
Robin Hood smiled at Ember. “The offer would be greatly appreciated. While our druids have knowledge of traditional medicines it is my understanding the mainland had far more knowledge when it came to treatment and knowing of maladies. Should you acquire the supplies you need in Trottingham we may call on your help if it is deemed necessary.”
Quick Fix had lost whatever strange look he had before, and merely seemed downtrodden rather than... well, weird. He noticed Saffron looking in the corner of his eye, and he turned to share a grimace with her.
Sundancer "We have limited supplies brought from the mainland if you have urgent cases."
Quick Fix "I can't heal illness, but... my magic can help close wounds faster."
Quick Fix regarded Sundancer with a strange look. She was leaning on the 'sentient AI' side of things, though the way she had treated him on their first day and the way she'd acted since then was confusing.
Saffron does not grimace like he does. Her glance was more resolute, and she gave him a small, but encouraging smile; lifting a hoof to give him a small pat on the back, then a nod with her head. But she said nothing to him in that moment, and just retracts her forehoof to where it was prior.
Ember Flare "It sounds like your druids are experts on these fae beings and their magics, would we be able to talk to them if we ever visited you?"
Quick Fix felt somewhat encouraged by the smile and the back-pat, and ever-so-slightly leant into the bright red mare beside him. He needed some comfort fluff after hearing all that.
Robin Hood had a complicated response to Ember’s simple question. “Speaking with them might lead you into circles or simply being shunned away. The druids had taken oaths with the Others for knowledge, given what they give up in exchange it leads them to be secretive and cloistered. “ He removes the air of mystery quickly. “The Others often ask for parts of the requester. An ear or an eye are common sacrifices.”
Ember actually looks horrified at that
Saffron also grimaces with a slight disgust, but doesn't show it TOO much; turning away slightly and quickly evening her expression. Snorting through her nostrils.
(GM Note): Due to a lengthy OOC discussion and players needing to leave early the description of Robin Hood and his group leaving was missed. I called for the group to make an observation test to determine details they picked up on. They succeeded quite well.
It creeps among your more observant members that Robin Hood had been keeping information from you. When he and his band had wrapped up and departed Brickfielder, Quick, and Saffron could come to the same conclusion. He was not telling you everything regarding the Others/ U.I.I. There were definitely half truths somewhere in there. You could collaborate that it likely involved their supply of gold as well. But you can’t see all the gaps just yet.
You were given an opportunity a few days after your visit from Robin Hood to provide the help you offered. Escorted by a few of the watchers a druid came to request aid. A dozen ponies had fallen ill with fevers. The druid's medicines have not done more than ease some symptoms. Your group is closer, and honestly put, seeming easier to deal with, than those in Trottingham. Could you provide the aid you had offered?
Saffron would've promptly met the druid quickly to take his request. And then swiftly beckoned him and welcomed him to camp, whilst he called for the others--specifically Quick Fix, and Sundancer. "hey! Quick Fix, Sundancer! There's jobs for you, here!" Saffron called out, peering towards their robo-friend, " Ponies coming down with fevers, you think either of you can help with those?"
Sundancer notices the new arrivals and waits outside the camp for Saffron to greet the ponies "Affirmative. Anti-inflammatory medication recommended. Further information required."
Ember Flare: "Well, we should try and repay some of the kindness they have shown us."
Saffron would've turned back to the druid to give them a gesture towards Sundancer and a firm, determined nod. "We have the supplies. Lead on, we'll keep up. Better get there quick." Saffron told the druid with some concern beneath the resolute tone of her voice. Luckily Saffron always walked around with all her gear, so she was already ready to go.
Ember Flare: "ready to go as you are"
Ember trots up to sundancer getting ready to leave
Brickfielder glances at the visitors before looking at the group preparing to leave. "Good luck. ...Keep a close eye on them."
The druid who came to ask you for help would eventually remember his manners and explain the situation a bit more. You could notice at some point that he was missing an ear. He introduced himself as a neonate of the druids and was sort of going behind his superior's backs in asking for your help. But he had spoken with Robin Hood and gotten the ok to escort you to the village. The druids had tried to treat the sudden plague over the last few days, but they seemed to need stronger old world medicine to save the afflicted without long term damage.
Saffron casts a glance back to Brickfielder as he said that. "I'm sure we'll be fine." The small red mare chimed on a more low tone of voice, nodding once to Brickfielder as she got to walking. Then would give the Druid her attention again, nodding along. Frowning slightly at the mention of 'sudden plague', "I'm guessing the other druids aren't fond of asking for help from outsiders." Saffron remarked softly, "How sudden was the plague exactly?" She asked.
Ember would address the druid "Hm were the patients treated magically, or with completely.. err.. natural remedies?"
Ember Flare: "it would help us to know what has already been tried"
The druid would tell you that it will take most of the day to reach their village, so it would be best you pack accordingly. He would like to get moving, but could answer your questions as best he was allowed along the way. His superior druids would prefer not to rely on others at all if able. But even with their broad knowledge, sometimes the old ways are just better. When it came to their prior treatment he was actually fairly knowledgeable to Sundancer’s hearing. They had treated the patients with natural remedies that would help with symptoms and could have let the ill recover naturally. But the sick were those susceptible to seasonal flu and had needed treatment in prior years as well. You had antibiotics in your supplies that should get them through it, based on what the druid described. At the elast they did not seem to lack understanding, just good medicine.
The earthen cloaks territory north of your camp was deep woodlands populated by ancient trees. The tree tops were so wide and the leaves so dense that even at high noon you were in a shadowy twilight. The exact sort of place ponies that do not want to be found could simply vanish into. It would take most of the day to arrive due to simply how dense the forest was.
The village the earthen cloaks lead you into is unlike anything you had seen prior. All of the buildings were suspended above the ground, built on the towering ancient trees. From how natural their construction appeared the structures had to be pointed out. They blended into the foliage and heavy branches about fifteen meters up. The connecting rope bridges high above the ground level were easier to see for what they were at least. A lot of netting kept supplies such as boxes and barrels above the ground floor. The craftsmanship of the suspended village was stunningly artistic.
For most of you reaching the upper level would be simple due to your wings. As long as you avoided the very present netting. For the earthen cloaks and Quick Fix a series of rope ladders were lowered to grant access. Some trees had circular wooden platforms as central points to multiple bridges. You were all gathered on one that was wide enough to walk double file. Rope, netting, or hard wooden rails were present to keep ponies from easily tumbling off. When you were in the trees you would be aware of more and more ponies. Most of them did not have the camouflage paint of those that had gone into the forest, but they all had similar cloaks.
Ember looks around the tall constructs "Well this looks like one way to be safe from those forest creatures"
Sundancer spends the trip following Ember dutifully, letting her eyes and mind wander as they got deeper into unfamiliar territory
Ember would try and spot any guards and lookouts as they are brought in
Saffron was awestruck by the sheer concealment of the village. Not only did she really like what she was seeing, but she wanted to take notes as well! It'd be super helpful for her... Though she keeps the 'taking notes' on the downlow, not wanting to outwardly state it even if she does state that everything looked really functional... Hovering by the rope bridges on the way up to examine them a little more, before they'd go all the way up along the rest of her companions. Sticking mostly behind the others as she keeps falling behind from looking at everything, her wings arched up with excitement with a big grin on her face, peeking over everything curiously. Exploring the architecture to see if she could spot anything hidden! But otherwise keeps trailing behind the others...
You were led from that central point westward into a series of connected buildings that seemed to have been homes. It could have been mistaken for a massive wasp nest or the like up close. A strong smell of sickness and sweating bodies would hit you when you entered the building. The dozen stricken ponies you were told about occupied cots or bedrolls around a half moon shaped room. Most seemed delirious due to the fevers, a pained moan escaping from one side of the room after the other. When they were examined it seemed the patients were older ponies. Some with scars from other past illnesses such as pockmarks.
Quick Fix meanwhile kept a close canter to Saffron. He had to be assisted up the ladders - either by his winged friends, or by the forest ponies - and the forest seemed to instill a sort of dread in him.
Saffron might've held Quick Fix back with how she was looking at everything. But she stood close to him, and hip bumped him gently to reassure him; smirking at him confidently to try and make him less worried. "You got this, Quick." She told him, nodding to him once. She stands back once they get to the room with the patients... Pursing her lip slightly as she looks from the background. "... I wish I could help but..." Her voice trails off, looking to Quick Fix.
Quick Fix broke out of his little daze at the contact. Nice mare, soft mare... pastel redness in contrast to all the dark green. "Ah... Sundancer and I could use your help handling patients so long as you're careful. I just don't want you getting sick, okay?"
Saffron might've had a teeny tiny bit of hesitation at first. But once Quick Fix allowed her to help, she strides forward with a big grin and an enthusiastic, "I won't let you down! Just direct me a lil' bit." She tells him, stepping up to Quick Fix to play the role of the Nurse for the first time in her life.
(GM Note): The group in the village made a group academics test for treating the sick. They passed the test despite a difficult penalty.
Diagnostics and treatment would take into the evening. If nothing else due to having to estimate weights of the ponies and balance some prescriptions. Thankfully for what it was worth they seemed to have all been under the same conditions and it would just require supplies more than skill. You feed the patients a dose of antibiotics and prepare what amount to a care package for the druids to continue treatment over the next week until it is fully cleared.
When your work was done for now and you stepped out of the sick house you would find that druid you had been led here by being chewed out by what was evidently his superiors. The druids were lighting the area with luminescent staves, which looked to have some sort of chemical bioluminescence painted on them. Given the missing eyes, ears, and even a removed nose the four that were quietly berating the younger druid had intense looks. The junior was ushered out by three of the druids and one would stay to address your group. An older stallion unicorn with a wooden half mask on to cover what was likely his missing eye. He calmly asked how your efforts went.
Ember attempts a friendly smile "Well, looks like all you were really missing, were some antibiotics. The patients should recover well in your care soon enough"
Sundancer feels a little more for lack of a better word 'human' doing her childhood specialization in a hospital setting with a fellow professional instead in a battlefield context. Makes her almost forget herself, before she's driven to discretion by the big shots showing up. Sundancer has her gradually warming bedside manner freeze over while Ember represents her interests
Ember Flare: "Looking how the patients were faring, the care you have been providing them with is phenomenal considering the lack of modern medical equipment"
The senior druid seemed to take the situation for what it was. He noted you will need to fully clean before potentially spreading anything further into the village. A rope ladder would be provided for Quick Fix, but otherwise you were directed to move along the forest floor to a stream a bit further north. The druid would accompany you since he would at the least want to confirm what you desired in compensation of your generosity. He did not seem hostile, but almost more tired by your presence.
Saffron quietly giggled as she made some teamwork under Quick Fix's lead. For the most part she just passed things over and employed bedside manners without touching the patients or the beds much, passing glasses of water to go along with the pills. She was not trained or experienced, but she was passionate about it. Helping ponies was what she really liked doing. She let the others talk to the older druid while she hung back, small alongside the equally small Quick Fix. "Oh, we're taking a bath? Sweet..."
Ember Flare: "Ah right of course. Hmh, would you colts mind giving us mares a bit of privacy then?"
The druid would offer what he could in that regard. It was very dark in the forest after nightfall, without even the stars or moon shining through the dense canopy. When you arrived at the stream he planted a glowing staff at the bank, then turned and sat with his back towards you. You would have some light and the cloaked figure would simply wait and speak if addressed.
Quick Fix fell into a rhythm with Sundancer. Working with her, watching her work... it seemed less and less likely that she was 'just' a robot. She seemed a natural at the work - more than any standard AI could be, at least, in his experience. It was still hard for him to tell either way, though...When offered a bath, Quick declined, citing his lack of contact with the patients. It would be... awkward with the mares, anyway, even if they weren't quite sure what he was.
Saffron would be more than eager to take a bath in water without salt in it. She undressed of her utilitarian, heavily webbed, pocket-covered, pouch-adorned clothes, and of her weaponry... Then eagerly *sinks* into the water given how small she is, swishing about with her wings. She got her mane wet as well as her tail, and started brushing the grime from between her feathers and hooves. Looking to the side towards her other two mare companions, "Hey. You think we can ask for help with the Gatekeeper?..."
Ember Flare: "So I understand you're the ones keeping in contact with that gatekeeper and their lords or whatnot... Considering how our meetings with the gatekeeper have gone I can't say I'm envious of that task"
Ember moves into the creek taking off her clothes and awkwardly and quickly washing herself off trying to at least sound relaxed, even if the situation otherwise is making her feel extremely vulnerable
The senior druid would confirm that he has had direct dealings with the others, yes. It was likely for the best if you discontinued speaking with them. While he would not accuse you due to when you arrived on the island, he would note that someone has been angering them lately.
Ember Flare: "Yes it was a weird experience.. he... it? actually thanked us for running into one of them circles and even offered us a reward for getting his attention."
Saffron perked her ears to listen to the senior druid. Her ears subtly lowered slightly while her lips pursed. She sideglanced Ember, looking in her direction in the darkness, before looking back at the glowy staff... "... They kidnapped some ponies that we need to rescue." Saffron mentions, on a much more serious tone.
Ember would try to finish scrubbing herself quickly, glancing towards where quick was every now and then and pulling her clothes back on, shifting the collar of the coat to better hide her mutations
Saffron: "... They disappeared inside of the circle. All Gatekeeper said is that they would bring it to the attention of the Lords. Is there any way you can repay our service here with help in recovering lost ponies?..."
Quick stayed behind a little ways, he ain't listening.
The druid could only offer a little help in that regard. Unless you made some sort of large offering of the other’s choosing it was unlikely you would have anything returned to you. The few that have left the other’s realm had done so through their own ability. Or they had been let go by a lord’s whim. It would be hard to tell the difference in either case. The best he could suggest is to offer a trade. The lords may return your friends in exchange for somepony else. This was all said without any inflection to the gravity of the words. Like it was something normal.
Saffron sort of froze up a little when the druid mention they could trade ponies for other ponies. Her brow furrows into a scowl, and she starts to glower at the air in front of herself... She suppressed the urge to say anything else by just silently hopping out of the water and stalking to her gear, drying herself as best she could with the emergency towels inside of her survival kit. "Is that how it works?" She asked, plainly.
Ember Flare: "They do seem very keen on 'trading'... could you tell us more what they are looking to bargain for?"
Ember would also try a stab in the dark "And uh... they already seemed to offer a sort of deal similar to what you seem to have taken and... they seemed rather vague about the whole thing so... is it worth it?"
(GM Note): I asked those speaking to roll a Questioning test to draw information. Saffron tested and rolled a botch until they realized they had the Etiquette gift they could apply.
Seeming to take offense at the line of questioning moving from the others to topics the druids considered secret the stallion stood from here he had kept politely away and took his staff back. Saffron would at least be able to get him to not storm off with some platitudes. Having been a bit buttered up to the Senior druid relents only a little. The only items that the others value are oaths, mortal servants, gold, and secrets. The last thing being new to you, he could elaborate on. Telling secrets openly to the Others and an audience can be used as payment, if Gatekeeper or a lords agreed and then tell you what the secret to be shared is. They seem to already know before asking what the answer is. But having it told is an act they enjoy.
Saffron would've breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking her father for teaching her the skill of buttering others up with politeness as she went on to quietly perk up and listen intently. Taking distinct note of the 'secrets' kind of payment, and making a mental note... She gave a quick nod in understanding. "Thank you, elder. This may help us. I'll stop bothering you now. Sorry." She said, and then finally began to dress back up in her attire. Glancing back to the others to see if they still wanted to discuss, as she gets ready to go off. Peering her head around for Quick Fix already.
Saffron furrowed her brow slightly as she strains her eyes to see in the dark for the green unicorn. "... Quick Fix!" She called out to him softly, "You can come back now y'know!"
Quick Fix appeared a few moments later from down the path. "Oh, are you ready to go? We should probably be looking to eat soon. I know I'm feelin' kinda hungry..."
Ember Flare: "Ah as for compensation. We might be visiting the city sometimes in the near future, and after our visit here, we are running low on bargaining material. Our medical equipment is running pretty low as we had to travel to the island very lightly"
Saffron meets Quick Fix halfway and gives him a small, playful whipping on the side with the wet blanket of her kit. Then folds it back into her survival kit. "Soon." She told him, then turned more towards the druid, letting Ember speak for now. Nodding along.
With your cleaning done the druid could lead you to where you could sleep for the evening. The building ended up being an empty storage room that had some bedrolls laid out in it and a lantern for light. You were fed more fresh fruit and bread that you had been gifted before. At least for naturalists they were, they ate well. When it came to your compensation the druid could provide you with a pouch of silver and copper coins. Flat stamped Coins embossed with a crown and a capital “T”. The senior druid would let you know the coinage would be about what they could expect to have paid a trottingham doctor to make the trip all the way out here. So It would be a fairly generous amount for spending when you do go to Trottingham.
Quick Fix scrunched a little at the playful pegasus, whipping her gently with his tail. Silly, silly birds... When it was time to eat, he ate beside Saffron, quite oblivious to what the group had talked about. "This stuff is so, so much better than anything we ever had down in the vault!"
Ember would turn to Quick after the druid left "You know, you might be able to ask more about this whole deal from the locals. They might be a bit more open and sympathetic to your case."
Ember Flare: "The druid fellow seemed so calm about this like it was a weekly occurrence"
"Hm?" Quick tilted his head at Ember quizzically. "Oh, you mean about... the Gatekeeper? That's what you were talking about with the druid?" He hummed. "I suppose I could ask around, a bit.."
Saffron just grin cheekily at Quick Fix at the tail whip. This only encouraged her to whip him with her (damp) tail. Which potentially would have continued back and forth until they were seated, at which point Saffron ate with him politely. "Oh my gosh--I've never had apples this good, and there's pomegranates too!" She tried a bit of everything, albeit without stuffing herself. She had table manners. "What did you eat down in the vault? Did you grow stuff down there?" She asked Quick.
Sundancer finished her languidly performed cleaning routine and joins the social circle forming in the druid's wake
Sundancer: "This is a good start. It's possible Trottingham has a currency exchange to receive gold in the most direct way possible."
Ember would have to agree with Saffron on the food and watch out not to stuff herself completely. A welcome change to military rations and what they had with them currently
Sundancer: "We also know where their camp is, and it's not far, especially by flight. We can become good neighbors rather quickly"
Ember Flare: "Most likely... that whole secret thing did sound rather weird. I mean... it almost sounds like it would be free?"
Sundancer: "It means they have to know our secret first, which means we might not have much to trade. Given Gatekeeper's inability to keep track of individuals, I half expect it to just detect lies and not care about the answer."
Quick Fix : "We had hydroponic farms down there, and some food synthesisers. It was... okay. But it seems almost fake after everything I've tried up here! So much flavour and substance... we could have been living up here for decades, and we didn't know it."
Ember Flare: "Well this place is more of a special case. It's much worse out there"
Saffron smiled in interest, nodding along with Quick Fix and passively listening to the conversation between Sundancer and Ember. She glanced in their direction... Then looked to Quick more intently, wiping her lips with a lick and maybe her sleeve before speaking. "Quick. We talked with the druid--I asked if... There was a way they could help us get your friends. They didn't share much, but one thing they shared is that, ontop of being able to pay in uh... Oaths, other ponies, gold. We can also try to pay in secrets..."
Saffron: "... That might be something... Maybe if you had a secret worth sharing, it'd be helpful."
"Secrets, huh..." Quick furrowed his brow, rubbed his chin... blushed a little. "I suppose there are personal details about myself that I'd rather not share... things I might have done as a kid... nothing that sticks out at me too obviously, but I suppose I could think of something to try. Are there any conditions for the secret? Content, delivery..?"
Saffron visibly brought up a small, but genuinely affectionate smile as she saw him blush like that. She shook her head slightly at him, but listened intently... "... As far as we know, we just ask Gatekeeper if we can try to pay for your friends with secrets, and then share all we can while hoping the secrets are worth enough to release one, or both your friends... Or maybe lessen the cost of their release." She told him, shuffling a bit closer next to him as she speaks. "Maybe a secret that isn't yours to keep is worth more...?"
Silver Rush and Brickfielder would have a day to themselves. While Brickfilder would be performing labor to continue preparation of the encampment, Silver would be able to hide away and make contact with HQ. When informed about how the squad would want to proceed with regards to the vault your CO would inform Silver that she would forward the situation to Central Command and then wait on orders. However things proceed from there you can be sure Nimbus squad would receive some sort of commendation for locating the vault. It would be under Steel Rain’s direct jurisdiction when orders came down the pipeline on managing it. But to make sure you were aware she would send Seafoam to camp nearby and inform you when it was opportune to temporarily vacate.
The group at the village would have a pleasant enough evening in a strange place. At least being above the ground felt a bit more natural. Perhaps you could copy some of this and build a treehouse. Or a nest, but that idea may have been a dream. When it came time to leave the next day you would only be escorted a bit away from the village. They figured as long as you followed the coast you would locate your camp without them needing to tail you. They were evidently unaware of how good a scout Saffron was or that Ember knew exactly where their camp was in relevance to the village.
When the separate groups reunited at camp they could start telling each other about their time apart. Quick Fix would need to be kept distracted once again for Silver rush to be able to inform the rest of the group about the report.
Saffron would easily distract Quick Fix because she was not done hanging out with him. She starts to whip him with her tail some more while 'casually' talking with him, "Hey Quick. hey. Hey." She keeps whipping him, mostly pestering him and lightly pushing him around while childishly giggling, "Does your pipboy have chess on it? I'll kick your butt at chess. My mom plays it all the time." She says, not minding the closeness of their bedrolls at all as she just mingles around with him.
With Quick taken out into the woods by Saffron the rest of the group can discuss the current plan. Quick's vault was going to be taken by others.
Quick Fix tilts his head at the mare as they relax by the campfire. "Ah, stop that! I'm sensitive, you know." His canvas suit blocks just about any playful whips she can send at him, though the pushing could threaten to roll his prone form onto his side. "It doesn't have anything like that installed naturally. I'd need, um, a holotape or something."
Ember on the meanwhile would join the others in the camp "No more attacks while we were gone I hope?"
Ember Flare: "We managed to heal the ponies in the village and got some local currency the city uses. Silver, not gold though."
Brickfielder shakes his head to Ember. "All quiet on the western front. ...At least we got something useful out of it for later..."
Saffron would bite her lip to keep from laughing at his 'I'm sensitive you know!', rolling her eyes good-naturedly, grinning at him like a shark. "Aw... Maybe they have holotapes in Trottingham." She nods to herself, then holds a moment of silence looking at him. And shuffles up behind him to rest her chin on his back. "What's your favorite flower, Quick?" She asked him, curiously.
Quick Fix blinkies back at Saffron, who seems to be taking advantage of his soft suit as a pillow for her chin. "U-um... favourite flower??... I've never thought about that, before... e-everything's so pretty up here, and I don't know their names..."
Brickfielder casts a glance at Quick and Saffron that might linger a bit too long.
Saffron gives a faux gasp and draws back her head from Quick Fix to stare at him with a playfully eager smirk, "No favorite flower??..." She asked him with a softly 'shocked' tone, "What's your favorite color then?"
Silver Rush vaults back over the makeshift boat fort to greet the returning medic party "they actually paid you? Well..I assume they stuck with their line of having no more gold."
Quick Fix: "Blue!" He grins, snagging a lock of his own hair. "Just like this. I always let it grow long, since I love the colour so much. And.. I think it looks good... do you think it looks good??"
Ember also goes on to relay what the druid told them about the fae 'trades' and their treetop village
Brickfielder only half pays attention to Ember's prolonged recap of their experience.
"MMMMM..." Saffron stares at him mane with squinted eyes and a playfully critical expression, lifting up a hoof to brush through it, and ruffle even more to judge the softness and smoothness. "This is a good mane! It's good color, looks good." She nods her head sagely. "Mine is orange." She grins back. "The color of FIRE!"
Saffron: "You know what Quick Fix. We should go find some blue flowers. I'll put it on your mane and you'll look very cute."
Quick Fix’ hair is a little lacking in softness, seeing as he hasn't washed in a little under a week, though generally it is glorious and quite silky. His cheeks gain some familiar redness as Saffron compliments his mane - and calls him cute!! "Y-yes, you're very - y-your mane is very pretty," he stammers, "and I think.. I would like that."
Quick Fix: "Purple might b-be better, though. It would stand out more."
Saffron snickers at his stuttering and his blushing, wiggling her brow theatrically at him. Side glancing Brickfielder once, and then chuckling some more as she stands up, "Come on. Let's go take a walk! We'll look for violets, and you'll think of a secret to share with Gatekeeper." She tells him warmly, shifting her wings on her back and adjusting her guns along her back a bit more.
Saffron: "Maybe I'll think of a secret of my own."
Silver Rush Slinks away to the woods and clicks on the radio, waiting the split second for the encryption to kick in "Nimbus to Nimbus actual... Update to previous report. Nimbus requests interdiction on the bunker. Nimbus will be at nearby city center over next few days, how copy"
"I, um.. y-yes, alright." Quick Fix stands with Saffron, and together they head off into the forest to chat and search for flowers together. That, of course, leaves the rest of the camp undisturbed to perform whatever actions they'd like while Quick's distracted.
When your CO would respond to Silver Rush she had an amendment to your mission. The time table was being moved up again. From here on you were to incite the rebel faction to take hostile action against Trottingham. You could use whatever means you needed as long as the results were made. The rebel faction would be required to start softening and distracting the Trottingham military. The vault would be resolved as soon as resources could be transported to take care of it.
Silver Rush masks his surprise "Nimbus copies all. Be advised, the rebel faction has intimate details about the nature of the stone circles around the island, contact has been made with their leadership." Silver Rush still adds "Nimbus actual do we have encryption codes for the vault? If contact is made with vault ponies about impending rescue mission they might be more cooperative with the interdiction team"
Ember leans towards Brick "ah looks like we won't be getting much help from command after all... It's not really that surprising. Cloudy must have way more important matters constantly to manage to deal with our single issue"
Cloudy Forecast would respond in a bit of an odd tone. “Central command has been informed about the vault. There will not be a ‘rescue mission.’ For now you will need to vacate the area so your cover is kept intact. Higher up special forces are being dispatched.”
Silver Rush oofs internally "Nimbus copies. Over and out"
Brickfielder casts a glance down at Ember, before returning his attention to Silver and the radio. "...That's a bit much to take in, really."
Ember would nod "Yeah it is a bit weird... But on the other hand it does fit her personality. She seemed surprisingly welcoming to me as well"
Ember Flare: "But still... weird."
You have packed up for your trek to Trottingham. Preparing your survival gear and food for the expected three days walk north and the return trip. While the true intent was not so honest, you had plans to head to the city to get a tool that could cut the airlock doors of the Vault and some radiation gear. At least that was what the vault dweller in your group was told. It may take a few days to source them but at least you had a good pouch of coins to spend. At worst the trip would be an opportunity to experience what an infrared city was really like. Your half finished fort would be awaiting your return.
Your first day out would see some fairly hefty rainfall. Thankfully the area around the earthen cloak village had such a dense canopy that you would have little issue keeping your camp dry overnight. Slogging through the rain in a more open area of forest seemed like a bit of a downer.
The morning of the second day had extremely dense fog which kept you from going too far. While Ember's supernatural senses would help guide the group towards the north east it did not help the others from stumbling half blind. When the chill of the fog started to get cut by rays of the sun the group would have another obstacle. A glass bear spotted in the distance, prowling the woods. It had not noticed your group, so you could hide and keep quiet to let it pass.
Silver Rush would indeed like to stealth this bitch
Sundancer is also a member of team stealth by the bear
Saffron somehow managed to look increasingly more irritated in the background. She mostly stayed close to the front of the group, nearer to Ember given her direction sense. She talked sporadically, and most often with a small glare at nobody in particular, seeming to be in a bad mood most of the time as they went. Being near Quick Fix seemed to just aggravate her mood, making her all tense and all grumbly most of the day, trying to talk as little as possible. The environment they were in only compounded this. When they noticed the glass bear, Saffron readied her shotgun and got low, checking for any other butterflies or bears... Taking aim.
Quick Fix looked quite put off by Saffron's sudden change in attitude; he spent most of the trek alone, trailing behind the group and feeling somewhat alienated for the first time in a while. It didn't help that the Vault was slowly getting closer and closer to a potential critical state, if the Overseer hadn't gotten things under control. They had no way of knowing.He was behind the group as they spotted the bear, and stayed there waiting for them to decide exactly what to do...
(GM Note): Saffron rolled an Observation test. She passed
Saffron would be able to spot the second bear that followed the first before it became apparent. It seemed best to wait a while and let them pass before moving on. A bit to the west where the bears were going Ember could feel a small burst of magic a while after they left your sight. From prior experience it would seem there was a stone circle that way.
Ember Flare: "...I think they could have carried through another portal" Ember whispered "I'll memorize this location if it is relevant later on"
Saffron's ears flicked forward then back, statuesque in her stance behind the cover of the brush as she observed the bear and then gazed into the distance. She shook her head to herself, flicking out her wing in a particular gesture to indicate 'two' contacts, then nodding in the direction of the second bear, as she slinked a bit further into cover to hunker down. Looking back to Quick Fix and gesturing downward with her hoof.
When things are quiet and there was no more enemy movement you figure it was time to move on. This trek was the first time you could randomly stumble upon enemy combatants.
Ember Flare: "These things seem to travel through these circles effortlessly... It would be great if we managed to crack that one and make use of them"
After the bears had gone, Saffron pursed her lip and slipped her shotgun back onto her back. Looking back to Ember Flare once, then back to the others. "We can move on." She tells them confidently, before looking to Quick Fix, beckoning him closer as they got ready to move. "It would be nice... We'd have to fiddle with the circles though. Or rather, you have to. We can't touch them like you can."
Brickfielder: "If only. As it stands, they're too... untrustworthy."
Ember brings a hoof to her chin for a moment "Though I guess the metals would still cause interference or something"
Your third day saw you entering Trottingham territory under cloudy weather. At first the forest came to an abrupt edge. From there it leads into fields lined with low stone walls a meter tall. Between the walls was gravel topped roadways. The fields were worked soil tilled up into rows sporting evenly spaced plants. Your academically inclined could tell you the fields were farmland, if not exactly what they were growing. There were some structures of unknown purpose here and there. Possibly homes or storage depending on the sizes. You would catch sight of some ponies going about their business in the fields. The mysterious ways of earth ponies managing crops.
Brickfielder scans the area as they trot along one of the roads, raising his brow slightly. "...This feels... quaint."
Ember Flare looks at the spreading farmland in awe "...so large"
Sundancer: "It's like a mud age earth pony settlement out of a Hippology textbook."
Saffron, on the last day, seemed to just give off a resigned, albeit still very irked mood; but she was becoming chatty again. She lingered near Quick Fix, making small-talk to keep him company and occasionally veering from the path to look for violets. Putting small flowers on his mane just to tease a giggle, if nothing then to keep their spirits up. Sometimes making stupid jokes at him for being a unicorn, like, "How do you call a creepy unicorn? Huh? A night-mare." or "Hey. What kind of story do you tell a fleeing unicorn? Eh? A tale of Woah!!" She giggled to herself at her own jokes like a dork. Luckily, around that time, the farm fields became visible, and she changed subjects to eyeball those earth ponies... Peering towards them and the fields.
Brickfielder nods slightly to Ember. "Would be curious to see aerial surveys of this area..."
Sundancer: "I wonder how they control their weather."
Saffron: "Do they, even?..."
Ember Flare: "Actually now that I think about it, the farms could actually be much larger if they cleared more forest"
Quick Fix felt his spirits slowly rising with Saffron's, thankfully. He was growing awfully quiet... even more so than usual.He turned his head to regard Sundancer. "Pegasi, right? Their magic lets them.. mess with clouds, or something."
Sundancer: "In ancient times, before the tribes got together, supposedly the weather was controlled by pegasi out of their good will towards the earth ponies. I wonder what the arrangement is here."
Brickfielder: "Unless Trottingham has a sizable pegasine population, I doubt there's any large-scale weather control."
Quick Fix: "Why wouldn't they? Typically the population is distributed pretty evenly between the races. So, um.. if it's a big city, I'm sure they could do something for fields of this size..."
Silver Rush hops into the air for a little pegasi OP action "well no sense falling into a mud pit or whatever. Lord knows we probably need to exercise our wings a bit"
"Oh, hold up..." Saffron suddenly starts to stop, looking at herself--and at her gear, namely at the more overtly thievery oriented tools that were mostly improvised. Lockpicking tools, an excessive amount of bobby pins, among other things. She starts to sit down and try to move them to more concealed areas on her outfit, inside deeper, interior pockets, splitting the tools between pockets and saddlebags to make them less suspicious...
(GM Note): Saffron tested deceit to hide her equipment. She succeeded
Reorganizing Saffron’s gear took a couple of minutes. But after she would be satisfied that she would need to have her equipment laid out for it to tell any stories regarding intended use.
Walking along the gravel road would give an odd feeling. Like walking over a landslide given how it shifted and was kicked up from unsteady hooves. With how solid the surface was it was unnerving to be on unstable terrain. It seemed like the recent weather had softened the road up.
You did not draw any attention until you were a couple hours of walking down the muddy road. From behind your group came an odd airy sound you could not place. The soft beeping of a horn would catch all of your attention. Coming down the road behind you was a hovering metal tub of a vehicle. Some sort of black coloured muddy truck with a long and wide cargo bed tailing behind. The whole contraption was a good twenty centimeters off the ground suspended on some kind of air cushion that violently vibrated the space under the vehicle. It had a driver who was an older stallion that looked like he spent a lot of time in the sun. As the vehicle approached it slowed and came to a hovering stop within conversation distance. Conversation distance because the driver rolled down the window and greeted you. He had a noticeable accent with an odd take on vowels. While he was mostly understandable there were some words he used that were likely slang. The driver greeted you with what amounted to a 'good day' and asked if you 'lot' were heading into the city.
Brickfielder seems... surprised by the appearance of the vehicle, especially its design. He manages to pull his eyes off of it, however, to wave a wing to the driver, and his bizarre manner of speech. "That we were, yes."
Saffron would whip her head slightly to look over her shoulder as her wings flicked out slightly, more readily, at the weird sound coming from behind them while she, being short, slogged over the gravely road slightly and gave it a few accusatory stares to boot, before stepping aside a bit more and watching the vehicle approach. Her eyes comically followed the window rolling down, before flicking up to the stallion, staying silent for about a second before speaking up, "Yip! We just got here for the first time." She nods to Brickfielder's reply, too.
Ember is mostly surprised about the weird vehicle the ponies arrived in and attempts to wrap her head around the weird contraption, ignoring the ponies inside
Sundancer is also following the vehicle with her eyes. She's not unfamiliar with the principles it works on, but such designs weren't permitted by cloud architecture and metal scarcity.
Quick Fix has never seen a moving machine of such scale or design, and it throws him off a little just like the gravel path. He lets the squad talk for him, for now. They'll know what to say more than someone who's been on the surface for only a week.
The driver seemed genuinely curious about your group being here for the first time. He stated that newcomers usually arrived through help from the griffons on the northern isles. He says he ‘smells’ that you have a story to tell and he’s ‘keen’ on hearing it. He can give your group a lift in the bed of the vehicle if one of you wants to get in the cab and tell him about yourselves.
Ember gives a concerned look at Silver from the drivers comment
Saffron took a side glance towards the others at the way the stallion used the word 'smells' in that context, giving them all a concerned/amused wry smile, then back to the driver. "You know Fillydelphia, sir? We came from there." She asked, stepping a bit closer to the floating vehicle without jumping in JUST yet.
Sundancer elaborates on Saffron's description curtly "Landed on the coast. Met some tribals."
Brickfielder glances among the group, and clears his throat. "Well... unless one of you wants to give this fellow an earful, I'd be fine going." His look, hopefully, communicates that whoever does this has to be ready to stick to the story perfectly. ...Though he doesn't glance at Quick while looking around.
Saffron actually nodnods her head towards the bed of the floating vehicle, beaming towards Quick. "C'mon! Let's take the ride, betcha're tired from all the hiking, mister unicorn-pony." She excitedly hopped towards him to nuzzle his cheek, then flaps over to the cab to excitedly take up the stallion on the offer to talk with him!
Brickfielder's brow furrows slightly, watches the brief exchange, and moves to get into the bed of the vehicle.
Silver Rush hops in the bed of the truck remembering where his holdout pistol was, taking note of the height the drivers head was through the wall of the truck bed
Ember follows warily onto the strangers truck
Saffron: "You ever seen, like, zombie-ponies?? And big, mutant bugs!" She instantly started, introducing herself immediately as Saffron, 'professional' explorer and slightly-less-professional scavenger, and then immediately tried to show him her shotgun with a shotgun underneath it.
(GM note): Saffron Tested Deceive+Questioning for telling her story and getting some information from the driver. She passes
Brickfielder settles into the bed, but doesn't pay too much mind to what's going on in the cab of the vehicle. Saffron will say so much that any slips will probably just go unnoticed by this wrinkly old ground-dweller.
"Uh, right, yeah. I could use a rest." Quick trots over to the back of the truck and makes himself comfy in one of the corners of the bed. Totally separated from Saffron, now, he looks around at the rest of the party with a somewhat nervous look about him.
Brickfielder adjusts his baggy attire slightly, feeling the pistol hidden away, and glances down at Quick while he's looking around. He clears his throat and puts on a friendly look. "Concerned for Saffron? You and her seem like you've gotten pretty... close."
"Oh.. um..." Red, unfortunately, contrasts greatly with green, making it impossible for him to hide his blush in the warm sunlight. "I guess. She's seemed a little... off recently. Just before we left, really.. she seems better, now, though."
Brickfielder nods slightly. "Mm, she's maintained her chipper attitude even after what happened on the mainland. Though even then, I'm surprised at how quickly she took to you. No offense."
Saffron would keep the old stallion’s ear occupied with your group’s story and badgering with questions. You had a little under an hour drive to the city. It was unlikely Saffron could fail at filling that time. The drive had heard of stories about the mainland, but not much about the city you mentioned. He was used to horror stories but seemed genuinely surprised they were being told from a ‘direct encounter’ perspective. He seemed pretty content that life around there was nothing like the mainland. When it came time to pepper him with questions for information Saffron would get some details of use. The farmer communities would have a fair view of the robin hoods, given they could understand where they were coming from in regards to nature reverence. But the city folk would likely tell you a lot of false rumors and nonsense about them. Hard to tell what they actually believed regarding the ponies in the woods. The way he heard it though is that The city folk started disrespecting ancient historic sites and that got the robin hoods to take off into the woods. For less serious topics the old man could recommend you went to ‘pub lane’ for honest drinks. It was east of the main square, in eastgate side of town, he said.
Quick Fix shrugs. "I guess she just.. saw somepony who.. maybe needed some help adjusting, and... we got along. I want to get to know you guys, too! ...but we haven't really had much time for that."
Ember tilts her head a bit at Quicks reaction
Brickfielder gives a practiced, charming smile. "I'd say. She's had a stranglehold on you most of the time."
You pass what could be outskirt villages or at least small farming communities on your way into the city. It would have been quite pretty if the fields were further along and perhaps if the sun was out. Regardless you get some fairly picturesque views of farmland on the way. Particularly from the air where Sundancer was trailing the vehicle. Those in the bed of the car would be in for a rather smooth drive, given the vehicle floated above the ground. As uncomfortable as the bed of the truck might be it would be a fairly relaxing ride.
Quick Fix nods. "I can't complain. It's nice to have a friend.. much better than being surrounded by strangers."
Brickfielder glances out at the view, and nods slightly, his thoughts getting away from him a bit again between the smooth ride and the vast farmland. "...Mhm."
Saffron does make a few remarks about the Earthern cloaks, calling them 'nice, honest ponies'--at least in terms of what they do, she respect their reverence of nature since, if the wasteland is anything to go by, it did need to be protected--otherwise, where would they be?? Though she also slips in that it was definitely a radical change from the burglars, murderers, and robbers out there in the mainland in the nooks and crannies of fillydelphia's outskirts... Almost made them feel 'too nice'. But then she'd change the topic by cheering at the notion of 'honest pubs', "YEEAAAH, I need to get PROPAH smashed, I'm so TIRED!" She'd ALMOST be able to be heard from inside the cab, just due to the open window and her nearly sticking her head out of it like a dog taking in the air. "Also this thing is SO COOL!"
Saffron: "I've never seen one before?? Can it go faster??"
Quick Fix doesn't quite have the social willpower to keep discussion going, so instead he gives the group a final glance and then turns his gaze to the landscape.
When you approach the city the first thing to see were the high stone walls and gate built around the perimeter. Tall edifices that could be imposing for anyone incapable of flying over them. There was some hoof traffic going in and out but for the most part this afternoon seemed to be quiet. For the observant among you (can rote one success) the walls looked to be in disrepair. Cracks ran across sections leaving some rents in the face of the walls. At the base loose debris that had broken loose was building up. It was not a shining edifice so much as an old remnant of a time when it was needed. To the south your flier would be able to see the top of battlements from a structure inside the city walls. It looked like a castle that had been converted into an anti air battery, given the old world hardpoint weapons emplacements.
Brickfielder gazes up at the walls, running a hoof along his mane as he does. "...Really is strange to see..."
When you approach the gate your driver would slow to a stop to let you disembark a dozen meters out. Since you were all new to the city you would want to talk to the constables for information and rules that he likely forgot about himself. You would be able to recognize the police that were posted at the gate. Their blue uniforms and hats would give them an air of authority you may be swayed by.
Brickfielder thuds to the ground outside of the bed and adjusts his sword slightly before trotting to the side of the vehicle and waiting for Saffron to get out. Hopefully things went well in the cab.
Saffron would peek out the window of the cab to really take in the scenery. Taking note of the wall that was in disrepair. "Wow that wall doesn't look very happy..." The smoll red mare remarked half-jokingly, before her eyes would skip towards the CASTLE. "Is that a castle??" The mare exclaimed like a filly, eyes all glinting with curiosity and eagerness. Though she settled down when the vehicle slowed to a stop. Begrudgingly, Saffron began to dismount... But not before whipping around and offering a hoof to bump or shake, "My name is Saffron by the way, what's yours? It'd be nice to know it, since you were so nice to give us a small ride."
Sundancer rejoins the group on the ground and adjusts her gear for ground based operations
"The walls are so big... I wonder what they would have needed them for?"Quick, in polar opposite to Brick, steps down at least somewhat gracefully from the truck without making much of a sound.
Your temporary companion would give saffron a hoof shake and offer his name of Wheatgrass. He noted you paid well enough with some entertainment so nothing owed. When your crew had dismounted the truck he gave his goodbye and took a slow drive through the gate into town. Could see him nod at one of the gatewatchers as some kind of regular. That left your group amids the very thin crowd of ponies passing through. Given you were obviously new arrivals the police wait expectedly for your approach.
Ember Flare: "Well ain't that a proper big city, and those huge weapons mounted up top as well with an actual police force..."
Silver Rush hops out of the truck bed, trying his best to look like a beleaguered refugee, slowly moving towards the entrance to the city
Ember Flare: "Not any old run down shanty town"
Saffron fully hopped down off the cap. Given her shortness, she extended her wings to very briefly glide to the ground and then gracefully turn around. After that, she gave an excited, filly-ish wave with her wing AND her hoof whilst rearing up, coming back down as her eyes followed the hovercraft... And then her eyes skipped to the police. Her smile wries up slightly, and she whipped her head back towards the others, "Cool!" She called back to them with a hop towards them to rejoin them, "Yeah, innit?" She'd say towards Ember with a grin, looking between the others. "I learned a bit more about the relations people have with the druids."
Brickfielder: "It is... actually rather impressive..." He glances down at Saffron. "Anything we should know?"
Saffron's eyes peer up to look almost skywards towards Brickfielder's face, her ears flicking back as she takes a few steps back so as to have her head less tilted upward from being so close to him. "Well, according to that elderly pony, the farmers out here are on amicable relations with them. They understand why the druids do what they do, and they agree with it. The city ponies though--they're adversarial, they spread bad rumors about them, and it's said they're the ones that drove the druids into going into self-imposed exile into the woods by disrespecting ritual sites and stuff... Nothing solid, yet."
Saffron: "Useful to know who is on who's side, I guess."
Quick Fix looks around at the city with wide eyes. Curiosity is more than evident in his expression - in fact, he almost seems awestruck. The place might not be the worst for offloading him, if need be.
Brickfielder glances down at Saffron, and nods. "...Well, guess it's time to talk to the... constable, that's what they're called?"
Quick Fix: "It's.. bigger and better than I ever could have imagined. Maybe we could.. live here..?"
Saffron flicked her glance towards the police ponies at the gates, following along with Silver. Though she pointedly decides to go last here. "Hopefully they don't arrest me." Saffron remarked, half-playfully.
Brickfielder glances down at Quick as the group starts moving towards the gate. "...You can, if you want. I don't think we'll be making such a decision just yet."
Sundancer tuts at Quick's suggestion "Don't like living in the woods? We spent so long making those walls, too."
"it is a bit claustrophobic in here..." Ember adds eyeing the crowds
Quick Fix: "Hm?" With that, some of his enthusiasm is sapped and his expression weakens. "Oh.. well, it's up to you guys, anyway. I wouldn't know what to do here all by myself."
Ember Flare: "So what do you want to do first? It's surprisingly big city, might take us a while to get around to everything"
Brickfielder doesn't respond to Quick and instead looks at Ember; that little unicorn is going to be devastated when he finds his Vault ransacked... "I imagine it'll be busier inside the walls. Just... try to relax."
Brickfielder: "I imagine that, whatever we do, it'd be wise to stick together."
Today seemed like a lazy overcast sort of day. The air in the city was damp from recent rain and the streets were more than a bit muddy. Beyond the gate you could see tall buildings facing a tree lined avenue. When you approach the police staffing the gate you would get a cap tip in greeting, but a bit of a tired and bored sort of reaction. You get told it was good you were arriving through ‘the star’ since the dock had entrance fees for those offloading. There would be some rules you’ll want to follow, particularly ‘you sorts’ with wings.
Ember Flare: "Yes, don't trust the locals. I bet the walls are filled with all sorts of unsavory folk"
Brickfielder stiffens his stance up, just a bit, at the phrase 'you sorts'. But, he maintains a calm expression at least. "What're the rules?"
Saffron only now flicked her glance towards Quick Fix for a long second, just silently looking at him. "You'd be safe here, and stuff..." Saffron remarked, on a quieter but earnest note. "... Up to you, Quick." She smirked. "But for now," She turned ahead, looking to Brickfielder to nod in agreement with him, then back to Quick, "Let's try to stay positive." She stated warmly. Before fully turning to the constable once they were in speaking range. The 'you sorts' makes her wings tuck in slightly, pouting weakly. "But I like flying..."
Quick Fix: "Hey, now. Don't be like that. I'm sure there's plenty of nice ponies in here. Could be plenty of nasty ones, too, but that's to be expected anywhere you go."He turns to Saffron with a proper frown, now. "Like Brick said, I think we're better off sticking together. Who knows if this place is anything like the Vault. If it's like the cities I've read about, I could just starve, homeless."
The constable seemed like this was all a very routine sort of explanation. Maybe he worked at the docks and saw those arriving and going? He gave you some quick rundown of rules you could expect. He said this was a very ‘civilized place’ and the likes of theft or being drunk in the streets would get you locked up. For those with the wings you were not allowed above the first floor since honest folk don’t like when curious sorts could just peek in through their windows or galavant across the roofs. Unless you had some sort of city business like a lot of griffons it was best you kept your hooves on the ground.
Ember Flare: "The griffons work for the city?"
Brickfielder isn't exactly happy about the rules limiting flight... but he doesn't say anything. Just go with it.
Silver Rush makes sure to look as bored as the cop giving them the information "could use some maps or directions to centers of business and pubs and the like if you have 'em. Any curfews or other general rules for folk traveling through?"
Saffron's pouting strengthens, her wings flicking and arching slightly along her back as she steps in place for a second. Giving one weak flap, before nodding slowly in understanding, listening quietly...
Not all griffons work for the city, but more than a few were military or valets to some official or whatnot, the constable explained. You would be entering the city through Upper Town, which he explains to be the fancy part of town and where newcomers should not be loitering about. If you follow the avenue right down to the town center plaza there would be a city office right smack in the middle where you could get a map. On the topic of curfew there was one, yes. Don’t be in the streets after dark without good cause like getting to your homes or you could get a fine.
Sundancer speaks up "Where are the merchants located?"
Embers' ears suddenly perk up as if remembering something "Ah yes, we have several doctors in our group myself included, I wanted to ask if there is a place where we could offer our services?"
Saffron actually strides forward around Silver to be more in view of the constable, "--I have a question, sir!--" She pauses a bit as Ember and Sundancer speaks up, prompting her to pause for about a moment to give the constable time to react... Then speaks her question, "So--is there a particular area of the city that we REALLY shouldn't be, at any time and for any reason?"
You were told that the area around the docks would be your best bet in both cases. Plenty of the downtrodden end up in the docks area who could use some care. Most traders came between here and griffonstone so the docks would be where travelling merchant sorts come through. If you need a guildy to make something for ya, it depends on what you want made. He did not seem surprised to be addressed by a robot. Perhaps he did not even notice Sundancer as something other than a pegasus at the moment. When it comes to Saffron’s question you get pointed to the castle area past the wall. The fort was off limits for anyone but the military.
Saffron gives off a low: "Aww I wanna see the castle..." in response, then just nodnods her head in acknowledgement, looking up to Silver and the others to wait for them to move on...
Brickfielder: "We can see it. From a distance."
Quick Fix: "It looks cool, but I'm sure we can handle missing a guided tour."
Saffron grumbles something about "--See it from inside..." in response, followed by a scrunchied muzzle and a small pout.
You would be let into the city with a casual warning to behave yourselves. As well as a small note that you will want to find work or sell something to earn some coin. But otherwise it all seemed like a typical exchange for the fellow. The avenue leading into the city would be very pretty despite the gloomy weather. The south side was a wall of building faces, possibly homes, built straight up and down in a somewhat imposing fashion. They looked prim and proper. On the north side of the paved road was a park. Tall and strong trees in orderly lanes with park benches resting every few meters. Among the trees and down the avenue were electric street lamps. But they were not on currently given the time of day. It all seemed fairly deserted now. But it was just a bit after noon and a darker day.
Brickfielder has trouble not rubber-necking to look at the trees, the fences, the paved road... this is quite a lot to take in.
Quick Fix had his will broken long ago, and his eyes slide all over the exotic, urban constructions with awe and wonder. "Is this.. what civilisation looks like?"
Brickfielder: "...Well... Fillydelphia certainly didn't have anything quite like this..."
Sundancer takes the guard's lack of scrutiny as an excuse to let herself be more outwardly curious, joining the group in socializing and discussing the town's novelty
Sundancer: "I guess this is the difference not getting hit by bombs makes… Everything here is so... old. The ruins of Filly felt more modern than this. I suppose the effect is produced by continuous habitation."
Saffron, who was much shorter, almost had to flap her wings to hover at Brickfielder's level so she could look at everything without harming her neck too much. "... Makes you wonder what it'd be like if the war didn't happen..." Saffron remarked from the background, furrowing her brow slightly. "The walls that protect this place are run-down, but it's got a military by the sounds of it. A police force, a government." She'd snap a glance towards Sundancer, "Probably. Filly wasn't so bad--it was home, and it worked out. It just wasn't this. Peaceful, I guess? Away from the mutants, and the monsters..."
As you headed east down the main thoroughfare you would start to encounter more and more ponies going about their day. They in general wore warm clothing to keep off the chill. As you reach the center of the city after about an hour of walking you would come to a wide plaza surrounded on all sides by storefronts and possibly service buildings judging from signage. Throngs of people crossed the heart of the city in loose groups. It seemed a fairly chaotic jumble to navigate on hoof. You would see your first sights of griffons as well. One coming out from a central marble building in the center of the plaza before taking flight and another just walking along. Larger than a pony it was hard not to see them as quite exotic and majestic. The crowds were occasionally broken up by a vehicle going through the area. It seemed like the place had never been designed for these hovering beasts. But that did not stop ponies from using them. Most of them were smaller vehicles compared to the truck you had rode in on.
Quick Fix has long left the illusion of Sunny's being purely a utility robot behind. The robot probably has, as well."I think this could be... a nice place to live. The island is small.. Apart from the strange business with the glass animals and the druids, it's free of conflict. And the old buildings are so beautiful.. just how old are they? It must have been hundreds of years, if they're from before the war.."
Brickfielder, perhaps subconsciously, stands a bit taller and fluffs his wings up some at the sight of the griffons. He sees eye to eye with them... quite strange for him.
Ember Flare"It does look surprisingly orderly around here... Oh but considering the beasts in the woods, you might want to consider checking out some better firepower as well"
Sundancer: "I need some spare parts if we are to repair anything."
Saffron's eyes dart upward to see the big gryphons! "Wow, Brickfielder, look. The gryphons are ALMOST as big as you." Saffron would jokingly remark, beaming at the sight of the catbirds with a small giggle, tentatively waving towards one just to greet them before turning to Ember, "Well, I've got a shotgun, a big pistol that might break if I use it too much, a street-sign for a shield, and a knife. Maybe we could buy some more reliable pistols?..."
Saffron: "Maybe there's someone that makes actual shields. You know, like in the books."
"How are we going to get the money to buy stuff?"Quick seems the kind of pony whose knowledge of guns ends at which end is pointed in which direction.
Brickfielder scoffs a bit at Saffron's comment... and fluffs his wings up a bit more.
Ember Flare: "We already earned some doing that doctoring and should be able to get more the same way"
Quick Fix: "Oh, right.. I forgot about that. That'll only get us so far, though. Perhaps Sundancer and I should investigate putting our skills to use."
Sundancer: "It would be something to do to pass the time."
Saffron side glanced Quick Fix from right beside her, "You, Sundancer, and Ember could make a very good team of doctors and nurses, y'know! Just a matter of finding work. Once we get a map we could go to a place called 'Pub Lane' at the 'eastgate' side of the city, and ask the bartenders and stuff."
Taking the constables direction your group heads into the crowds to start making a beeline towards that central building. The white/grey marble makes the square building and pillared face quite authoritative. While there were the occasional pony going in or out of the large wooden doors that had been left open, it seemed like a fairly quiet place among the noise of the throngs. You would need to avoid at least one vehicle going at a slow pace through the crowds, making a wake of bodies moving to either side to avoid it.
Ember Flare: "The pubs might be good for information maybe? It would be good to hear about the forest folk and those fae things from the locals"
Brickfielder: "...Would a pub also double as an inn of some sort? We'll need a place to stay, given curfew."
Sundancer: "If there's a whole row of pubs, there's got to be at least one inn."
Quick Fix: "Hopefully we can afford it with what we have. There's six of us, after all... we'll probably have to share a room or two."
Saffron, avoiding the incoming traffic of ponies and hovercraft by flying at around Brickfielder's height to not get tripped on like she was a cat along with her group, lands and prances ahead--making headway towards the square building. Hopping up towards and past the doorways! "That's fineee!" Saffron remarked in Quick Fix's direction as she does, smirking broadly at him.
Your time in the office would be brief, but you would get some useful information from a clerk staffing a strange walled booth. He was on the other side of a wall with an access window leading to his desk booth on the far side. Some kind of security window he could shutter was in place if needed. You learn the copper coins you had in your possession were called pennies, the silver coins were just called silvers though. Gold coins existed and were called crowns. You could get a printed map of the city meant for travellers for a few pennies (0.1 note). It would list the street names and have some key locations marked. But would be quite barren when it came to specific shops or such. Pub lane was south east of the plaza, down a city block and halfway between the plaza and the southernmost gate.
Saffron was more than happy to let the others handle the buying of the map. She simply asked the precise location of Pub Lane so she could have it pointed out on the map, so she then could whip out a half-used pencil and make a note on the map itself. After that, she started walking around the lobby looking at everything, until she decided to wait for the others outside so she could stare at gryphons and at the hovercraft.
Brickfielder is certainly keeping an eye on the griffons; it's not just their size being similar to his, but it's also their bizarre, exotic anatomy. It's almost off-putting...
Silver Rush takes a small portion of the notes and hands it to saffron who appears to be drooling after the wallet so she can wallow in the pubs ``find out what you can about the locals and what they think of the...natives. don't get arrested, ember make sure both of those things happen."
Silver Rush: "I need to scope out the shops first for anything...interesting"
Ember Flare: "Will do!"
Sundancer: "I'll come with you, I've got some shopping to do as well."
Brickfielder nods to them, and looks down at Quick. "I take it you're heading with Saffron?"
With an objective in mind the group is led to the south east to pub row. The buildings down this way look a bit less well kept than the ones in upper town. Some masonry is crumbly and cracked. There’s the occasional bit of graffiti on the walls that’s incomprehensible. It looks a lot more lived in given the street is a bit dirtier. When you reach the pub row it seems to be a busy place. It was starting still a bit off before suppertime but the alehouses and pubs still seemed to be occupied for the most part. You get some with odd names like the dancing oak, the sixteen barrels, and other things that sound like there's a story behind them. One very interesting location is a door above the first floor set above a different pub. Given the name is ‘the griffon’s roost’ It seemed fairly self evident who such a location was for. Most of the group can start crawling pubs while Silver and Sundancer would be able to circle the central plaza for shops.
Saffron was on the verge of whining at Silver for candy money. She walked up to him with intent, ready to present her obviously swaying argument. But it turns out he had foreseen her, and he just gives her some notes. "YESSSSSSSSSSSssss--" Saffron trails off like a snake, flapping once with her wings as she pockets the alcohol moneys and then pokes Quick on the nose, then starts wordlessly making headway, "We should find a place to regroup! Let's see if we find an inn or something first maybe?" She said out loud towards her companions as she goes off ahead of them, hovering at average height with some flaps of her wings.
Brickfielder hangs behind Saffron and Quick, still taking in the sights in between watching the two of them.
"U-uhh.." Practically assaulted by both Brick and Saffron, Quick caves. "Sure... we should do that as a group, though. We don't have any way of communicating apart from each other, so we should find someplace to meet up at the end of the day."
Ember Flare: "The square would be a pretty easy meeting place. Open area and easy to locate"
Saffron: "Mhm! MHM! We can probably meet back in an hour or so?" Saffron replied back to Ember, looking between the others.
Quick Fix: "Oh, yeah, the square would be perfect. We're on Inns, Sunny and Silver are on shopping, and... Brick?"
Brickfielder: "Oh, don't mind me, I want to get a good look of the town as well."
Saffron marches off to the first Pub that looks semi-presentable with a most confident stride in her step, and with a most critical thirst for information and maybe beer.
(GM Note) Each of the two groups rolled Questioning+Mind. Silver + Sundancer for locating weapons and items for shopping. Saffron+Brickfielder+Quick roll for information regarding where to stay in the city. Even with spending some money Saffron almost botched.
Attempting to buy other ponies drinks slightly backfires ever so slightly since Saffron just ends up drinking most of them. She had a taste for it in that moment, and decided that, apart from asking direct questions to a bartender in the hopes he'd know anything on the logic of 'bartender know everything!', and the patrons next to them to whom she offers to pay a drink or two, she ends up being surprisingly unhelpful in the whole information gathering thing.
Silver and Sundancer spend their hour looking through stores and talking to ponies about where to acquire weapons. They find that it seems to be almost a taboo topic despite the headway they make. As is trading for firearms or like ranged weapons is illegal for common folk. Only the military is intended to have them. You could speak with a guild run weaponsmith about martial weapons such as a sword however.
The crew working the pub lane make progress. If in spite of Saffron's increasing inebriation and prolific spending of your limited currency. There are traveller's inns in the docks for sailors you could go to. Merchants who travel seem to have homes they rent comparably. Given the only trade partner they have is griffonstone and the griffons that come through tend to stay with those they know your business to one of the bunkhouses that you could rent beds at would likely be welcome.
(GM Note): Ember’s Player wanted to start sowing some dissent in town. With a deceive test she eked out a small success.
Saffron giggled semi-hysterically after a good four or so pints, leaning closer towards Quick to whisper stupid jokes at him, "hAy, what do you call, a pegasus that gets stuck on a hoop?" She says, with the most playful voice ever, "Dunked!" She says, and nodnods her head, "That's what they did to me, once! 'cause I'm always small? Kicked me down a hoop. And then I beat them up. And then I got suspended."
Brickfielder looks down at Saffron with a flat expression; he doesn't even have to lean around Quick to do it given his height.
It would be a difficult sell given ember was new to this and she would be competing against some entrenched rumors about the forest ponies already. While she manages to make the mood in that particular pub darker with her story, it was hard to see if it would take a larger hold. A lot more work would need to be done to sow this sinister harvest.
Ember would be telling somewhat tweaked versions of their hardships in the forests. How the horrible glass monsters attacked them and how the horribly disfigured druids communicated with their masters
Saffron then leans back and with a HUGE grin plugs her lips with her fifth beer--which was probably going to be her last at the rate she was going. But that didn't stop her from generously tipping the bartender and buying others drink, which is where most of her allowance goes. Looking straight at Brickfielder as she drinks and just stares back at him. "Pbtt." She bleps at him.
Quick Fix took one sniff of Saffron's alcohol and scrunched, citing something about a similar smell from the lab albeit with less... 'earthiness' about it. He understands inebriation though and starts patting Saffron on the back nervously."Uh, S-Saffy, you might wanna slow down a bit and drink some water. Don't wanna feel like Brick kicked you in the head come morning." Quick Fix winces at little, presumably at what she said about her past. For later.
Ember Flare: "The unicorn might have a point there Saffron..."
Saffron gave one look at Quick Fix, pausing her drinking mostly because she's already through most of the drink anyways... And then immediately bursting out laughing at Quick Fix's statement. "HEHEHAHE--HAHEH--" Saffron wipes her cheeks off a tear, staring at Brickfielder once, "He's--PFFT---SNK--" She can't evens peak for a second, putting down the mug fully and she shakes her head, "Aahaha... Okay, whatever! I'll stop. 'cause a cutie patooie asked me nicely." She nodnods to herself.
Ember gives Brickfield a meaningful look about Saffrons comment
Brickfielder shares the look with Ember.
Ember Flare: "Maybe we should start getting back to the others?"
"Unicorn, huh..." Quick shakes his head. "Why don't we organise rooms for the six of us? Two per room seems reasonable. Ember, I'd appreciate some... help, here. Brick can go fetch the others."
Saffron grumbles something about 'taking a break' beneath her breath, as she reaches back to her belt pouches and draws out her waterskin. Taking a generous gulp of her water to please her companions. Then she takes the rest of the beer, drinks it, and then drinks more water. Then, setting down the empty pint.
Brickfielder nods to Ember and gets up. "You sure you don't want me to help drag Saffron back?"
"I don't NEED dragging BACK." Saffron gets snappy at Brickfielder, her tail tossling under her stool and her wings tightening on her back.
Brickfielder gives Saffron another flat look, and then looks back at Ember and Quick.
"I think it'd be best if we all converged here rather than at the square... go on, we'll be fine here all on our lonesome." Quick waves his hoof to dismiss Brick.
Brickfielder sighs, and nods, turning and heading out, picking a nice spot near the door, and loitering.
Saffron glowers at Brickfielder with a distinct hostility in return, giving him a look that would kill if she had that ability. She snapped her glance down at the counter as she sips on the water from her waterskin slowly, rather than what they'd offer at the bar. Staring a hole on the counter.
Quick Fix strokes the pega's mane. "You know, you're cute when you're angry. And when you're drunk. No need to get so worked up, though..." He looks over at Ember, "so, uh, how do we.. get rooms, exactly? I've only ever read about it.."
Ember has a hard time finding anything to focus on in the extremely awkward situation with her eyes wandering in the walls and tapping her hooves nervously
Ember Flare "Ah... well um. I think we'll just... go to the docks and pay for the rooms and.. there! We have rooms."
Saffron's head slightly twitches away from his hoof, as if she really didn't want to be touched. But not by much, she doesn't get snappy with him or lean away too much--allowing Quick to touch her if he pushed it on her. She had a distinct, murderous glare in her eyes, full of frustration. "Stop callin' me cute..." She whispered towards his direction from the corner of her lip. "I've got--hick--" She winces a little from the hiccup, "--Got my reasons to be frustrated."
Saffron "... He's an asshole... Always has been..."
Brickfielder scratches one of his ears a bit.
(GM Note): The shoppers buy a laser torch and some spare parts for Sundancer which was confirmed ooc.
Quick Fix does indeed push it, though gently; the stroking is soothing and constant, running through her mane and over the fur on her neck. "Alright. He's not here now, though. You don't have to share a room with him, either. Jus' me." In response to Ember, Quick can only offer a most definitely not reassured wince.
Ember opens her mouth to say something before hesitating and backing down after glancing at Saffron
Saffron's drunkenness manifests ever so slightly in the form of a strong hiccup, and a continued grumbling. "SSsshure... I mean don'--get me w-Hicc--he's competent and all that s-shit, but he's such a prick... I tried talking to him--ff-fm..." She just trails off into an incomprehensible mumble, and eventually just decides to slide on a dime on the stool, and start getting up to walk to the exit.
Ember Flare: "Ah.. I'm sure you're exaggerating... He seems to be a decent enough pony. A bit rough around the edges maybe?"
"Hey, easy! Easy." Quick walks with her and makes sure the pega's walking steady. "You practically consumed your bodyweight in alcohol. I don't want you passing out on the way to an inn. Then Brick's gonna have to carry you." He shrugged, glancing again at Ember. "He seemed friendly enough. But.. I haven't had much chance to talk with him. With any of you, really."
Brickfielder keeps glancing up the street as he waits, frowning. He doesn't care for having to stand around outside like this.
Ember's remark made it so Saffron doesn't go straight outside, she just stops on the walk-way there and just turns around to Ember. "Yeah well NOT WITH ME he isn't! Feels like--HICC--Like FROM--" She states matter-of-factly, stumbling maybe half-a-step to the side as she stomps a hoof once, Quick Fix coming to her side quiets her down. She just frowns at him, looking him up and down, "I'm not passing out. *Hic!*"
Quick Fix frowned concernedly at his friend. "Maybe not, but you're drunk and angry. You can tell me all about it once we've got a room, okay? Just... zip those pretty pegasus lips for a few minutes and we'll have all the privacy of a room for you to vent your frustrations.
With your equipment found, some information in your pocket, and a whole lot of beer in Saffron the group can reconvene before heading to the docks and finding a place to sleep. Following the directions you head northward cutting through the city by secondary streets at odd angles off the main road. The dock area is even less kept up than the area around the pubs. The streets have clutter along the edges and there is a notable smell of dirtiness in the air like a faint miasma. The air carries along with it salt from the port as you get closer. As things start to get dark the streets begin to quickly clear out as people return to their homes. That is aside from a couple you’ll encounter having sex in an allyway that you intended to pass through. Just a couple going at it in the rougher looking part of town. Averting your path you could eventually circle around and locate the inn that you had been directed to. It looked crummy to say the least. But it would only cost you a little bit of cash. The rooms were three beds each, so you would only need to get two for the group. The beds would be surprisingly large. Not quite Brickfielder’s preferred size but almost comfortable.
Brickfielder grumbles and sets about moving beds together so that he can sleep without his hindlegs hanging off the edge.
It was fair to say your group would have a difficult evening. Between a matter of space for brickfielder, saffron’s inebriation, and the awkward social situation it would be hard for many to get restful sleep. Not to mention there seemed to be more types of bugs in this place than there were outside at your camp. The morning would not come quick enough. Even if it left many of you drained.
Ember would try and get ready for another day preferring to forget the conditions of their sleeping quarters and seek out sundancer
Brickfielder nearly rolls out of his bed(s) while trying to wake up, groaning and rubbing his head. How was he getting better sleep at the camp compared to this...?
Ember Flare "Morning, ready to make the bread?"
Quick Fix wakes up before Saffron in the morning for the first time since they met. He's quite exhausted after taking care of her the night before, but at least he still had her comforting warmth at his back. He sources water from one source or another, and gently wakes Saffron with the glass prepared. Hopefully giving her so much water the night before will dampen the resulting hangover. Casting painkiller on her head would leave the pegasus slightly... dopey.
Saffron would regret her life choices, such as drinking way too much beer way too fast and only later drinking water with it. The water... MIGHT have helped? She couldn't tell. A spider had walked across her pillow at one point, but luckily she didn't get to be paranoid about spiders that night since, at one point, Saffron straight-up goes out like a rock and just sleeps despite the awful room. As Quick Fix TRIES to wake Saffron, he'd have to nearly shake her to even get a response from her in the form of a light bat at his hoof and a still exhausted sounding: "Dude..." She just says. Unfortunately, she was not awake, and the mare groaned in pain and discomfort, grimacing queasily. She doesn't even get up, she just lays there, limp. "Hhhhhh ffffUuuUcK..." Even after the 'painkilling' effect, she only slightly lifts her head. She didn't want to be alive right now.
Quick Fix *doesn't* cast anything on her, to be sure. He doesn't want to accidentally knock her unconscious by blocking the wrong nerve channels. What he does do is kiss her on the snoot, levitating the glass close to her head. "You should drink this. You're mighty dehydrated, even after all the water I gave you last night."
When you go to eat breakfast your group would be given a meal that involved porridge mixed with fatty plant oils. Something the inn owner assures you would help after a night of drinking. The inn was quiet except for your group, which might account for the state of disrepair it was in on inspection in the daylight.
Brickfielder looks around with a rather unamused gaze while downing his porridge. ...He didn't actually drink much of anything yesterday. But food is food, and he's in no position to complain.
Saffron squints at the glass of water, then up at the stallion as he kisses her on the snoot. Her eyes rather comically crossing to stare at him as he does this, still looking queasy as she lays there. She doesn't drink the water, as she instead holds up a hoof as if to say 'hold up'. Then her cheeks puff up, putting a hoof on her lips to keep herself from having a yelling contest with the bedsheets. And then she straight-up catapults off the bed to go find the bathroom so she could vomit. She could be seen RUNNING out of the room with an unsteady hobble, "Oh f'hk ohfuUck--" could be heard from her. EVENTUALLY, after a good minute or so, she'd (after having drank the water Quick offered), join with the others at the table. Looking absolutely miserable, and with a mane so disheveled one would think something had exploded near her. Staring down at the porridge with a glare of pure discomfort. She decides to give it a taste after a bit of staring, to see if it actually helped...
Ember would actually miss the military rations at this point
Ember Flare "So... you alright there Saffron? Your coat seems to have lost some colour"
Brickfielder leans back after finishing his porridge and tries to fluff up his mane; is there even a place to wash around here...?
Quick Fix offers the porridge a similar glare, but... it's food. He's hungry. No worse than some of the meals he's had in the Vault, that's for sure. He tries to be a little more enthusiastic about it than Saffron, to encourage her to finish it too."She's had a rough morning. She drank enough alcohol last night to down somepony twice her size."
Saffron looked up at Ember with a tired, slow-blinking stare. She then slowly takes a moment to set down the spoon and speak with a completely exhausted kind of calm. "Beer is evil." She tells her simply, with a dry chuckle. "Usually I would say 'it was worth it', but it really wasn't."
Saffron resumes eating the porridge. Seeing everyone else finishing made her try to eat faster, even if she pauses every now and then and just sits back. Hoof on her lips, closing her eyes as she focuses on trying not to stave off the nausea. Then resumes, after swallowing more of her own fluids than the food she was eating. "Ookay--" Saffron inhales sharply, "I think I'm gonna--hnf--take a walk...Go look at newspapers and bulletin boards to catch up on current events, and all that, for today." Saffron said, rubbing her temple and seeking out some water with her glance. "What are your plans for the day?"
Ember Flare "Maybe me and Sundancer could make some more money doing some doctor work. Anything extra make we could use for better gear"
Saffron gave a slow nod to Ember in silent acknowledgement, a sleepy smile crawling up her cheeks as she looked at their mutant friend. "We do need radiation suits." Saffron remarked, "And maybe that'll make us some friends too." The pale red pegasus added with some confidence, as she side glanced at Brickfielder once, "You gonna do something in particular Brickfielder?"
Brickfielder gives Saffron a flat side-glance. "...I was hoping to gather information about this settlement, primarily."
Ember pushes the remaining porridge stuff away from herself "Well I remember hearing there might be work for us around here... Guess we'll need to start asking around"
"Cool." Saffron replied to Brickfielder with a slight rasp of her voice, as her slowly nods down the table to rest her chin down. Rubbing at her left eye with her fetlock. "Mmh. I guess there's no harm in Brickfielder goin' about and asking for that stuff while I peek around, maybe there's some job boards..." Saffron stiffly said. Then covered her lips to conceal her yawn.
Sundancer "I wouldn't mind that. The forest ponies were very grateful for our help, maybe they're not very good at medicine on the island."
Your group is ready to split up and perform some vital tasks. Quick Fix, Sundancer, and Ember were set to stay in the area and inquire into where they could ply their medical skills. Brickfielder and Silver Rush had the task of making sure saffron did not get into more trouble. While possibly gathering intel regarding spreading dissonance among the population.
Ember nods "Wouldn't be surprised at all. "ho looks like it's not quite witch doctor level quackery here..."
Brickfielder takes the same position he had before of making sure Saffron's in his sight at all times.
Ember stands still for a moment looking around "Uh.. so do you have any idea where we should start looking"
Saffron, being herself, did not see the other stallions being there as being there to 'restrain' her. After all, she was a very responsible mare! Half-prancing along the street ahead of the bigger ponies once they had left their ... Motel, she got right on her way to finding newspaper outlets and some bulletin boards to start seeing how much she could find!
(GM Note): Silver’s Player was a bit in and out this session, so his character sort of was and was not available. Each group rolled some Questioning tests to gather information.
The day was overcast with a stiff wind coming in from the ocean. It managed to blow the usual morning fog away well before you had experienced it previously. Perhaps that is why the city was bustling early in the morning, ponies could see where they were going. A dense smell of salt perpetuated the dock area.
Saffron and Brickfielder spend the morning distracted by the sights of the city. They wander back to the bustling central plaza and can play the parts of tourists very well. The pair find only one lead for the time being. There are petitions going around for the government to let the farmers deconstruct stone circles on their land. Since the circles and the protected woodlands around them occupy a lot of fertile space.
Quickfix, Sundancer, And Ember follow some evidence of an accident down to the docks. Some ponies rushing around, talk of needing extra hooves and hands, ect. They don’t talk to anyone directly until they arrive at the scene, where Quick fix can work the growing crowd that is around a warehouse just off the wharf. An accident happened and a few workers were buried under crates. They have since been dug out but more than a few bones were broken. You arrived in time if you wanted to speak with the labor foreman about setting bones and menting gashes.
Brickfielder
Brickfielder waits until he and Saffron have a moment of peace away from the townsfolk, and glances down at her, lowering his voice. "Those... petitions sound like something that would be very useful."
Saffron happily wandered the streets, leading Brickfielder around while flapping about like a filly and staring at things that popped into view. Like shops, or distinct architecture, or gryphons, and cool clothes. Basically anything BUT a newspaper outlet, which thus far had managed to elude Saffron given that she insisted on not asking for directions herself until Brickfielder did it for her. Though stumbling into the rumor for said petition does make her pause... And then slink back to a more serious look, as Brickfielder would eventually talk to her once they were going down the alleys again. "They could be. Did it give you any ideas?"
Ember Flare approaches the foreman "Are these your men? If so you're in luck. Me and my associates are freelance doctors"
Brickfielder "Several. We may not have to do anything extreme here at all, just a... simple guiding hoof to ensure that those petitions achieve their goal. We should discuss it more with the rest of the group."
Brickfielder pauses for a moment. "...Fascinating that people here can just, tell the ponies in charge what to let them do, even if it's not in their best interest..."
Ember looks at the hurt ponies with faked concern "At least it looks like nobody is in hurt too badly... We could take a look at them if you wanted to employ us."
Saffron a chirpy "Hm! That is a good thought right there... Very good food for thought." Saffron said, with a bit of a hop-skip to her step before straightening her gait once more, looking up to Brickfielder once he speaks up again. What he says seemed to confuse her into silence for a second... Then she darts her eyes, tilting her head as she slows down. "It is uh..." She pauses, "Interesting." Saffron's voice trailed off, eyes casting ahead. "Plus there's no colors..."
Saffron "... I think. Maybe there is."
Ember Flare "we're not exactly cheap, but you're in luck we happened here at the time. Just looking at the accident I can tell you that the longer you wait, the worse complications you might get. If the ponies had to wait even half a day, they might develop nasty infections that could take months to heal"
The workers, three ponies and a griffon, were laid out in the middle of the warehouse floor space on blankets. Other workers were in the process of cleaning up the damage, including using an electric crane system internal to the warehouse. It was noisy and made Ember need to speak up fairly loud to be heard. The foreman overlooking the site seemed to consider Ember’s point, compared to letting the worker’s families collect them and deal with the damage. It could need some convincing. (Negotiation + will)
Quick Fix eyes Ember, clearly uncomfortable, but says nothing. This is... an interesting way of going about seeking payment.
Brickfielder "I haven't seen evidence there are any, but clearly, there's some sort of hierarchical structure. If I had to guess, if people can petition their leaders, they probably also choose who leads. ...But then, why petition...?"
Brickfielder frowns. "Infrared society is a strange beast..."
Saffron's left ear flicks down, peering around the corners of the little alley they had walked through as they got back onto a proper road onto the square. "It feels like it's just a way for the leaders to just know what the ponies at large want, right? Like, a formal request." Saffron remarked.
Saffron "At least it isn't barbaric. Everypony here is, AT LEAST, on the 'okay' spectrum in my book."
Brickfielder "Surprisingly. ...I do wonder how this place's administration compares to that of Quick Fix's Vault..."
Quick Fix practically steps in front of Ember and uses some fax and logique to convince them that it'd be best for them to set the broken limbs properly; they could heal malformed if left alone or mistreated.
The foreman relents as Quick Fix would be able to get aid for his workers sooner rather than later. He will let you work on them and will prepare compensation out of their wages since you moved him. There was space to work and your group could go about setting bones and suturing lacerations in short order. Provided you did a good job you would get your payment.
"The Administration?" Saffron asked aloud with some quiet interest. Then looked around some more, peering down the square, as if the answer to her question would be nearby, "Could ask Quick about the way the Administration worked in his vault, I'm sure that'd be a very interesting topic." Saffron remarked, with a semi-guarded cadence to her voice.
Brickfielder gives Saffron a raised eyebrow, before looking ahead again. "Regardless of the more minute details, there are several avenues we can use if the farmers want to remove those circles."
(GM Note): Team doctor rolled academics tests to provide aid to the workers.
Ember helps sundancer with the patients very nervously. She hadn't had this many eyes fixed on her as she pretended to know more than she did.
Saffron "... I was hoping to find out more information by going out looking for newspapers and stuff out here." Saffron complained softly as she prances along below Brickfielder. "We could ask around the Farmers to see what they think, I'm actually curious about why they're coming to that decision... Maybe the town is expanding and they need more food, but given the circles respond with such hostility to being near metal, and the Earthern Cloaks basically safeguarding them they can't. So… Or maybe it's for another reason entirely!"
Saffron stopped and looked skywards to check the time--and if they had any left to do anything like going out to the farms...
Sundancer is surprised to find that on their first public outing Ember doesn't need her hoof forcefully held, leaving Sundancer free to work on the more tricky cases instead of correcting her supposed superior
Quick Fix doesn't exactly like crowds, but he knows what he's doing, and he provides effective assistance to Sunny as they patch up the workers.
Brickfielder glances up with her, and nods. "The more we know, the better we can make things go our way."
With a good level of efficiency the trio of medical professionals can set to mending the injured. With the griffon it would be the first time any of you had ever been so close to one or had mention of their physiology. But at least the worker was only cut up and you would not need to figure out how best to mend a griffon bone. You think they were hollow after all. You had some onlookers. If not because of left overs from watching the accident aftermath but seeing a robot performing medical services. From snippets of conversation it seemed they’ve only seen robots working in houses as servants.
Your doctors end up with a bag of coinage for your quick work. A few silver coins and an annoying amount of copper pennies.
Given that they still had plenty of sunlight, Saffron tilts her head up towards Brickfielder, who towered over her while next to her, and reared up to point towards the road to "The Star", confident that they'd find one in that direction! "Let's goooo this way!" She'd say, "Back the way we came in, we can go out lookin' for earth ponies!"
Ember Flare "nice job there Sundancer, I have to say I was tad nervous there for a second. Those griffons really look big up close... and those claws"
Sundancer "Nice job yourself, you could have been an actor. From what I saw of them, they're half feathers."
Quick Fix "I'm just glad none of the griffons were too badly hurt. I'd have no idea how to set their bones."
Sundancer "I have a few ideas. Pegasus wings aren't too dissimilar."
Ember Flare "Oh the magic doesn't just do that on it's own?"
Quick Fix "...I suppose I could have, but I can't see what I'm doing and what the position of the bones are."
Ember Flare "ah.. makes sense. Well still a good job on your part as well. We got lucky with that accident though"
Brickfielder, Saffron, and Silver can go west out of the city through the gate they had originally entered through. Now that you were a bit more familiar with the city you would be able to recognize the area more as a waystop for people going in and out to the farms. There were a couple of watering holes that looked a bit more rough and tumble than the ones in pub row. If you waited around until a meal time perhaps you would catch some farmers to speak with.
Sundancer "At the very least your magic is a good alternative to stitches."
Quick Fix "Right! Never leaves a scar, unless I screw it up somehow."
Saffron shuffled about looking at all the watering holes they came to see. She spends some time trotting up the streets until she eventually stops with a "Hmmm!" as she stared at one of the bars. "If only I had money..." Saffron remarked to herself, with a small grin on her face. Looking back towards the two stallions, "We can try to hang around here! Wait for the farmers to go on break maybe? It's almost supper time, innit..."
With the work done at the dock Quick Fix, Sundancer, and Ember Flare can try and find more means of making money. Asking around directly however would prove their situation was not good in that regard. They could learn that there was a medical guild in the city. Persons outside that medical guild were at best allowed to perform folk medicine for their family. As outsiders yourselves you would be effectively performing black market medicine. But around the dock areas there were few if any registered doctors.
Brickfielder gives Saffron another raised eyebrow, but doesn't say anything, instead just looking around. "...Try to be careful if they ask us why we're asking around about the petitions." ...'Innit'...?
Ember Flare "Hmh! guilds... Most likely just to keep the competition in check"
Quick Fix "A guild? I've only read about those in books... I thought that was, like, a medieval thing or whatever."
Sundancer "There is a castle. It seems like a local thing."
Saffron "Don't worry! As far as anypony is concerned, I'm just curious, since this place is nice and I am interested in at least the cursory politics of the things that are going on, or that will go on, and that might affect the environment we choose to live in!" After Saffron had finished her long-winded promise, the mare gives a resolute flap of her wings to underline the certainty in her words, nodding to herself as she'd start striding forward with a purpose towards one of the bars, "Wait--" Saffron pauses, looking back towards Brickfielder, "Do you want to sit here and wait while maybe drinking, or do you wanna go out and pester someone on the field?"
Sundancer "I support doing more work on the side, I don't think we're going to live here long enough to care about joining the guild."
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow again. "...Well, I imagine just happening to be in a pub will seem more natural than going and hunting down infrareds in a field."
Ember Flare "Agreed, we just need whatever extra we can gather to get equipment. We'd best spend everything we earn while we're here"
Quick Fix "Uh... well, we can't just stay at camp forever, right? We're eventually going to need to go *somewhere*, especially if... the vault turns out to be... ...empty." He suppresses a shudder.
"Cool!" Saffron resumes striding towards one of the bars. "I wonder if there's any bulletin boards around here..." Saffron asked, and almost immediately starts deviating from walking straight to the nearest bar to just look around a bit more.
Sundancer "We can spend time getting comfortable in case we fail to save your vault, or we can spend time saving your vault. It's up to you."
Saffron, Brickfielder, (and silver?) can wait around in what would amount to a taproom during it’s quiet time to wait for the lunch crowds. When it came time more than a few sunbaked ponies would arrive in a half dozen of those hovering vehicles or on hoof from nearby farms. The watering holes were not large establishments and your stakeout location would fill in rapidly. You get some grub for a few pennies to fit in and could begin asking around regarding the situation of the petition.
Quick Fix "R...right. Sorry. I suppose we should be leaving to head home as soon as we can."
Ember Flare "I doubt we still got enough money for the stuff we'd need. But it really is your home so up to you"
Saffron attempted to scope out an individual that was in a relatively small group, or even by themselves in the off-chance, and even tried to lend an ear to listen for any particular group which was specifically talking about the petition, or the circles, or the state of the farms. She spends some time listening, trying to find her cue to slip into a conversation to ask questions...
Quick Fix "As soon as we can afford what we need, we should head back. ...that involves asking around about tools and suits, too."
Ember Flare "We could just try and do that as well... We haven't even checked that this place has all the things we want to buy. Hazmats would be the bare minimum I'd wager. and we could get all sorts of stuff on top of that... lights, ropes, weapons..."
Silver Rush emote glances about to find the most farmer like of the ponies for which to interrogate with their inane farming related questions
(GM Note): Silver flashed into existence for a minute to help Brickfielder and Saffron make a Questioning test
Silver Rush acquires his targets and plops at the bar with a loud pony thump. "all that land free for the taking, if only we could get rid of those danged rocks..." he fishes
Ember Flare
Ember yawns "Well... maybe we should just catch up with the others if there is nothing else to do"
The group at The Star go about asking the locals regarding the petitions and their experiences with the magic circles. Subtlety helps keep your intent from being obvious. You learn a few details that could help make the process go along. The first is that there’s never quite enough food in the city, so clearing more land would help increase the harvests. The farmers have not been very organized regarding their petitions however. Occasionally a loose group will have one written up but it will fizzle out as a different group writes a different one. If the farmers could be convinced to organize better their petition could have actual weight behind it.
Sundancer scans the docks for injuries or crime in progress, but is reminded once again how alien large crowds of groundbound ponies are to her "I can't see any work around..."
Sundancer "Perhaps the guild isn't as foolish a prospect as we'd thought."
Brickfielder once again has things to say, once the group has a chance alone. "I'm having more ideas. This may be quite an... interesting task for us to tackle."
Ember Flare "Maybe... or maybe we could use them somehow. Maybe we should track down the guildhouse or... whatever they got"
With miscellaneous information gathered it seems like there could be a backbone of a plan. The farmers from west of the city are not organizing with the farmers to the south. If your group could get them working together on the petition then it could be a sure fire thing. They must have some community leadership to speak with.
Saffron, once they were back outside with their new information, would barely be able to contain her excitement as she hops along out of the bar with Brickfielder in tow. She half-turned her head to nodnod her head to Brickfielder, "Yeah!! Let's go back and rendezvous with the others, maybe Sundancer and Ember will have some cool ideas."
Saffron "Although... Quick Fix is still out here probably wanting to go back to help the vault. So..."
Brickfielder trundles out of the bar behind Saffron. "Hopefully it won't interfere. ...Though having to dance around an infrared like this is fast becoming a detriment."
Ember Flare "We could just you know... try and see if they could pass us some work. The sick ponies don't care if we got our paperwork in order ...rifle through their patient records?"
Saffron slows down, pinning her ears as she walks along at a more ambling pace. "Eh... I mean, he's helpful. Just have to make up a good-enough excuse to help farmers put up a proper petition...."
Ember looks between Quick and Sundancer
Brickfielder matches Saffron's pace, and glances down at her. "I was hoping to be more... hooves-on with it. If possible. But, we need to speak with Ember and Sundancer about it as well."
Saffron looked up to meet Brickfielder's gaze for a moment, "Let's go to the Rendezvous and see if they're back already, then." Saffron nodded her head with a chipper grin, picking up the pace to a trot. "... What do you mean by hooves-on though?"
Sundancer looks at Ember and Quick "We could spend all day trying to find the guildhall and they'd still probably turn me away."
Brickfielder finally permits himself a little smirk as he returns his attention ahead. "What better way to get signatures on a petition than organizing speeches in a public forum? I haven't gotten to practice my public speaking since I went to boot camp."
Ember blinks couple of times, sort of realization setting in and gathering herself "Look, Quick, ask about where the guild is and lets get a move on"
Ember Flare"I think we should just go there, bullshit our way in or to the paperwork. Whatever it takes. Well.. almost whatever"
(GM Note): Ember Flare’s player was a little confused about the situation. The group intended to pretend to be guild doctors to get work, not go to the guild.
Ember Flare "Sundancer, we can pretend you're from some high lord's mansion... or something? Only the rich have robots right"
Sundancer "So you're going to be from the guild, and I'm going to be from a mansion. Shouldn't be too hard."
Saffron seemed to smile a little more, reassured by Brickfielder's smug aura--at least for this one time. "That does sound exciting! We just need to get past the fact that we're outsiders, maybe by getting a hoof from that one pony that gave us a ride into here..."
Brickfielder chuckles slightly. "Oh, that's an easy one. Just think--we came from the diseased mainland, where agriculture was difficult, and these ponies are refusing to use arable land because of some rocks?" He glances up slightly. "I'm sure I can work that line into something... "
"Starving does suck a whole lot..." Saffron agreed as she gave a slight nod, "Plus if the town starts being unable to feed even some of it's citizens, eventually the quality of life is gonna start taking a nosedive. Maybe not now, but soon as more are born. The town will never grow. Gonna need to make a call between feeding the town or not messing with the spooky magic fairies that eat foals." Saffron nodded to herself, albeit speaking a bit more softly, with some extra thought... Looking back up to Brickfielder, "You think we could maybe do that right now? Try to get a public speech going?"
Saffron "How bad could it go, right? You and Silver Rush would be the best for it anyways."
Ember Flare "Y-yeah... we'll just bluff our way through"
Brickfielder looks back down at Saffron. "...I can probably try something. Can't be hard turning the opinions of this bunch..."
Saffron grins with anticipation, her wings giving one small flap as she reared up to give a nice stomp on the ground in applause, "Let's do it then!" Saffron cheered for Brickfielder in support, "Let me know how I can help! If I can help. Or if you want me to just not do anything."
Brickfielder puts a hoof to his chin, and glances around. "...I'm not sure if it's useful, but, since the whole idea is getting petitions, we could start getting signatures here. You could move about and get signatures while Silver and I speak."
Saffron gives a quick nodnod in approval, "I can do that easily. Just need to get, y'know, a formal enough paper to get signatures on. Just need to find somepony who has one going..." She said, starting to crane her head as she walked around...
Saffron "Speech first though?? Maybe one will come out to meet us."
Brickfielder "If not, just join up with Silver and I. ...If nothing else, having you as a third person to vouch for life on the mainland will help."
The doctor’s line of inquiry takes them down a strange route. It leads them to a bordello where the local madam has girls under the weather. While your guise of being from the guild seems to fail you, that actually works out in your favor. Turns out the ma’am would like to keep the chance her girls got sailors sick under wraps. You’ll get paid for the medical supplies you spend and everyone will go there separately afterwards. It would be a bit of weird work, but you want the money.
Saffron beamed, whipping her head back towards Brickfielder as she replied. "I can definitely do that. This place is idyllic compared to what we saw." Saffron stated with confidence. Looking around near some of the watering holes that they had just left behind for a good spot. Maybe a crate she can stand on so she can actually speak to a crowd, since she was so small.
Sundancer hides behind her beep boop robot routine to try and avoid or deflect unwelcome attention of scandalously clothed ponies and griffons
Ember shrugs "Well work is work. Ah! If you or someone else you know happens to require more... discreet services, we might be able to help"
It would be a difficult task to get the local yokels motivated. Anything outside their normal routines was considered too much work it seemed. Given the labor they do that did not seem unwarranted. But Brickfielder and Saffron describing the situation of the mainland and pointing out that the farmers could feed everyone seemed to get through to them. They would get organized for their petition that evening.
Quick Fix appears to go on autopilot for some time, barely responding to questions, commands, etc... but he seems to regain sapience upon needing to treat some patients.
Brickfielder does his best with the speech being impromptu, and makes sure to try to make it feel personal given the small size of the audience. Describing how in Fillydelphia it was difficult to farm, acting indignant that Trottingham would put itself into such a difficult position at the behest of forest-dwellers... He may lean a bit hard on the pathos, but that seems to him like the best way to get through to a bunch of infrareds, especially these bumpkins. Plus, he makes sure he fluffs out his wings and stands tall as he moves around and pontificates.
Treating the brothel workers would be an experience for the trio of medical ponies. Sometimes medical journals did not prepare you for this sort of surface disease. But you manage to treat the symptoms for now and give them medicine to take for a couple weeks to clear up their illnesses. At least it was only a couple of mares that needed your help. After cleaning up and getting out of there through a discrete exit the trio would come away with another pouch of coins. Some of it was hush money.
Brickfielder doesn't have a great finish planned out, aside from just urging the ponies to take organizing their petitions more seriously. Once he's done, his brow furrows and he lets a concerned frown cross his face, only briefly, before shaking his head and returning to his normal look.
Saffron, being small but with a loud voice, was more the one to open up the speech by calling out to the crowd from atop the height advantage of her crate. She beckoned everyone to listen to her companion's opinion on current affairs, and to hear the suggestions of settlers from the mainland. With that out of the way, it was Brickfielder doing all the talking, aside from when she needed to underline something, or flag down whoever was wanting to ask questions to make them speak up. By the end of it, Saffron was a little bit socially tired... But nonetheless bounced off her crate excitedly to stand nearer to Brickfielder, ready to start walking away. "That went well enough, right?"
Saffron "We started something!"
Brickfielder takes a deep breath, and nods. "I hope so. But again, we need to guide this further. ...Imagine a speech in the town square..."
It starts to get late in the day by the time the two groups finish their tasks. Meeting back up around supper time at the inn. You can get your rooms again for the night, which seem to be some of the only ones in the city being sold out to outsiders. Beds not part of a brothel at least. Meeting back up at the inn’s common room your groups can discuss your day.
Sundancer "What have you three been up to while we were out playing breadwinner?"
Quick Fix "We made *so* much money. But at what cost...?" Quick shakes his head, disturbed.
Brickfielder settles in and runs a hoof along his mane as he relaxes. He glances at Quick before starting. "...Well, we actually caught wind of some strange stuff in town today. Apparently the farmers want to expand the fields into areas where there are stone circles. Which means removing them."
Brickfielder "There's obviously problems with that... but this city clearly needs more food. Can't believe these ponies are squandering good farmland while we had to deal with the awful conditions back in Filly… There's unorganized popular sentiment for it. ...Maybe the city will yield and let the circles be removed if it does get more organized. But then, that'd bother the Cloaks..." He gives an exaggerated sigh. "Kind of a mess, if you ask me."
Sundancer "They should appreciate what they have. Get rid of the circles, I say. Ponies on the mainland are starving, this place is the future."
Saffron came in rather excited at first! She seemed to bound excitedly to the first empty space they could find so that the gang could all be together at one table. She drummed the table saying "We did a cool thing!", before Brickfielder began to explain. And her attention shifted more towards Quick Fix, frowning at seeing him so disturbed... Looking between Ember and Sundancer briefly, "Quick, you okay?"
Brickfielder nods to Sundancer. "...It's a complicated situation. But if the city is going to grow, it needs food."
Ember Flare "He might have had too much fun with the prostitutes"
Quick Fix nodnods, and then shakes his head to clear himself of whatever thoughts are troubling him. "Just... saw some things that I probably would have been better off not. Also feels... *strange* being paid for this work. I hesitate to say wrong... it's only fair for us to be compensated... but it was quite shady."
Quick Fix double-takes and covers his reddening cheeks with a hoof. Uncalled for!
Ember Flare "But the city has food problems then... understandable. It is a big city.
Brickfielder nods... and also raises an eyebrow. "Prostitution, then? That's the sort of stuff you were hanging around this afternoon?"
Saffron side glances Ember and scrunchies her nose at her for that joke, "Ember please, you're killin' him." Saffron says half-playfully, looking back to see Quick Fix already melting in his own hooves. She leaned over from her seat to hook a foreleg around his back and give him a side hug.
Sundancer turns to Saffron briefly remarking "He got cooties."
Quick Fix "I-it was for a job. We got paid twenty notes!" He sinks into Saffron, melting with embarrassment.
Brickfielder "Mm. You never had a girlfriend, huh?"
Saffron scrunchies even harder, looking to Sundancer. Then to Quick. "I can't believe you'd go and get cooties like that..." Saffron whispered at Quick Fix with the cheekiest tone.
Ember Flare "And I don't know if it is remarkable in itself but apparently the noble houses have robot servants. They seem to have surprisingly high technology up in here"
Saffron "Wait, there's noble houses?"
Brickfielder glances over to the others while Saffron coos at Quick. "...Servant robots? Night and day, between Trottingham and the Cloaks..."
Ember Flare "I meant some of the richer ponies in the Upper town. Where we were told not to loiter"
Quick Fix "That's n-none of your business, Brickfielder." Quick nickers at Saffron, "not you, too..."
Saffron just smirks at Quick Fix and starts to focus more efforts on trying to reassure the poor, abused, bullied unicorn; nuzzling into his cheek once. "Aww Quick!~ I would never insinuate. Let us never speak of this again!~" Saffron very playfully whispered to him, a theatrically 'posh' tone to her voice as she turned away, to look at the others.
Saffron"By the way, did we find a seller for the hazard suits?..."
Quick Fix"N..not that I know of. That should be our priority, if we're really committed to getting inside the Vault ASAP."
"Mmmmmmm..." Saffron wrapped her wing around the unicorn, resting her chin on his mane rather cheekily as he answered the question. "Probably." Saffron looked up towards Sundancer and the others, "It would give me, Silver, and Brickfielder time to do what we wanted to do, as well."
(GM Note):Cut out a lot of OOC discussing the group’s course of action the next day. Shopping and a plan to arson some of the city’s food supplies were settled on. Ran out of time and the setup for arson was to happen next session.
The shopping crew will head out into the city and spend much of the day tracking down hazmat suits and equivalents. There were some junk merchants who came from working sites in griffonstone that could sell refurbished or spare sets. Some are a little pricier than others, which means you will drain your funds in the endeavour. Brickfielder in particular has trouble finding something his size. It means he will end up having to get a suit made for a griffon. It will be an awkward fit, and the claw hand gloves will be difficult to use. Perhaps the suit could be tailored by Sundancer later. But in all the group manages to acquire five hazmat suits. You have enough time in the day to start your three day trip back to the camp.
It would take saffron all morning to discover the location of one of the city's food stores. She would busy herself around the southern gate to the city in waiting for a farmer to bring goods into the city. Most of them ended up going to the day market that sprung up at the central plaza or ended up delivered to stores for resale. It was a truck ferrying sacks of flour and cereals that ended up being a proper lead. Tailing the truck would lead Saffron to a middle class district west of pub lane. The building that was being used to store the grain was nothing special, nestled among a row of stores. Almost like the cellar of a shop was being used for extra storage. It turns out the main floor of the building was a police office. Likely the neighborhood's post. A locked cellar door at the back of the building was used to access the storage rooms. One grated window looked into the cellar half full of sacks on wooden duty shelves. The office above seemed staffed by only six or seven members. Setting the wooden building on fire might not be difficult with the right tools. Doing so without being caught or without burning down connected buildings was another. It was possible the entire neighborhood would go up with the office if the cellar was lit up.
Saffron returned to their hostel late late in the afternoon looking perhaps a little bit more satisfied and less disheveled than when she went out, very early in the morning. Given that the others were still out buying hazmat suits, she took her place at an indoor pillow-sitting space, and waited patiently for the others to return. Spending what little time she had while the others were still out ordering supper, and hastily combing her mane and tail. Once the others came back, she'd have to take Ember aside for a private chat in their rooms to fill in on what she found... And the possibility of setting everything on fire.
Saffron "That's the good news. The bad news is, it's a police station. We're gonna get chased if we're not sneaky, and if they even see us, we have no plausible deniability."
Ember Flare "The police station does sound like it would complicate things... also the whole place is on a pretty busy street..."
Brickfielder cocks an eyebrow to Saffron leading Ember away, but doesn't comment on it, remaining settled where he is and casting a glance at Quick.
Ember ponders for a moment "...if we managed to sneak into the cellar and set the fire in there properly AND managed to sneak out, we it might be possible no one would notice the blaze until it was much too late"
Ember Flare "What do you think?"
Saffron nods along, then gives Ember a strange look. Frowning with worry and hesitation, brow furrowing slightly. "The buildings adjacent might catch too. Not exactly what I'd call low-profile--uh..." Saffron whispered, pursing her lip a little more. "And yes--that has a good chance of working, however... The cellar is locked, and watched I think. I can try to bumble my way to picking up but, I'm not... good at it."
Quick Fix sits and eats his supper, rather quiet outside the company of the bright red pegasus. After a day of presumably much awkwardness and lack of conversation with Brick, he seems content to keep to himself unless roped into something.
Saffron "Honestly It's a solid plan B but we might need more prep time? Brickfielder had a good thing going, trying to rally up a petition. Could see how that goes?"
Sundancer "Low-profile for us, at least. It'll cover our escape. There's not going to be any hiding the fire, just hiding who did it."
Ember Flare "Well it might work well in tandem with that plan... Would just have to have a backup plan if we had to off a wandering copper or something. Silently. If I set the place on fire, I don't think I might be able to do it immediately after that"
Brickfielder defaults to what he's found himself doing quite a lot when he needs to pass the time: obsessing over keeping his sword clean and sharp. While pulling it out and running a cloth over the blade, he looks over at Quick. "Alright, lad. Since we've got a moment alone, I wanted to ask you something, buck to buck. What do you see in Saffron?"
Ember Flare "And uh.. what about the lock?"
Saffron's ears pin as she lowkey grimaces to that notion. But doesn't dismiss, nodding with a grim acceptance. "I have a knife, and I know how to use it. And I think we had a crossbow, too? Won't help muffling the screams, but if I grapple first..." Saffron's voice trails off, grimacing a bit more as she mulls over it... Then pauses at Ember's words. "That's the thing. I never picked a lock in my life."
Sundancer "I've taken locks apart before. Picking them was only very briefly covered. Shooting any guards will be my job, I suppose."
Saffron beams with some relief at the reply from Sundancer. But then bites her lip, thinking about it some more. "If you picked the lock you'd be too exposed at that point... I can try to improvise something with the tools I have. No promises though; we need a back-up for if I fail to pick the lock and get spotted."
Saffron "Shooting the cops really should be a last resort. They're gonna start posting up soldiers if the cops start dying."
Quick Fix blinks a bit. Apparently, after all that time together, Brick chooses *now* to start having a proper conversation with him. ...well, the day is coming to an end, the inn is comfy, and they both have nothing better to do, he supposes... "Oh... um, well... a lot. She's sweet, optimistic, enthusiastic, and just... bubbly." He leans in a little. "It, uh... it sounds like things were rough for her in Filly. Sounds like she... did some things she isn't proud of. But she came out of it so happy and positive and... she just tries to make everyone's day better. Not to mention, she's kinda the only pony out of all of you that makes an active effort to talk to me most of the time."
Ember Flare "As unfortunate as it is, I bet the best option would be to simply run"
Sundancer pats her energy weapon "As long as they don't catch a glimpse of us before they go down we shouldn't need to kill anypony."
Saffron does a little weird jog in place for a good second. Giving off this quiet "MmMmMmMm--" before nodding to herself, side glancing Sundancer once, and giving a quick nod. "Okay. We can go survey the area to see where you two can post up. I'll sneak in close--grab a cloak that can cover me whole so my clothes aren't visible or recognizable at a glance, especially for later. I'll try to open the cellar door, and from there... Uhm..."
Saffron "Ember can project her smoke-fire stuff into it, and set it ablaze. I haven't seen the inside though."
Ember Flare"I think we still have that camouflage outfit somewhere... I could switch from this doctor coat to that... or maybe it would do better on Sundancer? You kinda... stand out"
Sundancer "Yeah, I'll take the heavy clothing. As long as we don't fly anywhere we shouldn't be recognized."
Brickfielder stops giving attention to his sword to watch Quick with a level gaze, letting the unicorn finish before he turns his attention back to the weapon in his hooves. "...Back in Fillydelphia, she was one of the ponies who'd go out to scavenge. I was in charge of the guard, so usually, when she came or went, I was there to see her. She's always been... outspoken, I think is a good way to say it."
Saffron looks to Ember more intently at that. Nodding to Ember once... Then turning to Sundancer, "As long as you two stay away--like, as far as Ember's optimal range can be with her--"magic", and have some cover inbetween if at all possible. You wont be seen, hopefully."
Saffron "Camouflage would look a little weird, but I guess it's not too on-the-nose."
Brickfielder pauses for a few seconds. "Sometimes I worry she says too much. Not that loose lips can be to blame for what happened back on the mainland, but, it's always concerned me nonetheless. Especially now that we're here in this strange place."
Ember Flare "I mean I'd have to see into the cellar. I think I could follow behind you without attracting any attention. It might look weird, but at least she would not be instantly recognized"
"Scavenging, huh? Combing the ruins of the old world for useful scrap..." Quick shakes his head. "Sounds like something you'd read in a novel. And, yet, here we are..." He settles back in his chair. "It's not as if you have anything to give away, save for the position of camp, perhaps. She believes in ponies. That's something... rare. I think."
Saffron wiggles around with some slight excitement which she was barely restraining. "Hm." Saffron stops moving suddenly, pausing to consider this again... "Okay... This could work. I open the cellar, Ember sets it on fire, we dash away--perhaps with the cover of Ember's smokey cover that I've seen you using on me to defend me from that bear, and we disappear somewhere."
Quick Fix "And sometimes you need ponies who are willing to speak up and voice their opinion. Certainly wasn't enough of that in the Vault. ...I was part of the problem." He sighs. "I just... I value her. If the Vault... if the ponies don't make it, she's all I have..."
Saffron "Sundancer... You could probably just keep watch to warn me if somepony is about to see me. That way we're not busted TOO hard..."
Ember Flare "I cannot project it in a wide area, but it should help in a pinch"
Sundancer "I'll be the lookout."
Saffron "Good-good. So we want to do this immediately? Because we're going back to camp soon."
Ember Flare "Worst come to it I think I can summon out that... you know and have it fight out any pursuer. Not the ideal outcome I'd add"
Saffron looked between Ember and Sundancer, "We're sure about this, right? I don't know what will happen after we do this. We might have to do Brickfielder's plan first, before we do this... But we're, y'know, leaving..."
Ember Flare "I-I Think we should. The brass expects results right"
Brickfielder furrows his brow slightly and just stares down at the sword while sitting still. "...May be rare, maybe." He continues staring silently, and slowly looks back up at Quick, tightening his jaw for a moment. "...I know what it's like to lose ponies close to you." He doesn't. "I hope your Vault will be fine." He knows it won't be.
Sundancer "Yeah, if we're leaving town anyways, it's the perfect opportunity."
Saffron grits her teeth when 'the brass' is mentioned. "That's what it sounded like..." She whispered through said teeth, before looking to Sundancer. With the approval of both of them, Saffron throws out a huge, heavy sigh and nods. "Alright." She turned to the exit of the room, to go back outside. "I'll go pick up a cloak."
Ember Flare "You mind switching the armor with me Sundancer? Not that I want to need it but... would be better than being seen with the doctors coat?"
Sundancer "Fine. I've been wearing it all day, it'll be good to switch up for disguise."
Saffron audibly walked the steps back downstairs from the second floor, hopping down the last few steps with a gliding hop--trotting into the main hall, narrowly avoiding a table as she fixes her glance on Brickfielder's and Quick's. She swings by, laying low to sneak under the eyes of the two stallions by sneaking under other tables with her smallness... And then pops up beside Quick's chair to surprise-boop him on the nose.
Quick Fix nods slowly, not pushing the subject. They all had to have lost ponies in Filly, after all, they were refugees after its destruction. "I hope so too... but we've left it for so long. I just... I hope we don't get back t-to just find... a dark metal coffin." The poor thing shudders, clearly disturbed.
Quick Fix then blinks, scrunching involuntarily, as Saffron almost interrupts his dark spiel. Well, that's... a change of pace! But perhaps not an unwelcome one. "Oh. Welcome back, Saffy."
Ember fetches the camouflage suit for Sundancer and switches into the armor in their room. She tries to be cool about being exposed but still switches the gear as fast as she could.
Saffron meets Quick Fix with one of her trademark blithe grins, "Jello! And thanks." Saffron shifts aside a bit to lay her bootclad forehooves on the table so she wouldn't actually need to hurt her neck looking up at Brickfielder. "Hey Brick. Me and the other mares were going to take the scenic route to see if we can't explore a little more. You can accompany Quicky here to the gate and maybe wait for us? We'd only be late a couple minutes at most. I hope."
Ember feels a little cramped given the armor was not exactly made for her unique body.
Brickfielder watches Quick, and looks back to his sword as Saffron reappears, figuring that all that has to be said has been said. He has a knot in his chest, feeling like he's being both genuine and false at the same time... what is he doing?
Brickfielder looks back up at Saffron and blinks a couple of times. "Oh, sure. Just don't take too long. I charge by the hour for foalsitting."
Sundancer takes the opportunity to stand and watch Ember as she changes, still not sure what to make of her mutations
Sundancer "If you need any clothes modified, just ask. I 'm told my needlework is serviceable."
Ember shifts her shoulders "It's a bit uncomfortable but... should do for a short while"
Saffron rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Oh Brickfielder, whatever would we do without your foalsitting services." Saffron side glanced to Quick and nodded towards Brickrfielder ala 'get a load of this guy'. Then looked to Brickfielder with a smirk, "Don't fall on him." She tells in a faux-cautionary tone. Then starts to lean off the table to start ambling to the exit.
"Smell ya later!" Saffron calls back to the two.
"Hey!" Quick pouts at the big blue stallion, mock-offended. "I'll have you know that I'm almost an adult. By Vault standards, anyway." He shakes his head. "I'm glad to be leaving, though. Sooner we get back to the Vault, the better."Quick shot Saffron a micro-smirk that faded in the wake of Brick's ever-present smug aura.
Ember closes her eyes for a moment and tests her powers, smoke coming from the collar and the lower end of the armor. She could feel some heat being trapped inside the armor but nothing too bad
Ember would follow after Saffron once she got her gear up
Saffron would've been waiting outside for the mares to finish their dress-up. Giving them both a smirk and a nod, she begins to lead the taller mares towards the food storage she found to show it to them, and begin surveying the place for a good-enough spot to begin positioning.
Your group splits up for the time being. Brickfielder escorting the unaware infrared to the western gate. Ember, Sundancer, and Saffron head across the city to perform some illegal activities. The plan should be simple: Get to the back of the building without drawing attention. Open the lock on the cellar. Let Ember set a small fire to the grain. Leave without raising suspicion.
(GM Note:) The female PCs rolled a series of skill tests for the arson. All passed.
Sundancer takes position near the mouth of the alleyway that leads behind the row of buildings that include the police station. The access to the cellars was not especially watched given the locks in place. With it being later in the day things are quiet at least. Time for the others to get to work.
Brickfielder has a confident saunter as he leads Quick along, not letting the dour mood set previously get him down from keeping his head held high in public.
The padlock on the cellar door was not sophisticated or meant to keep more than casual citizens from wandering in. It would take a minute for the inexperienced mare to get the lock to pop. But after a few agonizing turns the heavy steel padlock would unshackle.
Ember looks at Saffron working from a small distance, nervously licking her lips and glancing around
Ember positions herself to get a proper line of sight into the cellar from the open door and starts to concentrate
Saffron widened her eyes as she heard the 'click', then watches, almost astounded at how the lock opens--pulling open the cellar for Ember as she hastily goes to put away her lockpick and screwdriver. Not skipping a beat, she'd cast a look back to Ember as she shifted back to lay low, nodding towards the open cellar door...
Sundancer gives an encouraging nod to to Ember
Quick Fix "See, I told you. She brightens any situation, any conversation... just by being herself. I've never seen that in anypony before."
Brickfielder snorts slightly. "...I suppose it's a gift. I'm used to just finding it more... annoying, myself. Distracting. Guess that's why I was a guard and she wasn't."
Ember’s magic takes hold on a wooden shelving unit. Within a few moments the furniture and the dry sacks it stores will be a blaze. It would almost be tempting to stay and watch it go up.
(GM Note): The female PCs made a group evasion test to get across the city in a hurry without getting attention.
Ember would shake off her fuming back as the armor really did become pretty uncomfortable when she properly pushed herself. "A-alright let's go" She hissed in low voice
Saffron watches the magical fire-smoke casted from Ember as it starts the fire. Her body stiffens as she winces. Then quickly closes the cellar doors as the fire starts, and begins to canter back to the others. "Time to leave." Saffron quickly whispers through her teeth towards the two of them as she goes.
Quick Fix frowned some. "Well... I... I appreciate it. I guess I can see how it might feel that way... but when things are so, so... *crappy* for me at the moment, she just... she makes it feel all better."
Ember Flare "See anyone Sundancer? I didn't. You Saffron?"
"Yeah." Quick is out of things to say, so he stays quiet 'til and past when they reach the gate.
"Nop'!" Saffron pipes up softly in response, "Let's hope it stays that way."
Ember is switching between hooves doing a bit of an unprofessional nervous dance before the others
Ember Flare "Okay.. I guess we just.. leave then"
Sundancer "As fast as possible."
The trio of arsonists head through back allies to the back of pub row to make a round trip up through the plaza. Moving fast, but confidently, you think you have done a good job removing yourselves from the scene before it became noticed. It was a solid four or five minutes before a bell started to ring from somewhere. Conversation on the main street quickly started to become about the fire going on, with more than a few ponies starting to move that direction. As you make it to the central plaza you’ll see ponies in what was evidently firefighting gear pulling a wheeled wagon that was a huge metal barrel. It looked like a water tank being brought down from elsewhere in the city, and was not the only one moving through the plaza. By the time the mares make it to upper town the excitement seemed to be behind them. They can reconvene at The Star with their stallion companions.
Sundancer speaks to Ember before heading into an alley
Sundancer "So, you want to keep the armor, or are you dying to get out?"
Saffron watched Ember as she did her nervous-dance. The smoll red mare flashes Ember an empathic little smirk, giving her a pat on the shoulder as Saffron starts very smoothly and calmly leading the way. "Stay behind me." Saffron would whisper back to them, expertly moving about between the alleys, starting to reveal her face again. Lowering the hood, the cloak, and the bandanna, before heading back to the plaza and bee-lining towards the star. Her wings twitching and shuddering on her back the whole way, even despite looking so confident with that big, confident grin of hers. "Well that was exciting." She says, once they're scot-free. Starting down the main street to The Star.
Ember Flare "I think I'll switch out of it once we're out of the city, I don't want to change on the streets. But it is mighty uncomfortable. Would have to take you up on the offer to modify it if you aren't using it. Certainly was. Still, I can't exactly celebrate the fact much. Need to catch up to Brick and the infrared"
Saffron stays very quiet as they walk along the road with a stride in her step, stopping a couple times to glance up towards the plume of smoke in the distance with a torn, both worried and slightly horrified frown. "Yeah..." Saffron simply replied to Ember, picking up the place even more, into a trot... Until they can actually SEE Quick Fix and Brickfielder down the road. That's when Saffron starts picking up into a canter towards the two of them, "Quick Fix! Brickfielder!" She called out to them as she got to them.
Brickfielder glances over his shoulder, and calmly raises a wing to Saffron, before looking ahead again, keeping a slow pace so that they can easily catch up.
Saffron gives a quick half-flap of her left wing in response, before looking to Quick Fix and sliding up alongside him. "Did you see the smoke??" Saffron turned her head back the way they came, biting her lip and tightening her wings on her back.
"Uh... smoke? No, what happened?" Quick blinked at the red mare and the two others, wondering what could have happened in such a short span of time.
Brickfielder looks back over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow. "We miss something exciting?"
Ember glances at Saffron but doesn't say anything
"I have no idea!... I think somepony messed up cooking and started a fire, or something!" Saffron said with almost childish nervousness mixed with excitement, looking back towards the town. She glanced back forward again hurriedly, looking to Brickfielder, "Apart from the fffire? No, I was looking for, like, bulleting boards and stuff? So we could come back here looking for jobs. Didn't find much. But the black smoke was weird. Kinda reminded me of stuff that happened on the outskirts of Filly, not here. Wacky."
Sundancer "Everything is so nice and not scorched or bombed-out"
"Eh... Anyways, Quick." Saffron looked more towards Quick Fix, changing the subject slightly, "How is Brickfielder as a conversational partner? Terribad, right?"
Brickfielder looks back again, and just snorts before looking ahead.
Quick Fix looks slightly... confused, but he shakes his head and decides to move on from the whole fire thing. "I hope they get it under control. It's a nice city. But, ah... no, Brick's okay." He leans in, whispering so only Saffron can hear, "talks to me more than Sunny or Ember do, anyway."
When your group gets going you will find you have quite a bit of travel to do just to get out of the farmlands. Not nearly as short a journey when you were not traveling by vehicle. You won’t make it quite to the end of the farmland by nightfall, leaving you to make camp on the edge of a field by the roadside.
Brickfielder permits himself to smile a bit.
Saffron starts prancing along besides Quick Fix, bouncing slightly up and down as she talks to the green stallion. "Ahh looks like the Brick's rating went up then." Saffron playfully stated with a smirk in Brickfielder's direction. Then slowing down, slowing to a walk again at the whisper... She leans in to whisper back, "That's no good... Maybe once we camp out you could talk to them or...?"
Quick Fix "Yeah, maybe... I don't know. I've never been very good with... you know, the whole 'socialisation' thing. But we'll see. Maybe I can chat with Ember about my magic some more. Oh, and before I forget, I wanna talk to you about something when we get back to camp... in private. Has to do with Filly."
Quick Fix caught a glimpse of the Bricksmile, and if he was looking, returned a kind smile of his own.
Once in camp Ember would remove the armor, stretching her back and stiff wings before donning the Doctors coat back on again and bringing the armor back to Sundancer
"Weird, you're sooooo good at it when you talk with me.~" Saffron rebuts with a cheeky tone that basically made her smirk audible. Though when he mentions speaking to her in private, Saffron's smirk ebbs away, looking a bit more serious as she nods once, "Sure thing, Cutie Fix." Saffron simply says. Keeping a bit more quiet (but also not really) as they get to making camp for the night... Saffron letting Quick approach her for this 'private conversation' he wanted to have.
Ember Flare "Ah thanks for lending it, I think I prefer something lighter. Even if that's pretty light compared to.. well what we used to have"
Sundancer "No worries. Honestly, I'd prefer something heavier. Never enough metal plates between the metal plates and the bullets."
Quick Fix merely shakes his head at the compliment. 'You make it so easy', he wants to say... but the whispers grow tiresome around the group, and for now he relents.
Ember Flare "Heh, makes sense. I've never been the most athletic, so mobility is a bigger deal to me"
The second day of travel sees you entering the dense woods again. You can avoid the circle you noted on your trek to the city this leg of the trip. Even so you will have another near encounter with glass creatures. A swarm of glass butterflies, numbering four or so dozen, were occupying a clearing and being very obvious. Due to the rainbow range of light they reflect and fill the surrounding forest with. You could avoid the area and circle around or attempted to get a closer
Ember Flare "Are they... doing something there? or just uh hanging out?"
Sundancer "I can't tell from here."
Saffron spent pretty much all night with her eyes open towards the town. She couldn't quite sleep that well in the night, she was too... Uncomfortable with herself. She felt icky, in a very literal way. But she didn't mention that. On the following day, as they get back into the woods and stumble onto the murder of crystal butterflies close-by, she starts to lower a bit to take some cover from their general direction... "I could move closer to check..."!
Ember Flare "should we check?"
Saffron "Uhhh maybe you all stay here in cover, and I go closer? I can relay what I see."
Quick Fix still slept back-to-back with Saffron, as per usual. Lacking an extra tent (and of course not thinking to buy one in Trottingham) made it a necessity. Once they encounter the butterflies, Quick stays back just as with the bear encounter. It's up to the party what to do.
Ember nods to Saffron
Saffron took a moment to rub some of the lingering weariness from not sleeping from her eyes, before starting to poise herself to get closer. "Stay here. Keep your weapons ready as a just-in-case policy." She tells them quietly, then starts working on her approach towards the butterflies to figure out what they're crowding around.
Brickfielder lowers his brow, and sighs quietly while readying his Zip Pistol.
Watching the butterflies for a while would leave you concerned with their actions. In a slow methodical way groups of the glass insects circle and layer transparent slates into pillars. Not unlike insects building a hive together. Multiple groups are working in unison around the clearing making these pillars at once. You can hear what sounds like singing coming from the creatures, like they were communicating with each other this way. The slates are slick with that iridescent goo left behind by the glass creatures. Before your eyes a pillar of stacked slates seems to be finished. It darkens and takes on a stone-like appearance. It was evidence enough that they were constructing a circle.
Sundancer hisses under her not-breath "We should stop them"
Quick Fix winces at the sight. "That's not good. That thing's spreading its influence through the forest. Those circles make it unsafe to travel."
Saffron took a few long moments to extrapolate just what was going on here. Watching them construct a pillar from that glue-like material, Then, swift as she came, she turned around and trots her way back to the group. "They're building another circle..." Saffron told them, then looked to Sundancer, then to Quick Fix... Then she looked towards Brickfielder and Ember. "We can make an ambush. Ember you can obliterate most of them easily..."
Brickfielder gives Saffron the flattest, most deadpan look he can manage. "Do we have to."
Ember swallows "Uh, I might have given you a bit too optimistic view of my capabilities..."
Saffron taps her chin, and narrowed her eyes on Ember and Brickfielder's opinions. Then looked back to Quick Fix and Sundancer, "There's a bit over 40 of them there... May be wise to simply take note of where this is and move on in this case, then."
Ember Flare "It's still good to know how these things are made, might help later"
Saffron throws out a heavy sigh, giving Quick Fix a second, almost ashamed look as she turns around to start making way to get away from the area and move on towards the camp. "This place is starting to feel like a minefield..." She grumbled, "At least they're highly visible mines."
The last day of your trek to camp would be under light rain. Thankfully by the time you were in the woods you would have cover from the trees. You might spot one of the Earthen Cloak watchers as you pass through the edge of their territory. But you were left alone to your travels. You would return to your camp on a chilly afternoon. Reorganizing there while you rest would involve needing to shoo away a pack of racoons that have made use of your boat defenses while you were away.
Ember would take a look around the camp noting the lack of major changes "Well home sweet home?"
Quick Fix "Mmhm. We should finish up that cabin after we've opened up the Vault. Really make this place feel like home."
Sundancer “Depending on the state of radiation, we may need to start making new homes."
Brickfielder "...It'd be nice to get that off our plate, if nothing else."
Saffron was highly tempted to go straight to sleep despite having to get to the vault. However, as she enters camp and notices all the paw prints, and then the raccoons under the boat, the smoll red mare sighed loudly and began to march to the boat, to begin evicting the new raccoons. "I kicked out your friends already! GIT OUT of there!" Goes Saffron in the background.
Ember Flare "Do you want to start working on the vault today or wait till tomorrow?"
Quick Fix "All there is to be done is to open it up and... look. It should be obvious if... if the ponies in the Vault didn't make it."
The racoons were indignant at saffron but relented to her being loud and annoyed. They scuttled off into the woods.
Saffron would eventually return back to the group after having waved and batted a stick against the boat to urge the raccoons out of their boat. She sits down on her haunches with a big sigh of relief after all this walking, and starts looking up at Quick Fix. "So. We're ready to go in... The robots are probably going to shoot us for breaking in--if they're still functional, you wanna give us some directions to the reactor room so we can help out?"
From what Quick Fix could tell the others of the vault's layout there were four levels. The administration level was first, where organizational staff worked. Then there were two residential levels where most every pony lived. Last was the mechanics level were the power generators, robot docks, and armory resided.
Quick Fix "It's, um, on the lowest floor. There's four... usually we'd take elevators to move between them, but obviously there's a set of stairs as well. I haven't really been around the reactor too much - not really my working area - but there's good signage. We'd find it."
"Righty." Saffron took out her canteen to take a long sip of water as she rests--giving a heavy blink... Before standing back up again. "I'm a little tired but we can go right now." She nods, then looked at the others, "You all ready?"
Ember Flare "Yea I think so"
Brickfielder "Ready as we'll ever be, I figure."
Quick Fix "We've waited long enough."
Saffron stows away the canteen and double checks her shotgun. It was a little bit dirty, but she seemed satisfied when she looked back up and began to take strides back into the woods. "Alright then, let's go DO this thing! Occupy the vault!" She called out, as she begins into a trotting pace.
Ember doesn't need much time to prepare as they hadn't had much time to settle in either before following Saffron
You have a couple hours trek to the vault. Some of you are tense for what might be waiting. If the airlock doors would already be blown open. After passing through the cave entrance to the blast door you would find… Nothing different than when you last were here. The blast door was wide open as Quick had left it and the airlock was still the only barrier keeping you from the inside of the vault. Everyone could start gearing up in their hazmat suits while sundancer began work on the door.
Quick Fix isn't surprised by this happening. He's more worried about what they might find inside... bodies? Monsters? Killer robots? He's not sure about if the Vault's defenses are active or not. He can only hope they aren't.
Ember starts switching into the hazmat suit before freezing for a moment staring at the airtight suit for a good while
Sundancer hums happily as she tries out her new toy on the door's locking mechanism and gets closer to getting a look at all the fancy machines
Ember Flare "I'm not sure if I can do my regular thing wearing this so I think I best..." Ember doesn't finish her sentence as she starts fuming intensly, the smoke forming around her in a thick cloud before condensing and setting alight as the somewhat familiar smoke entity
Saffron lowkey breathes a slight sigh of relief at seeing that nothing had really changed. Though she keeps it on the down-low, quickly starts to sit down to undress from her rogue-ish gear, and begins to put on the radiation suit. It takes some time for her to get into the rubbery thing, and check if the filters were working. And copes with the fact that it was REALLY AWKWARD to wear... To the point that she had to quickly drop her survival kit and put it in one corner of the vault door's room so she could have less weight on herself.
Saffron grumbles quietly as she starts walking around in a circle with the suit on while the mares worked. "Oh colt, if I get shot this thing is gonna get punctured... I hope the robots aren't accurate..."
Quick Fix hides behind the Vault door while changing into his suit, still a little nervous about stripping in front of the others. The medical checkup was bad enough.
Quick Fix "The robots don't have guns. But... they can use flamethrowers and power cutters."
Brickfielder is just glad that the suit could be modified slightly to not be baggy around his hooves, tugging it on and sealing it up. Ugh, and he hasn't gotten to have a proper wash in so long...
Cutting through the airlocks would take about an hour between the two halves of the hall. Once you can get them open you would find yourself at the main thoroughfare hallway system of the vault. Just beyond the connection your two sensors for radiation start detecting increasing levels. Quick Fix's pipboy begins to tick while Ember gets a difficult to describe electric feeling that she was trained to associate with spark technologies. The PA system sounded shortly after you entered. The overseer began telling the residents a surface breech had happened. Residents were to stay in their rooms while the helper bots were turned to security mode and dealt with the breech.
"Oh." Saffron turned to stare at Quick Fix through the visor of the suit. "That's... Good! Better than lasers." She remarked. Taking the time to adjust her shotgun's lanyard across her chest and side, and have the pistol holster on the chest, and the shield closer to her side. Drawing said shield to keep it ready as they entered.
"At least it seems like they are alive after all." Saffron remarked after the PA announcement. "I'm... Pretty sure the overseer isn't going to be happy with us by the end of this.
Sundancer takes point, raising her rifle and shielding her squishy, easily poisoned squadmates from fire
You enter the administration level and nearly immediately encounter the vault robot forces in action. While the first you encounter was down the main hall it would be clear enough from the announcement they were on a security mode. Since you were the breech and a flamethrower was pointed in your direction those with any sense would prepare for trouble.
Ember is confused by the static magic in the air for a few moments after stepping in, costing her precious time to prepare
(GM Note): The PCs engaged a pack of robots in combat. It was fairly one sided in the PCs favor until a significant hit from a flame weapon Injured Brickfielder. Otherwise Saffron did a lot of work with an automatic pistol, Sundancer’s EMP Rifle took out a couple but overheated, Ember’s Smoke creature tanked hits, Quick rallied the group from behind and medic’d Brickfielder, and Brickfielder did work with pistol and sword.
With a successful hacking motion into the last capable security robot your group can catch your breath. Brickfielder suffered some heavy burns through the radiation suit. But thankfully the integrity of the suit itself was not broken.
Brickfielder twists around from Quick and draws his sword as he's turning, shearing straight through the remaining robot's chassis before slumping against the wall.
Saffron is quite close to tossing her pistol backwards when Ember's support fire rips into the robot and knocks it down for good. "Damn, Ember! That was a GOOD shot!" Saffron piped up, not looking back at them as she slightly relaxes her stance and casts a very concerned look towards Brickfielder as his sword krumps the robot...
Sundancer lowers her rifle and turns to treat Brick before seeing him be attended to by Quick
Saffron "... You good Brickfielder? You didn't make a very good sound."
Sundancer "It looks like the suit is intact. You can heal him through that, Quick?"
Brickfielder pushes himself off of the wall and glances back at Saffron. "...I'm fine... It can wait until we're back outside."
Quick Fix steps back from the big, hulking sword-boy, shaking a little from the adrenaline of all the gunfire and danger. He can't believe he's being attacked by the same robots he's lived with all his life.
Sundancer "It doesn't look like the overseer wants our help, Vault-boy."
Smokey hovers near Brick with a concerned look putting a hoof on his side for support
Sundancer "But not many of these robots are still functional. Can you talk to her somehow?"
Quick Fix "Y...yeah. I couldn't really see what was going on under there, but I could at least tell he was burnt. It wasn't too hard to soothe the tissue with my magic."
Ember Flare "That's... Quite a few robots. I hope that’s all of them?"
Saffron simply gives a small nod as her expression becomes much more serious the more she glances over him. She stepped back to collect the empty magazines of her pistol and stuff them in her saddlebags, then pull out a fresh 4 magazines to stick them in the magazine loops, as well as loading a full one into the gun. "We've still got a few floors to go." She remarked towards Ember.
Brickfielder doesn't react to the hoof at first, but after casting a glance and realizing it's Smokey's, he nearly smacks it away and stumbles into one of the robot wrecks.
Quick Fix "The overseer is male. I don't know if he wants our help, but given the place is still flooded with rads, he needs it. I guess we can try and see if any of the robots have functioning radios we can use."
"Take this time to get squared away, make sure your weapons are back in order. Then let's get back into our marching order." Saffron stated calmly and with a more soft tone of voice, looking over Brickfielder as he almost falls into a busted robot, then starting to step forward.
Saffron "I think you should get behind while I stay in front, I've got a shield so I can take hits."
Quick Fix then trots up to Brick, reaching a hoof up against his side. "We gotta have a look at that as soon as we get out of here, alright? It could be serious."
(GM Note): Sundancer rolled an exceptional craft test to access a downed robot’s radio and get a frequency needed to contact the inner vault.
Sundancer reaches down to the first robot she shot and with little trouble finds what she's looking for, the robot's transmitter and the overseer's frequency
Ember takes the moment to check the rooms the robots came from
Saffron trots her small self around to get more infront of their little group, keeping her shield and heavy auto-pistol readied towards the rest of the hallway. Side glancing back to watch Sundancer work, then back ahead. "We gonna be able to ring the overseer, Sundancer?"
Pulling out a cyber brain from one of the robots Sundancer can take a few minutes to disassemble the radio system. It had a hardwired code for the encryption system that Sundancer could draw to use with your radio equipment. With it you could retreat to get your gear and speak over a signal the pipboys would pick up.
Quick Fix sits in the hallway after they've made sure it's clear once again, handling the radio in his hazmat suit. "It's probably best I talk to him. Vault citizen and all that."
Ember takes a moment to check the storage space looking room she stumbled upon a bit closer
The storage room Ember explored was full of records and administrative supplies.
Quick Fix retreats to the entrance some time before that and makes Brick strip down so he can have a closer look at his... oof, horrible burn wounds.
"Right." Saffron's ears lower a bit as Quick Fix speaks, giving a quick nod towards him. "Let's stay outside the vault. Sunny keep your carbine pointed in here while me and Ember go get that dummy-big radio we got." Saffron says, looking back towards Ember, wandering further down the hallway.
Brickfielder doesn't seem very happy to be leaving the Stable again, but, he's still shaken up even as he's stripping out of the suit, staying quiet while Quick handles him.
Saffron "Ember! C'mon."
Ember Flare "Ah! right!"
Saffron starts to break into a canter once she's outside, keeping a jogging pace to make haste back to camp!
Quick Fix "...alright, your wounds could be worse, but it's gonna take a few days for the skin to recover with medical assistance. You feeling okay? I can soothe your pain if it's still burning."
Brickfielder glances down at Quick, taking his eyes off of the wall he was staring at before. "...Just do what you have to do so we can get back in."
Sundancer has been humming merrily and disassembling the first robot, performing triage on its important components
Quick Fix "...well alright. Sunny, come over here and help me rub on some antiseptic."
Sundancer "Ah, of course, now that we can look underneath that suit."
Sundancer raises her nose at the charred flesh "You got lucky these aren't radiation burns."
Ember Flare "Well that certainly could have gone a lot worse. That was quite a lot of tech they were able to throw at us"
Saffron made sure to quickly take off the very uncomfortable and awkward-to-fly in radsuit and leave it by the vault's entrance, even if it left her unarmored. "I *really* wish we had gone and managed to get those lost vault dwellers out earlier right now..." Saffron remarked as she'd get back up and make quick pace out of the cave the vault was in, and out onto the woods. Picking up the pace by flapping her wings and going airborne once they can.
Saffro "Oh yeah. I have no idea if those were specifically security robots, but damn..."
Brickfielder grunts and grits his teeth as the antiseptic gets applied.
Quick Fix shakes his head. "Don't grill him about it. He took that for the team."
Ember Flare "I still think that was better than invading into some unkowable magic dimension that is famous for trapping ponies forever"
Sundancer suppresses a laugh but doesn't suppress the flippancy in her voice "I'm sure he's been grilled by enough robots for one day."
Quick Fix holds back a snort. "You know, for a robot, you have quite the sense of humor."
"uh so..." Ember starts awkwardly "How are you gonna handle those infrareds in the vault?"
Sundancer "It's part of my bedside manner program."
Brickfielder's eyes seem to sink in further just from Quick and Sundancer's exchange as they're treating him.
Saffron had a bit of a chuckle as they fly in a close formation. "Heh! Probably. Maybe!" She nodded in agreement. Then paused, half-opening her mouth to speak, but Ember manages to ask first. Saffron pauses again, closing her mouth quickly. "... The plan I have in my head is that, if we can at the very least siphon the radiation temporarily, we can have them move to our camp to establish a settlement. We'd have a lot of friends for future ops."
Saffron "And plus Quick would trust us a lot more..."
Saffron turned her eyes away towards the front, eyeing the canopy flying by below them as she glides along with her wings. "Not a particularly radical solution but I'm pretty positive it'll work out for us, until command decides to recall us."
Ember Flare "it would make us look much more credible. The idea of so many strange ponies around does sound a bit uncomfortable though"
Quick Fix doesn't hold back the snort this time. His magic swells, drifting softly across Brick's side as it rejuvenates the skin, and even a few hairs spontaneously prickle into being. It's not perfect, but it's progress. "Bedside manner program, huh. Well... I like it. You're more of a pony than any of the robots in the Vault."
"You can get used to it, can't you?..." Saffron asked Ember with some more concern, looking back at her with a bit of a frown. "If anything we'd have our own cabin to hide ourselves in, away from everypony else."
Brickfielder has the thought of maybe saying something to help reinforce the lie they're meant to be upkeeping, but instead he just tightens his lips at the healing magic, letting it work.
Sundancer "As a fellow professional, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Your bedside manner isn't so bad yourself."
Sundancer looks down at Brickfelder "Look at how much fun he's having!"
Ember Flare "Oh it's not going to be a problem. Just... lots of ponies"
Quick Fix "Yeah, well... I try. Not sure you could call me a professional, though. I never finished my course, even if the magic fast-tracked me into working on actual patients."
Quick Fix half-giggles, trying to focus as he wraps up the cast. "Do you ever have fun, Brick?"
Sundancer "I couldn't tell if that was because of a lack of knowledge or experience. When you've got as much knowledge and experience as a pre-war medical robot, it's hard to tell which is which anymore."
"I know." Saffron smiles a bit more amicably, "Your Smoke-friend seems much more talkative though." She looked back to see the Smoke Monster keeping up in flight, "Are you secretly hiding an extrovert's personality in there?"
Brickfielder slowly turns and looks back at Quick, narrowing his eyes. "...Not since I came to this damned island."
Sundancer "Come on, fun aside it's not as bad as Filly, you've got to admit."
"Bit of both. But working on you guys has really helped me prac...tice." That look wilts him a little, and he steps away from Brick to signal that he's done. "S-sorry. I just hope that it is better than Filly for you."
Brickfielder slowly pushes himself up to his full height and just grits his teeth. "I'm going to withhold my judgment on that."
Quick Fix "...you sure you don't want me to use Painkiller? Not a whole lot to do 'cept wait for the others to get back."
"I just stand out better" Smokey says buffing it's chest (meaning it's bringing out it's flaming distorted rib cage)
Brickfielder swings his head back to look at Quick. "I'm *fine*."
"Okay." Quick takes a seat against one of the walls of the Vault entrance and waits.
Smokey "If I say something you ARE going to listen. Right?"
Sundancer gets up and re-enters the vault, intent on continuing robo-triage
Ember furrows her brow at the comments made
Brickfielder quickly takes to pacing back and forth a bit of a distance from Quick, his mind seeming to go elsewhere for the time being.
Quick Fix plays some quiet music on his PipBoy - for Brick, he can tell Quick's playing *something*, but it's barely audible.
Saffron's eyes lower to the smoke-ribcage it's puffing out. She gives a quick flap of her wings once at this, before flicking down. "Well, of course I'll listen! I gotta. We're all comrades here. And I think I'm also the acting squad leader, so..." She smirked. Looking back, she begins the descent as they begin to approach the camp, steadily lowering in altitude to get back on-hooves to smoothly transition into a jog towards the largest of the tents.
Then, he closes his eyes. Time for a nap.
Brickfielder stops pacing after a bit and looks over at Quick, blinking a few times. He... he seriously fell asleep? Just like that? After all that?
Quick Fix is probably not fully asleep - more like a state of relaxation with a reduced consciousness.
Ember Flare "Oh! Maybe we should report back to HQ. We captured the whole vault by ourselves"
Brickfielder trots quietly, nearer to Quick, and slowly sits down, spreading his wings out and laying his head back against the wall.
Saffron snickered back to Ember. "We cleared the first floor, don't get ahead of yourself Ember. I dunno if the Overseer is gonna let us get to the reactor yet..." She stops strapping the radio to her back, and instead starts deploying it again. "But, that's not a bad idea..."
Saffron quickly begins to settle down, setting up the radio and tuning it into their encrypted frequency with their CO. "Nimbus Actual to command, how copy?"
Smokey snorts in a way campfire might crackle "I ripped through their defenses. We got it"
Saffron would need to wait a few minutes to receive a reply. Eventually Cloudy Forecast’s voice would be heard. “This is Lighthouse. What is your status?”
Ember waves her hooves at the thing to try and get it to shut up as Saffron started using the radio
Though his breathing starts off clearly quite active, it slowly tapers into a relaxed, slow rhythm that could easily belong to a sleeping pony.
Brickfielder keeps quiet, and just stares off at nothing in particular while listening, looking tired but not letting his eyes stay shut for more than a moment.
Saffron settles in for a wait. Having enough time to look back towards Smokey as he says that, flashing them a smirk. "Not doubting your capabilities, just saying we're not done yet." She rebuts, then watching Ember flail about to get some quiet. She just grins in amusement and turns to the radio as she gets a response. She taps onto the microphone to keep it closer to her lips as she answers. "Nimbus has made entry into the first floor of the vault and cleared up a hasty defense of Light Robots, taking only one injury. Sundancer has managed to extract the encryption key from one of the robots, and we're in the process of establishing contacts with the Vault's leadership to try to make it easier on us, and reach the reactor and attempt to remove the radiation threat. We will likely be bringing the dwellers outside of the vault to establish a 'settlement' alongside us once that is done. Over."
Saffron would get a “Hold tight” order to wait for further instructions. Likely due to Cloudy needing to figure out how to even respond to this. It would be a few more minutes until the proper reply came. “Resources from Central have been reallocated elsewhere. For the time being prior instructions regarding resources from central that would manage the vault are null. You are working at your own discretion out there for now. Make sure your primary objective remains primary. It is uncertain when resources from central will be deployed in this operation.”
Ember whispers loudly "Ooh! Mention the food thing!"
"Understood Lighthouse. We were short on time and could not delay this any further due to our new infrared companion." Saffron explained briefly, her ears flicking towards Ember as she pipes up in the background, prompting Saffron to smirk and nod as she resumes swiftly, "As for the primary objective, we've enacted some maneuvers: We've addressed the populace regarding previous petitions to make moves to remove the Circles and expand their farming capabilities due to a shortage of food, and made them to organize themselves better in an attempt to speed up that process--which will likely put them at odds with the Earthen Cloaks. We've sabotaged their food reserves by burning one of their food stores down, which we believe might put more incentive on this as well."
Cloudy Forecast would ask for clarification regarding your actions in Trottingham. But afterwards would seem to have gotten the picture. She states that she expects your mission to be ongoing for a majority of this year as current operations will remain focused on local resources. Prepare for season change, particularly the eventual winter. Continue regular reporting.
Saffron flicked down her left ear as the right one stayed up to listen. She calmly repeated, perhaps a bit more cleanly, exactly what they did. Though at the mention of them operating for maybe a year she grinned with barely veiled excitement that almost oozes from her professionally tuned voice. "A-acknowledged loud and clear, Lighthouse. Will supply drops still be available for us if we need them in the off-chance we need them?"
Saffron is informed that your squad could receive dead drops if required. Provided your cover remains intact. Continue to disrupt Trottingham and their relationship to the rebel faction. If you can cause open conflict that is the desired result.
"Understood, Lighthouse. Will keep you updated, over and out." And with that, Saffron starts to stand up--taking off the little headset to unplug it and then start getting ready to put the whole thing on her back.
It would take about three and a half hours round trip for Saffron and Ember to return with the radio equipment. Meeting back at the top level of the vault the group can reconvene. Sundancer had been productive and would have a small heap of deconstructed robot parts. Not unlike a particularly metal corvid gathering a nest of shinies. With the radio available It would be possible for Quick to talk over the vault’s encrypted system and contact the overseer.
Sundancer gathers around the radio when Saffron and Ember return
Ember Flare "Oh, looks like you were busy. And.. how are you hanging Brick?"
Brickfielder raises his head from the wall as the others return; he looks, in a word, like shit, between his eyes being sunken in and his mane hanging down limply. "...Fine. Adrenaline wore off is all."
Quick Fix jerks awake, blinking around him and, curiously enough, spotting Brick slumped against the wall near him. "Ah! I'm awake. I'm awake. Are we making that call?"
Saffron seemed unimpeded by the weight and awkwardness of carrying an entire radio set on her back and saddlebags, and very casually brings it to one side as she begins to set it up again. Once that's down, she lays on her belly by it and sighs with some relief... Looking towards Quick Fix, "C'mere Quick." She calls him, then looks to Sundancer and her hoard of robot parts, "Punch in the frequency for us Sunny." The tiny mare told the cyborg, whilst looking towards Brickfielder... Her lips and ears sank a bit at his state.
Saffron "Heck yeah we are, Quick. Sleepy head."
Saffron beckons him over with a wing, then eyed Brickfielder again. "You--you gonna be okay? You look worse, somehow..."
Smokey swooshes next to Brick giving him a light punch on the shoulder "you know for such a big guy you sure go down fast"
Quick Fix "Prolly 'cuz you didn't see him without the suit on. He's looking a lot better than he was, trust me."
Quick Fix trots over to Saffron and gets going with the radio, having already noted down the codes from Sunny.
Sundancer enters the frequency and pushes the send button, testing the mic in a singsong voice "Vault-Tec calling!"
Sundancer waits for a response and pushes the radio set's microphone in front of Quick
Saffron side glanced Quick as he explained. "Oh--good..." The tiny red mare's voice sounded a little hesitant, a lingering worry still in her voice as she looked back to Brick, and saw Smokey giving him a slight verbal burn. Her snout scrunches up like an accordion, and even more at Sundancer saying that in the mic. But stays quiet.
Brickfielder doesn't respond to Saffron, but leans away from Smokey, giving her(?) a furrowed brow. "I keep telling you people, I'm fine. I'd like to see you be chipper after getting microwaved..."
Quick Fix whispers at Saffron, "cute scrunch."
Sundancer’s test call would get a reasonable prompt reply from a gruffer sounding stallion’s voice. Quick could recognize his overseer. “What in tartarus is this? Who are you?”
"Ahem." Quick speaks into the mic, "Mr. Overseer, sir. Quick Fix here. I believe there's been a bit of a misunderstanding."
Saffron looked right in Quick's eyes from the closeness, the accordion-like scrunch descending quickly as she pouts at him and reaches out to give him a slight, mock-punch on the shoulder. Then settles in to hear the conversation.
“Quick Fix? We thought you had died. Explain yourself. What’s going on?” The overseer was apt in assuming his authoritative position in a conversation.
Quick Fix "Your wife and son escaped through your office with me, but we were separated after we left the Vault. I stumbled across a group of survivors from the city of Fillydelphia, across the sea. There's cities up here, sir. Real cities with thousands of ponies. We managed to get some good hazmat suits, and we can help you fix the reactor leak."
Quick Fix left out a few... crucial details that the team could probably notice.
The overseer seems to choke a bit in hearing that his wife and son made it out. But he focuses on the matter at hoof first. He explains that the survivors have been holed up on the lower two levels. They managed to seal the leak and vent the irradiated air to the top levels. But all said there’s only ninety ponies left. If you have radiation suits perhaps the survivors could be evacuated to the surface through the irradiated levels. Everyone left agrees the vault is doomed.
Saffron frowned grimly at hearing that the vault is doomed, but not as much as her face sinks at hearing that brief choke in the overseer's voice. Sighing quietly through her nostrils. Looking to Quick Fix in that moment, "i'm guessing we can't vent it out any further or filter it? Just have to do it the long way..."
Quick Fix looks around at the party, before returning his gaze to the radio. "We have a camp on the beach. Once everypony's evacuated, we can start getting cabins set up and see about contacting the nearby village in the forest for emergency supplies. We've helped them in the past."
Sundancer smiles wider as she hears the vault is going to be unoccupied for the foreseeable future, going over all the salvage opportunities giddily, the relatively pristine pre-war bots and steel-plated caverns wetting her appetite for what she imagines is weeks of work
Quick Fix speaks to Saffron, then, "the ponies in there aren't dumb. If they think the place is doomed, there's probably nothing to be done about it.”
Quick Fix then turns back to the radio. "Umn..." he takes a deep breath, "Smoky Mirrors... is... she..?"
The overseer replies that he will have the remaining robots switched off of security mode. The evacuation should start as soon as possible. When it came to the topic of individuals the overseer would note that Quick’s guardian was among the survivors. The overseer wanted to know what happened to his wife and child.
Quick Fix nods even though the overseer can't see him. "I..." Another deep breath. "We were separated. We... we don't know for sure. I think it'd be best if we discussed the matter in person, Mr. Overseer."
Saffron's wings immediately tuck against her disheveled back as her body just tenses up at that line of questioning from the Overseer. She starts to stare at Quick, leaning in with her head slightly to see if he maybe wanted her to say it. But he ends up postponing it. She wried her lip, silently nods, and leans back.
The overseer said something resigned “alright. Alright…” From there he asked to start planning the evacuation. What was the situation on the surface? How many radiation suits did you have available? What did you have for food and water supplies? ect
Sundancer waits for an opportunity when Quick and the Overseer aren't talking and starts collecting discarded hazard suits
Ember Flare "Oh damn, food. It's gonna be rough for them if the stuff here is completely contaminated"
Saffron turned towards Ember at that. "The place we're in is pretty rich with foodstuffs. It's not infinite, but there's a bunch. Enough that we'll have time to figure out how to stockpile."
Quick Fix
"There's a stream not too far away, and plenty to forage for a small, healthy population - I think it would be best if we asked for help, though."
Ember Flare "I mean sure, for a group of our size"
Quick Fix "This island was completely untouched by nukes, actually. The wildlife is healthy. There's... a slight magical complication, but we can talk about that later."
Saffron, in the meantime, starts to stand up to walk over to her folded up radiation suit to begin the process of putting it back on. "This might get iffy, but we can slowly file everypony outside with Sundancer since she doesn't need a suit to walk around in there. If we give some of the ponies our suits, Sundancer can bring them back in and give them to another set of ponies until everypony is out."
Quick Fix "...we have a robot that can ferry ponies in and out. She's... not just a Mr. Handy, by the way. We can move ponies more efficiently that way."
With the situation explained well enough to give some hope, the overseer would want to plan logistics. They have some supplies that could be brought to the surface. The remains of the last hydroponics harvest. Not sure if they could port the potable water upwards. They had a couple radiation suits as well left in working order. Doing some math, assuming everything worked out with what you had. It would take two or three hours to file everyone out in turn, carrying what they could with them. That would leave supplies to be collected as well. But the few remaining robots could help porting. The robots would not be useful outside of the vault however, as their charging stations were near the reactor. A reactor that could eventually break again.
Ember walks up to Saffron and whispers "you know we really should go there and look over if they got anything of use to us before starting the evacuation. Could be lotsa useful stuff down there we could put to use"
Quick Fix "Alright. That's worked out, then. We'll send Sundancer down with the suits."
Hearing Ember's whisper from beneath the hazmat helmet, Saffron leans in slightly. "We'll be going back in to collect supplies after everypony is out, so we'll be doing that afterwards Ember..."
Ember Flare "...just thought they might stash or take all the good stuff if they get the chance"
Quick Fix stands and moves to sit against the wall again, once again made to wait. ...he feels bare without any clothes on...
Sundancer "Well if you want to deliver a couple suits by wearing them down, they're bulky enough to be hard to carry"
Saffron gave Ember a tense look, like she wasn't sure exactly how to tell her something. "Well it uh--... Doesn't make sense to me that they'd hide 'the good stuff' without sharing it, that'd be irresponsible... It'd probably be personal effects anyways..." Saffron replied, her voice notably unsure. Then starts stepping over to Sundancer, "I can carry Quick's along, no biggie."
Saffron "I don't know if Brickfielder's would be sized for anypony in there though..."
Your evacuation of the vault would start slowly. Robots would be sent up to take the wearable radiation suits back down and escort Sundancer to the third level where the vault residents were gathering and waiting. She spies so many small technological bits along the way it could get her swooning at the possibilities. She also passes open rooms to residential suites with desiccated corpses inside. She would be told the vault originally had around nine hundred residents. The vault dwellers would be in a hopeful, but mixed emotional range. They have been in their deteriorating situation for weeks and now have to abandon their home. Not to mention all of the lost loved ones. Most of the ponies remaining were able bodied younger or middle aged adults. The radiation had culled nearly all of the older and younger residents. The overseer in specific was a shorter, stern faced older stallion named Golden Clover.
With the radiation suits the residents had salvaged and the ones Sundancer would forward the ponies could start to leave the vault six at a time. Given Brickfielder’s suit was simply too unwieldy for anyone to wear. With the weight of the suits not many supplies could be brought up on the initial trip. It would later need to be a serious porting operation to bring all of the supplies and personal effects to the surface. For the time being the OVerseer had instructed them to take what they could carry. Most would bring foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, and similar portable items. When they arrived at the surface the ponies would be skittish and concerned. Most would need to be reassured the surface was not the blasted hellscape they were told to expect. If they had some military discipline they might have resembled enclave citizens being put on the ground for the first time.
Brickfielder stands near the entrance as the ponies come out, keeping his head up and glancing over them as they assemble.
Saffron would be near the groups of dwellers. Shorter than everyone else, but still a presence as she made sure to be close to Quick Fix in checking all the residents, or if they needed help in some way. She attempted to provide some optimism to the situation by telling that the worst had passed, and that she and her group would be around to help from now on. But then came the time to talk logistics with the overseer as he wanted, and Quick Fix had something to tell them still.
Quick Fix would get a pleasant greeting from his adoptive mother when she came up. The dusty purple mare was in all honesty not very ‘motherly’ given she was only about a decade years older than quick. She had taken him in when she was eighteen when his father passed. Smokey Mirror would give her adopted son a tight, crushing hug when she was released from the confines of the radiation suit.
The overseer would be one of the last intending to go to the surface. Making sure everything in the vault was organized and what could be taken on this first trip went up. There were a trio of security officers who had survived. They seemed a bit unwilling to part with their pistols in the name of defense.
Saffron herself was actually very relieved to see trained security forces among the dozens of civilians who might or might not know how to defend themselves. She actually went up to the officers to introduce herself, exchange names, and let them know in advance that while the forest outside is lush there ARE magical creatures out there that could threaten them. The chances were small to meet them soon, but she still keeps them in-the-know for when they'll move out tomorrow morning. After that, she'd try to chat up the overseer to hear how much they had with them...
(GM Note): Brickfielder and Quick tested Tactics to keep the growing Vaulter group organized. They crushed the test.
Brickfielder shrugs off his pain for a while to claim the adrenaline high of ordering ponies around. The infrareds needed to be organized for their stay in the cave. You, lay out those blankets over there. Stock the food baskets up in that corner. Quit bickering, you need to work together right now. Yes this all sucks for now but it is the first steps. Take a seat and rest. With Brickfielder’s organization on this end the ponies coming up in their trickle from the vault would remain calm and collected for the duration of the evacuation. Most were simply scared, tired, and at a general loss of how to proceed.
Quick’s adoptive mother would stick with him to offer what help she could. There was a lot to do but she could not help herself just being glad he was alive. She would ask him what all he had been through since he escaped the vault. She would spare him the traumatic events that went down during the first couple days of the radiation leak. Only answering questions if directly pressed.
Brickfielder seems to be quickly back to his usual self once he's having to command infrareds around, keeping his head high and motioning with a wing or a hoof frequently while moving about and making sure things are going well. For infrareds, they're doing a good job following orders; perhaps the ones who weren't so good are among the ones who didn't make it.
That evening in the caves outside the vault the huddled masses of vault dwellers got their first taste of the surface. Your group stayed among them, as evacuation and supply porting would be an ongoing effort. Bedding was not an issue, given eight hundred beds had been emptied. Hotplates cooked meals with scattered groups huddled around them. The air was cool in the caves but at least the weather had not turned yet. Quick Fix would be situated with his adoptive mother, Smoky Mirrors, with blankets around them and a soup heating on a hotplate. The purple unicorn mare would take the quiet time now to start grilling Quick.
Smoky Mirrors would let out a content sigh, now that things had calmed down. She had one foreleg around Quick's shoulders. "Time to catch up I think."
Quick Fix nodded slowly, staring at the soup - partially just to find something to look at, and partially to make sure it didn't boil over. "It's been... a very eventful two weeks."
Smoky Mirrors "That is an understatement to be sure. Who are your new friends? They look... Rough to put it delicately."
Quick Fix "They're refugees from Fillydelphia. They took a boat out here from the mainland and set up camp on the beach, which is where I found them. Thank Luna I did."
Smoky Mirrors "Been a long while since I took any geography." It had not in reality. "But why did they leave? I took a look outside. Things don't seem so bad as we were told."
Quick Fix "Well... I'm not sure. I think they might have mentioned it after I found them, but... that slips my mind, and I haven't really asked them about it much. I was planning to talk to Saffron about it - the red pegasus - once we got home. Looks like we might not have the time, though..."
Smoky Mirrors got a bit reminisceful for a minute. " 'Home' huh? Been out on your own for a couple weeks and already got your own place?" She teased and ruffled Quick's mane.
Quick Fix blushed a little. His mane was even longer and messier than usual. He needed to brush it! "Oh, yeah. I'm sharing a tent with Saffron. Sleeping back-to-back of course!"
Smoky Mirrors retracted her hoof after a few more jostles. She continued to tease him however. "That's very 'quick' of you. Seventeen and already got a marefriend who you've moved in with. I expect i'll have to ask if her intentions with you are pure."
Quick Fix only continued to let blood flow to his cheeks. Name puns and relationship-related embarrassment?? What a reunion... "Sh-she's not - we're not - it's n-not like that! She's just a nice... pony. Who I like very much."
Smoky Mirrors let it stand as is for the time being, focusing a bit on stirring the soup telekinetically. "They helped get us out. It would have taken ten times as long without their help. Likely wouldn't even know what to do with ourselves if we did get out on our own. So even if they turn out kinda sour, we have to thank them."
Quick Fix nodded. "I think they're a nice group. Not sure what they plan to do from here - they showed disinterest in joining the local city, so... my bet's on they end up staying with you guys 'til you decide what to do. I'm sure we could make our own settlement out here, independent of the others."
Smoky Mirrors yawned and leaned her head against Quick's. "Have to figure that stuff out in the morning. The overseer will figure out what to do next. Your friends seem to know what they're doing too. So that's a relief." She nuzzled his mane a bit. "Tell me what the surface is like. I haven't gotten the courage to really step out yet."
Quick Fix hummed an affirmation. Then, he frowned.. "I'm... not sure what I'm going to do. We work well as a team, Smoky. The... pegasi and I. The surface is gorgeous, and lively, and there's plants and birds, but - there's dangers up here, too. And we're a real force against them."
Smoky Mirrors sighed and hugged her son. She was evidently drained. "Well, everything is new and strange. I have not had to question your judgement of ponies before. So unless I see something seriously wrong, I think it'll work out if you keep helping them." She lifted a hoof and shook it in mock general threat. "But if they hurt you, I'll illusion them so hard their hearts will give out."
Quick Fix snorted softly. "I have no reason to believe they'd want to bring harm to us. 'specially after rescuing me, and all of you. They could have just left you to die. I couldn't force them to do anything." He nuzzled his guardian, turning off the hotplate with his magic as the soup was indeed threatening to reach the lip of its pot. "Not to mention, these two weeks have been the most exciting and fulfilling of my life. Makes me feel... wanted. You know..?" He always had been somewhat antisocial in the Vault, for... one reason or another. It had been hard raising him alone, and he was a naturally quiet foal. That wasn't to say he had no friends, but she could tell he was never really close to any of them.(edited)
Smoky Mirrors Finally pulled herself up into a proper sitting position given it was time to eat. But she yawned once more. "You seem different. It's probably a good change too. Hopefully you keep improving. Improvement looks good on you." She gave Quick a warm smile. "I don't know if I dreamed of going to the surface since I was a filly. But, here we are."
Quick Fix suddenly couldn't meet her gaze. He was biting his lip... bashful, maybe? Or, heck, still embarrassed, perhaps. "Hmn... w-well... maybe. Two weeks isn't a long time. But... it feels like it's been a whole lot longer than that. Something to do with the surface..? Or... change in general..." Lacking a ladle, he just poured the soup into two bowls straight from the pot.
Smoky Mirrors would lift the bowl up telekinetically to blow on the steaming brew. "From here on we just have to take things a day at a time. See what the overseer tells us to do." She gave Quick a nudge with her shoulder. "What's the sun like? I've only seen books and holovids."
Quick Fix "Right. The Overseer. I've... got to talk to him, about... his family..." He shook his head and took a sip of his own bowl of soup. "It's bright. Like, so bright, it hurts to look at. ...and it's harmful to look at, obviously, what with all the UV. But it's warm. The light looks real, like - like all the lighting in the Vault was fake."
Smoky Mirrors sipped at her soup before starting to gulp greedy mouthfuls. When her bowl was drained she spoke up once again. "Looking forward to seeing it. I can't believe i'll have to start waking up with the sun instead of an alarm clock. I don't suppose the sun has a snooze button..?" She leaned against Quick once more, tired and full of soup. "I'm sure there's more I should be asking, but it's snug o'clock. I think your marefriend can spare you one night." She already had her head resting against his and was making herself comfortable.
Quick Fix chuckled - well, considering the pitch of his voice, it was more of a giggle - and let Smoky rest against him. "You know, light can be blocked? That's why they invented curtains, and blindfolds. You can sleep in as long as you want, lazy bones." Considering the relatively small gap in their ages, they had somewhat of a strange dynamic... one that certainly allowed for reunion snuggles. "And I told you, sh-she's not my marefriend. At least, I... I don't think so?...Anyway, you get some rest. I might sip on this soup a lil slower, in case there's any medical emergencies I've gotta tend to."
Taking the offer to get some rest after the exhausting day the mare would slump over in her blanket cocoon and start to doze off. While Quick Fix would be alert for a while in case he was needed, not much was being done that evening besides the continued efforts of robots to bring supplies up from the soon to be vacated vault. He could soon rest beside his adoptive mother and drift off himself.
The first night in the cave among the vault dwellers would be a mixture of tense and relief. For many of them the surface would be an unknown and a cause for anxiety. But they were out of the tomb that their home had become, doing what vault-tec had given them a mission for. At least that is how the overseer would put it. It seemed to put the vault residents at ease.
As specified in the interlude, Quick would chill with Smoky but keep an eye out for any medical emergencies he could help with for a while before he fell asnooze.
Saffron, given that Brickfielder was much better than her at rallying the vault dwellers, spent most of her time outside of the little cave everyone was huddled in. Using her skills as a scout to keep watch outside in case anything decided to come for them. She would try to have visuals on everything--from the trees, hidden and in cover, to see the improbable threats coming in advance. Not wandering too far from the glade, or the cave itself, while others kept watch from the cave itself.
Brickfielder would, perhaps too eagerly, spend the evening attending to and micromanaging the Vault dwellers. Coming off as rote and serious, but nonetheless inquiring about mental states, answering questions that the infrareds seem to have, and otherwise just keeping himself busy and available.
Ember would not feel comfortable with this many ponies, especially with her magic elemental out and about. She'd spend more time in the outskirts of the camp area and "keep a lookout"
Sundancer walks the halls of Vault 28 undisturbed, humming as she gives herself a private tour of the abandoned levels, formulating an inventory as she goes. Eventually she'd turn in, but not until most ponies had already fallen asleep
When the morning came the overseer would ask to speak with Quick Fix privately. He would want to know what became of his wife and son, as well as the potential dangers that were waiting on the surface. He seemed to be bracing himself against the worst.
Quick Fix filled the overseer in on what happened, as tactfully as he could: as soon as they left the vault, they were confronted by a strange creature, resembling a bear made of glass. It was hostile, so Quick split from the group and led it away from them, losing contact in the process. In doing so he led it to the party and they fought them off. Upon returning to the Vault, they discovered that the ponies had been dragged away, to a magical stone circle some distance from the entrance. There, presumably, they had been taken to a different dimension - one that few ponies had ever returned from. There were ponies nearby that could potentially help them, but the prospects weren't great. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have defended them." He finished.
Sundancer’s inventory check would result in jaw dropping figures for metal and electrical component materials. She could possibly spend a year tearing into this place and hardly make a dent.
Saffron would have a small, distant encounter. A glass butterfly coming down the side of the mountain and travelling to the stone circle that was located within shouting distance of the cave entrance. If she trailed it she would see it enter the clearing and then… suck into itself as it seemed to implode and vanish. Ember would be able to feel the pulse of magic in the distance. It was familiar enough now.
Brickfielder had some satisfaction in his work keeping the infrareds in line. They were a fairly docile bunch and easy to direct. Only a few needed to ask him questions, since it seemed they were waiting on their overseer to give them significant orders.
When Quick explained the situation the overseer would be a bit agasp despite his preparations. He wanted to know everything he could about these magic glass monsters and gave Quick quite a shake of the shoulder when he couldn’t answer. Like the overseer was trying to knock the information loose. He would ask Quick to gather up his friends so they could inform him all that they knew.
Brickfielder makes a habit of gravitating near the Overseer when things allow, after noting the dwellers' loyalty to him.
Quick Fix then called the group together to talk to the Overseer, after telling him that he unfortunately knew very little about the monsters other than their origin.
Brickfielder isn't very far away, perking an ear and trotting to Quick and the Overseer as soon as Quick seems intent on getting him and the others together.
Ember would come when asked putting on a friendly face to meet the overseer fellow
Saffron creeps closer to the circle to watch the butterfly enter the circle. And then disappear like that. From behind the trees, her brow furrowed as she mouthed a silent 'Gotta be kidding' beneath her breath. She kept watch for a little longer, to see if some death squad came out of it. When it didn't, she fluttered herself back to her patrol route and slinked along. Until eventually, later, she'd hear Quick Fix calling for them. She casually appears from the underbrush, almost invisible and soundlessly in her arrival, and bearing a small frown as she trotted closer within speaking distance. She stays quiet at first. But there was a lot to say.
Sundancer jolted awake when her alarm went off in the morning, and stops herself from immediately diving into drafting designs by recognizing the symptoms of hunger from her starvation training and joining the camp for breakfast
Sundancer would silently nod when Quick gathered the team for the Overseer
When your group had been gathered up a bit aways from the main body of vault dwellers the Overseer, Golden clover, would ask your group some direct questions. He wanted to know more about the glass monsters and how he could get his wife and child back. He would also ask what all your group’s intentions were, although he did not sound suspicious in that regard. Just unsure.
Saffron casts a worried glance in Quick's direction, looking over his face and making eye contact for a moment to exchange a meaningful, questioningly worried look with him, her left brow rising as her ears lower briefly. But then the Overseer spoke, and her attention moved to him. Quarter-turning her head to Brickfielder once, she replied promptly: The creatures that took his family were aliens to them, but they got themselves some information from the natives, some religious sect of druids that call themselves the 'earthen cloaks', that deal and bargain with them. As far as they knew, the place on the other side of those circles was a 'realm' of chaos of sorts, labyrinthic, where ponies who go there go mad, or become slaves, as far as they knew. Very few returned. But it's possible to trade for them back. They already asked about them, the group just needed to go back and talk to IT, again.
Saffron "The problem is just what you choose to trade away. We know it can be paid for in Spools of golden thread--specifically thread. It can be paid for in secrets that amuse it enough to consider valuable for a trade, or in body parts. Noses, ears, eyes... We also have no way to be certain about anything..."
Ember Flare "Oh but I wouldn't attempt to make contact with them to do that"
Quick Fix "You can't bring metal into the circles, so you'd have to take off your PipBoy. It'd be dangerous, though..."
Ember Flare "The circles, where the gatekeeper resides, react *violently* to any metal carried with you. I think the druids even suggested bathing beforehand..."
Brickfielder clears his throat to assert himself into the conversation. "It has very particular... rules for engaging with it as well, including its stance on metal. As for ourselves, we didn't exactly have much of an intent when we arrived here. We lost our home too." He ruffles his wings slightly while nodding to the Overseer. "In a way, I suppose you're in the same boat we are in now. Only we didn't have help at first."
Sundancer hangs her head at the mention of metal
Quick Fix whispers to Sunny, "hey, being made of metal has its upsides; you didn't need a suit after all."
The overseer would go a bit pale at the implications that saffron was explaining to him. Then simply confused at the particulars, restrictions, and otherworldly situation. One thing he hooks on however is a line saffron said. “the group just needed to go back and talk to IT, again.” Which gets him to see your group as the solution to the problem. If you could get his family back then it seemed you should do so.
Quick Fix "The only problem is that we don't have anything to trade just yet."
Sundancer opens and closes her mouth a few times in the conversation, holding back her thoughts. However, upon being assigned a task she raises a hoof in inquiry "Have you got any gold I can spin into thread? You did live in a Vault."
Ember Flare "And it might be difficult to negotiate. Those Lords apparently value children really high"
Quick Fix "I guess that just means we need a lot of something to trade."
Saffron side glances everyone else as they say their piece after the overseer had directly told them, if not 'ordered', to go get his family back. She looked the Overseer in the eyes for a silent second. "... We're good ponies... Overseer. But you're asking an awful lot of us. We went out of our way to get your ponies out but..."
Saffron "We barely even know what we're doing. No promises..."
Ember Flare "We're trying not to get targeted by those magical creatures. We've had a lot of trouble with them as is."
The overseer thought about Sundancer's contribution. He did not question it for the time being at least. He noted that he was not a technical pony and his engineering knowledge was rusty, but he was certain the charging stations for the mr.helper robots had gold connectors. If they were willing to dismantle the stations there might be enough gold to bargain with.
Ember Flare "Wait, are the robots still operational as is?"
Saffron crossed her forelegs and gave a slow nod in response to the notion of dismantling robotics equipment. The tiny red mare looked up towards Sundancer, listening in silence for the time being.
Ember Flare "Uh, well like I said, a simple trade most likely isn't going to bring them back"
Quick Fix "So what are you suggesting instead?"
Ember Flare "Well... maybe you could talk with the Earthern cloaks? the situation has changed quite a bit from when we visited them."
Quick Fix "Ah. Yes. We could seek their help with the matter, though they were quite stingy about it last time."
Ember Flare "They are pretty primitive folk to be honest so you might be better off trading your skills with them?"
Saffron slowly moved her eyes towards Ember, and Quick Fix. Furrowing her brow slightly. "Anything helps. The more of a payment we can muster the better our chances as far as I see it... As we know it, the Gatekeeper thinks we're a single entity trading with them." Saffron's voice trails off slightly, "Maybe there's someway we can use that..." She bit her lip, tucking in her wings. Looking to Ember once, nodding in agreement to what she told Quick Fix. "Their advice is very valuable, and their resources."
Saffron "If they give us SOMETHING, literally anything, it'd help."
Saffron lightly scuffed her hoof along the rocky dirt. "I can try and chat up Gatekeeper after we get all the vault ponies situated in the camp. We gotta keep our priorities straight."
Ember Flare "Do you know what all these ponies here are proficient at? What sorts of skillsets are available to you?"
The overseer agrees for the most part. If your other friends can help then they should be tapped into for it. For the time being the priority has to be on the residents that are with them now. What would your group propose be done for long term homes? When it came to the talents of his people the overseer could give a not the most encouraging list. Hairdressers, garbage burners, teachers, and other less than immediately useful jobs. Aside from the few security and a couple engineers they had, most of the technical jobbed ponies had been on the reactor or administration levels when the reactor leak began.
At the question of 'long term housing', Saffron looked to the more expert pony among them and looked up towards Sundancer again. "Sundancer here," She pointed a wing at their ""android"", "Is our most experienced pony in building things. With the couple of engineers, we can get up some lean-tos and shacks at first, until we can expand them into proper cottages, right?" She lowered her usually chipper voice, shifting in place with barely visible nervousness. "We're just gonna have to make a wall around the site first."
Sundancer "Right. I have had to raise quite a few barns and build quite a few cabins in my day. I had started building a fortified outpost by the beach, I suggest we expand that into a full fortified settlement until we have something better. Your ponies may be unskilled, but I'm used to working with illiterate Fillydelphians, so a little written instruction here and a little diagramming here should go a long way."
Saffron "For now that's the plan then!--Hff--We'll have to prepare for the cold seasons too, make firepits, get lots of firewood, stockpiles... One thing at a time, but I'm confident we can get everypony under a roof in good enough time." Saffron beamed with a small, optimistic smirk towards the taller Overseer, nodding to him with a great resolve in her eyes.
Quick Fix "They're good ponies. They can learn. They have to learn."
"Cold seasons... fire..." Quick's eyes light up. "Do you think it snows here?? Oh, goodness, we might get to see snow!! And it'll be so cold..~"
Brickfielder fixes Quick with a raised eyebrow.
Quick Fix clears his throat. "S-sorry."
The overseer would more or less agree with whatever your experts have to say on the matter. He knows when he does not know about something. As long as he announces it to the gathered vault residents and makes arrangements for organization, they would do their parts. At minimum having clear goals on what they were doing would keep up morale. So he would want to get into the details quickly and then begin relaying and forming groups. It was best to get hooves busy.
Ember would approach Sundancer afterwards out of the earshot of other ponies "Oh hey wait."
Ember Flare "That discussion about the gold thread and disassembling that robot recharge station thing"
Saffron flashed Quick Fix a grin, shooting him a wink. Though she stays quiet, nodding along with the Overseer, and she would look up to Brickfielder in terms of organization--seeing how good he had been with it before, but would mention it was probably best to get 'rationing' out of the way immediately, seeing as the amount of mouths to feed would quickly deplete their food supply, meant for, like, 5 ponies...
Sundancer looks up from her drawing of a tree and saw
Sundancer "What about it? You seemed to speak up before I could comment on it, got something in mind?"
Ember Flare "W-well the way I see it, we captured the vault for cloudsdale, and breaking disassembling the station would destroy a valuable asset for us"
Sundancer "I agree, but right now we're cloudsdale, and this is an asset to be spent. Thank you for finding a way to avoid spending it, but if we come up with a better use of gold than saving this guy's wife, I don't want to think it's off limits. That said I should find out ways of using these bots as long as we have them available. I've just got such a busy schedule."
Ember Flare "Oh sure but I don't see much value in saving that guys wife really... It doesn't really impact our goal in any way"
Ember Flare "And I kinda started to get worried if these ponies would be able to go back and forth the vault and strip whatevers useful for their purposes"
Sundancer "The radiation should stop that. Besides, we're setting up camp back at the beach. Good to keep in mind retaining possession of the suits."
Ember Flare "Hmh maybe you're right. Maybe in that case it wouldn't be that bad if the robots went offline as well. Couldn't haul things for them. I'm sure we could have better use for the gold than what the overseer planned. Thanks Sundancer, seems like I was worrying over nothing really. You have a good head on your shoulders"
Sundancer "Thanks for checking up with me. I've spent so much time dissembling I'm afraid of not being on the same page."
Ember nods "Yeah and you seem to be so caught on... robot things that we hardly talk. Don't push yourself too hard and go nutters there hey?" Ember gives a shaky smile unsure if the joke was going too far
Sundancer "I'll stay strong. I've been able to get time to myself and Quick at least seems dumb enough for me to act normal around him without him questioning anything."
(GM Note): There was a lengthy OOC conversation regarding what the individual PCs would focus on over an upcoming time skip. Below are the results of individual choices, and the tests necessary for them. Sufficient to say everyone crushed the tests.
Brickfielder would take the remaining security ponies, and volunteers, to begin training them in what would be needed to guard against surface threats. Given the vault had never had a real use for it this includes some basic shooting drills. When not on that task Brickfielder went and lended himself to bossing others at various tasks ‘lending some help.’ (Give me a tactics+presence+will to see how well he manages his jobs)
Ember Flare and Quick Fix would spend some time traveling between the Earthen Cloaks village and your burgeoning one. Quick Fix had a mission to negotiate with Robin Hood for practically anything you could use. Ember Flare was there to continue to sow discontent. (Ember can give me deceit+will. Quick can give me negotiation+will)
Saffron was out in her element, learning the naive vaulters what the surface was like. She could teach them what was edible. Arrange some safe encounters with wildlife to prepare them. As well as teach them how to read the weather. She would have the most difficult task among all the groups, as she was dealing with entirely blank slates in this matter. (Saffron can give me a tactics+mind+survival test)
Sundancer would have a complicated task before her. The engineers from the vault were used to small scale projects. Effectively only micro installations with prefabricated materials in comparison to what was needing to be done. But at least they were not stupid and would be ready to learn. With a lot of hooves available She would end up being in a bit of an overseer position herself once tasks were learned and procedure was put into practice. (For sundancer i’ll need crafts+tactics+mind.)
Ember would tell the earthen cloaks about their intentions to level the forest and destroy circles, she might embellish some details a bit and the scope of their plans.
Your squad finds the vault ponies to be pliable, well educated, and most importantly happy to do what you tell them to do. They catch on quick to your instructions and internalize lessons in short order. Saffron and Brickfielder’s group are ready for unsupervised tasks. There was one live fire instance where Brickfielder’s security team was needed to help open fire on a prowling glass bear that Saffron’s group discovered.
Sundancer’s construction efforts go faster than scheduled, with the proposed layout of the settlement (cramming as many buildings as you could into the given space) drafted within a day, trees being felled in rapid order, and the defensive ditch dug with makeshift spades. You almost don’t even need to make lean-tos for the workers, since you’ll have the storehouse and first homes up within the week.
Quick Fix has some lengthy conversations with Robin Hood. The stallion seemed a bit worried at first that your sudden influx of ponies could disrupt the natural order in the area. It takes some convincing that you would be a good trade partner in the long term, and had a lot of educated ponies they could benefit from. In the short term what the Earthen Cloaks ask for is books. Copies of ones the vault used for education and learning. So in exchange for being allowed to copy them they would grant you their permission to form your settlement and provide some aid when they could. A first gift that would take some time to get back home was hoof crafted barrels with copper banding you could use in your newly made storehouse.
Ember Flare would be pretty persuasive in her dealings with some of the Earthen cloak members that were not speakers. The druids and watchers in particular did not like Trottingham, and news from the town was disturbing to them. It sounded like they would be putting forth efforts to Robin Hood on enacting punishments on the city. What might evolve from this was to be seen.
Ember would also try and awkwardly ask how things were going on in their parts of the woods. Any pressing concerns or jobs for a group of helpful outsiders
The earthen cloaks would have a request that your group could potentially fulfil. The mountains had old sites hiding among the peaks. If you could map them out for future knowledge that would be worth payment.
Ember Flare"Thanks, we'll try and find the time to check them out. How many and exactly what sort of 'sites' are you talking about?"
Quick Fix "Ooo, ancient ruins? Sounds exciting ...actually, given the magical presence on the island, I take that back."
The earthen cloaks would not be able to give that information, hence the need to map them. They could at least say the sites were from the old world and simply had been abandoned for one reason or another. One site they had read about was an observatory of the stars.
Your construction efforts would take a month to come to proper fruition. By the end of the first week you would have your first, small cabin built. It would need to be dismantled and rebuilt given it was a first attempt, but it was a milestone. The trench and palisades would be a large priority given the potential for glass or flesh animal attacks. But with different worker teams doing the trenches, some placing the palisades, and others assembling the cabins, the tasks were being performed in rapid order. With the use of barrels from the earthen cloaks and crates from the vault your storehouse would start to earn it’s namesake with a stockpile of forageables. The earthen cloaks could teach you ways of preparing the natural bounty for longer term storage. Hard breads and jams for the winter months. In exchange for books from the vault you have a transfer of knowledge in place. The overseer would lead efforts for transporting machinery from the vault that could be modified for field use. There were plenty of fission batteries that could be ported and installed. Sewing machines for clothing ended up being a priority unexpectedly as the weather started to get colder. By the end of a month the leaves were starting to turn into brilliant reds and yellows. Things started to form into routine regarding work tasks and life in your newly built settlement.
Saffron was genuinely having the time of her life during these past few days. Not only did she get to flutter freely in the wilderness as she always wanted, she was also sharing the thing she was passionate about the most with ponies who pretty much had so much potentially to learn to be proficient with it. Not only that, she got to bounce off jokes with ponies and try to make new acquaintances, to establish some real trust between them. Especially after their first live-fire exercise! Saffron could not have been happier, save for the times where she'd slink off to be on her own during various times of the day she wasn't busy. During the time Quick Fix wasn't there, she spent time alone in the trees. Keeping vigil, but being remarkably quiet. Secretly, she watched for Quick's return with perhaps an excessive impatience... And when they'd finally return, she'd meet him immediately and start talking again, about how EXCITING it was to be there with others and how GREAT the vault dwellers were shaping up, just like Quick himself! She was so happy to have her own settlement to co-lead, she could barely contain herself. But still. Soon they'd have to talk to Gatekeeper...
Sundancer has been using leadership as an outlet for her emotions since the palisade was first built, and is having as much fun as Saffron or Brick getting her hooves dirty and keeping her mind busy with a complicated series of tasks. She doesn't get as much time with the vault as she likes but it hardly bothers her
Once things started to settle into place it was time for Smoky Mirrors and Saffron to talk. While introductions had been made it seemed about time to have a heart to heart. Especially while Quick Fix was away. Smoky would approach the mare during a quiet moment and ask to speak with her privately.
Saffron spent her 'quiet moments' at the treeline, hanging lazily off a low branch. The altitude relaxed her, given that she couldn't go up and linger on a cloud as of late. It felt irresponsible to just up and disappear up there. So there she was. One foreleg and one hind leg hanging off, eyes darting about, ears swiveling. Looking for Quick. Until Smokey called up to her and got her attention. Saffron got up on the branch on her hooves, and fluttered down, tilting her head with a small, but cheerful smile. "How can I help?" She asked softly, accommodating their need for privacy by keeping slightly behind the treeline.
All of the experiences you have had on the surface so far interacting with these infrareds might start to leave it’s mark. Despite what you had been told all your life that these ponies were violent and degenerate, you have difficulty keeping that programming steady. What your Commanding Officer had said regarding empathy and sympathy for these ponies might start to rear its head. How does the squad reconcile the situation they find themselves in?
Sundancer is quick to rationalize her appreciation for the education and coordination of Vault dwellers with compartmentalization. Their isolation from the corruption of the wastes lead them to form a semi-utopian society out of pre-war knowledge not unlike the Enclave. They're the Good Infrareds
Ember would assume that atm the vault ponies are just that grateful, coddled up and dependent on them that they kinda have cozy up to them. Considering other ponies she thinks they would easily have a us vs them reaction if they thought they didn't actually belong
Quick Fix tried to keep in touch with the rest of the squad in their off-time, though he would easily be brushed off were his attempts to be met with resistance. Saffron took up a good chunk of his free time, and their relationship most likely advanced even more than it had in those first two weeks…
Brickfielder had already started having... thoughts occur to him back in Trottingham. And while he's made sure to keep himself in a leadership position, knowing that being caretakers for a bunch of infrareds would too pass, he'd come, as the seasons start changing, to be so familiar with the infrareds that he's thinking of them as people. Aware of their concerns, ready to address them as need be. There's guarding, construction, upkeep, general labor, all to be done and there's always more... so he doesn't set his mind to thinking about what will happen when it passes. And on how he's viewing the infrareds he's taken it upon himself to lead and to ensure the survival of.
Smoky Mirrors seemed like a warm sort of mare. She returned Saffron’s smile and joined her in the slight hiding. She kept her intent a bit hard to grasp, using round about ways of asking how Saffron felt about Quick Fix, and what she thought their
Saffron was very small, she could do the hiding thing very well. Likewise, she had to look UP to Smoky Mirrors while they talked, a small, almost blithe grin on her face. At least until Smoky Mirrors starts asking things such as what her thoughts on Quick were, and other such things. The mare's smile grows with a telling nervousness, and the way she starts off with a "Uhm." is probably some sort of give-away to what the response might or might've been. "Well! I... I think Quick Fix is a remarkably nice pony--I've uh--I've... Never really met somepony like him to be honest! H-heheh... S-so, his presence might've rubbed off on me a lil' bit?" She grinned at Smoky Mirrors, looking at her apologetically.
"I don't have many friends, friendships never stuck very long for me. And uh... Out there on the field, you either make STRONG friendships or you stick to your family at best..." Saffron added on a more sober, and honest note. She then lowered her eyes a little bit, pursing her lip with a hint of bitterness. "... Plus, I mean... Quick Fix is so nice. I just--hehe, I just feel like I gotta protect him, y'know?" She said, nodnodding her head to herself.
Smoky Mirrors would be one of the teachers that Safforn had been instructing for the time. So while they may not have had personal time up until now to talk, Saffron could have a feel for the mare’s character. A reserved and observant sort unless it was around her adoptive son. She had a talent for illusions. It would be pretty surprising when Smoky gave saffron a hug and an affirmation. Quick Fix was the sort who needed a guardian. Saffron would do well by him, she was sure. So if Saffron was harboring romantic feelings, she supported it. The bluntness compared to her prior dialogue would be like a sledgehammer.
Brickfielder would get a surprise not long after the town hall would be assembled. The overseer would approach him and ask him in no uncertain terms if he wanted the job of vice-overseer. The overseer was able to see Brick’s leadership potential and knew he would put his talents best forward towards the continued development of the settlement.
Brickfielder would answer in no uncertain terms that he'd absolutely take the job. If the Overseer's a perceptive sort he might even notice Brick's pupils widen when asked.
Saffron was left quite literally speechless by the sudden physical contact. She stiffens, her wings tight against her body and brow rising with surprise, but still smiling in earnest, even if with a nervous pull to it. She does start to beam with a bit more enthusiasm at the mare's approval, wrapping a wing and a foreleg around the mare in return! But when the word 'romantic feelings' was thrown in, Saffron's entire expression shatters into pure embarrassment, slack jawed as her ears start to furiously turn a bit more red. "UH--HH-H-" She starts to lean away from the hug very gently, "I-I-i MEAN, I DIDN'T... I didn't SAY... That there were... Ro-romantic feelings, i-involved." Her eyes dart frantically, her tail swishing rapidly as she checked around for eavesdroppers out of sheer paranoia. "I-I just really." She inhales sharply, "Really, really like him and think he deserves protection andsomeponybyhissideandeverythinggoodever."
Saffron breathes in to recover her breath. Pacing in place and giving a single, nervous flap of her wings as the insides of her ears become the same color as her fur.
There was a small medical surprise for Quick Fix to diagnose. A couple would be expecting a child. It would be a long while till it was born, but it seemed to be a good omen. The impending doom of the vault’s situation had led them into a relationship after all. Some considerations for housing were made for the couple, giving them some privacy to themselves.
Quick Fix would keep track of the two, though it seemed to him that the mare in question was perfectly healthy and would probably be able to assist with tasks around the settlement; her pregnancy was very early, after all.
Brickfielder 's fur on the back of his neck would stand up no matter where he is or what he's doing when Quick learns about the pregnancy. His caretaking instinct stirs deep within him for reasons he does not know.
Quick Fix shared the news with the Overseer, along with the newly assigned Vice Overseer assuming that they'd kept in contact. He had enjoyed his conversations with Brick, after all..
Brickfielder is, quite genuinely, the happiest Quick had ever seen him once he's given the news. He even thanks Quick for the information before going off with a spring in his step to, privately, congratulate the couple.
"A gen-u-ine smile. Who woulda thought." Quick commented with a little grin of his own, watching Brick trot off like an excited schoolfilly.
Wielding more heavy hammer blows, Smoky Mirror would deliver them to Saffron with a small kiss on the forehead and a smile. Given Saffron’s feelings were pretty clear she wanted to let the mare know she could call her mother as well. Like any mother she expected the world of best for Saffron and Quick. She appreciated that her daughter-in-law would be so easy to fluster as her son.
Saffron furrowed her brow as she is paralyzed by the kiss on the forehead. The fact that it was so similar to what her own mother would genuinely make her go back in time with her mind, as she looked up to this mare. Huffing as she flutters her wings a few times to fan herself, "Hahah! Haa... Hah..." She grits her teeth and bites her lower lip trying to not lose her composure, to the point where she might actually leave a mark on her lower lip. She stays silent for a full 4 seconds, winking her eyes shut as she tried to conceal the fact that she was getting teary-eyed. "I-I need a moment."
Saffron would begin to shuffle backwards, slowly at first. Almost stumbling in her own steps prompting her wings to extend as a counter-balance as she begins to turn around. "T-thank you, S-Smoky Mirrors." She made sure to mutter, before she'd finally flap her wings and break away from the conversation to ACTUALLY fly up to the top of a nearby tree, out of sight, and bury her face in her hooves while screaming a muffled tantrum in her hooves.
Saffron "ffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF"
It has been a little over a month since the vault dwellers came to the surface. Almost two weeks since everypony had housing. Supplies have been stocked but there is likely to be longer term issues. The overseer spoke about trading for longer shelf life goods. It came up that you would not really have much to trade for those supplies however. Since the supplies and equipment from the vault would either be more useful to keep or had been irradiated. So a plan was formulated and in a word: salvaging. If there really were lost sites in the mountains then there was likely to be recoverable goods. It could end up a wild chase, but it was a good lead. But you had something else to manage before planning your expedition into the mountains.
The Overseer has resolved that it was time to get his family back. He has asked your group to the town hall to discuss the details. As well as to help psyche him up for a likely unsettling experience.
Brickfielder doesn't waste time coming to the town hall as soon as he's asked, taking one last glance over what's to see of the village over his shoulder before trotting into the small building.
Quick Fix isn't particularly busy, and relishes time with the group all together in any case. He's grown somewhat attached to the funny pegasi over the weeks.
Brickfielder feels just the slightest urge to smack Quick upside the head, for reasons he's unaware of. Instead he just gives Quick an acknowledging nod; while he's maintaining his regular demeanor, he's still got a bit of a spring to his step after the news of a pregnancy in the town.
Saffron had to briefly steel herself for the discussion that awaited them. Once they were all gathered in their 'town hall', Saffron gave the Overseer a bit of a worried glance, straightening herself up a bit more as she now spoke a little more formally. "Overseer, as we've already said, it's going to be sketchy... We're going to try and get in touch with the Gatekeeper right now, but the only problem is that, we don't know what price it'll cost us to get your family back. We might not even have enough to satisfy the possibly outrageous demands they'll have for us so..." Saffron pauses, her voice choking in her throat somewhat, "Hr--Hope for the best, and plan for the worst?"
Sundancer sits in one end of the town hall and waits for the overseer to speak up ruefully
Ember Flare "Well... checking the mountains should work out well. The earthen cloaks just wanted the locations found out. We could take everything not bolted in before telling them"
Saffron would've flashed Ember a tense smirk as she quarter-turned her head to look back to them. "We might have to plan out our priorities... The mountain raid comes later than the potential rescue of the overseer's family. The longer they spend in the other realm, the less the chances they'll come back at all..."
Quick Fix "We have a reliable supply of gold in those charging stations to trade with Gatekeeper. If that's not enough... the... other options are not exactly... stellar."
The town hall was a squat, not quite square building. It was still one of the larger buildings Sundancer had designed. It stored the logistics paperwork and personnel files for all of the residents. The building interior was a bit cramped and smelled of smoke from the cook fires nearby. The overseer asked more or less for what he could expect, and how things should be managed regarding speaking with this ‘gatekeeper’
Ember looks between the other members of their group
Sundancer "I wouldn't be the best to explain this, since I've never talked to them directly, but- it doesn't seem to understand individual ponies as a concept. The druids would probably understand better."
Saffron turned back to the overseer to listen to his words. She gave a quick nod in acknowledgement, then began to slowly speak up again. "The gatekeeper doesn't recognize us as single individuals, it thinks we're all the same, even if it can speak to each one of us individually, without being able to see it. The circle is some sort of invisible gateway that the Gatekeeper guards. But, we know it's not always looking..." Saffron pauses at that, biting her lip a bit at that as she darts her eyes in thought, then seems to tap her hoof on the floorboards. "It may make mentions of a 'pact', and talk as if we already know it from the get-go. Basically: The natives here made a covenant with this Gatekeeper and it's Lords; they make offerings to appease it, and it... Chills out, and doesn't send it's beasties to wreck stuff, I guess. But it also gives out things, depending on the gifts, I think. The rules are that: You can't bring metal near or into the circles, we've said this I think; it doesn't even like it's smell, so you'd probably have to bathe beforehand too."
Saffron "... We were also told that, once the Gatekeeper starts talking about 'prices' for things we want, we can't, uh, back down from it..."
Saffron turned more towards Brickfielder and the others, for corrections they may have.
Quick Fix "That means that we can't bring in our PipBoys. Gold's fine, though, even though it very much is a metal."
Brickfielder gives Saffron a return glance and just nods to the Overseer. "I believe the Gatekeeper might also... vary its behavior depending on how it was treated before. When we first spoke to it, it behaved like a bratty child, and I treated it as such. Next time we spoke, it was suddenly much more... assertive."
Ember Flare "And it tried to electrocute Saffron when it didn't like her tone"
"Yeah, you'd have to take those off..." Saffron seconds Quick Fix, nodding to him sadly. The mare crossed her forelegs, pouting a little at the mention of her being electrocuted.
Ember Flare "So you sure you want to try this? What are you gonna do if it asks for your eyes and legs and no is no longer an option? Some of the druids we met looked pretty gnarly you know"
Quick Fix "We try and get in an offer first before it can counter us. That thread is our best bet."
The overseer simply took the information for what it seemed to be. In summary he would need to deal with an inconsistent entity to trade an unknown price to have his wife and child returned. A venture that worked on arcane rules and could cost him actual limbs. He would give a heavy sigh but resolve himself to the fact it was just something he had to do. He waved a hoof dismissively at Quick. The robots would be too valuable now to dismantle their charging stations.
Saffron slightly turned towards Ember Flare, frowning with an almost wary, heavy and concerned look on her face as she asked something. "Uhh, Ember, did you ever figure out if we could, maybe, go into the realm ourselves?..."
Quick Fix "...that's not a good option. The druids have told us that hardly anypony ever comes out, and those that do are forever changed."
Brickfielder furrows his brow slightly, and steps closer to the Overseer, putting a hoof onto his shoulder. "...I respect you for being willing to do this for your family, Golden. It's the right thing."
Sundancer nods solemnly
Ember glancer around the room "Uh well.. um. Are you sure that would be a good idea?"
"That's what they said..." Saffron replied on a somewhat more resolute tone, side glancing Quick Fix. Then focused back on Ember. "Well... It's a last resort, but if that's what it takes... I'm willing to go through that gauntlet."
Saffron "We can consider it plan C..."
Ember Flare "Because, I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but I don't feel comfortable risking myself or all of you for this kind of suicidal mission"
Brickfielder
"If it came to that point, I'd be concerned about the... state that we'd find them in anyways. If we even could find them."
Quick Fix "Before we consider that, how about we go back to finding things to trade? He speaks rather... *quickly.* "Gold from the charging stations isn't an option. Is there more elsewhere? Secrets are also an option."
Tapping a hoof to Brickfielder’s on his shoulder the overseer simply nodded. It was time to be prepared and do what had to be done. If there was a circle to the south of the settlement he could bath in the stream and put on some cloth clothing. It should be done before he starts to lose his nerve. Unless anyone had a last minute plan, this seemed the only reasonable course.
"We'll see." Saffron stated with finality, snorting heavily through her nostrils and shifting her wings a bit higher on her back, as she finally turned towards the Overseer. Then to Quick as he adds something else. "We have to trade for it. We don't have gold. And secrets--what secrets do we even have..." Said Saffron, absolutely lying on the lowkey. Then she looked to the Overseer again... Her lips falling a bit at seeing him wanting to go ahead with this.
Saffron "... Alright. Well. Uhm. I'll... Me and Quick Fix can maybe bargain with it a bit, we still need to actually ask..."
Brickfielder makes sure to tell the security detail that he and the Overseer will be heading out as he leaves the settlement; otherwise, he's ready to go.
Saffron takes a slight sigh as she starts to step back and more towards Quick Fix's, side, giving space for the overseer to make his way out. "Bath before we go?" She asked.
Saffron "Or..."
Quick Fix doesn't exactly look happy with the way things seem to be heading, but the Overseer is determined and he has little choice. "Are we all going?"
Sundancer shakes her head solemnly, in admiration and relief at the Overseer's willingness to walk to his death
The Overseer will lead your group out of town and south to the stream. For anyone who is considering entering the circle they should strip and bath. It will be up to the others to carry their clothing and stay at a safe distance.
Brickfielder chooses to strip and bathe with the Overseer; he seems quite determined to help see this through.
Sundancer collects clothing and positions herself between the circle and camp as a security backstop
"Unless somepony has immediate obligations, we're probably all gonna be there for our new Overseer friend." Saffron softly replied to Quick, nodding her head slowly. Then, they walked out. She herself made sure to purposefully bathe thoroughly, and makes sure to stow away all her gear for safekeeping at her own cottage, before they went out. She wanted to help talk to 'it'.
Ember Flare "Maybe I should just stick with Sundancer and be a backup....?"
Quick Fix changes into a set of basic cotton clothes after stripping, bathing, and leaving his PipBoy with Sundancer. "It's up to you."
Brickfielder flicks his mane after he's gotten out of the stream, and shakes his wings dry. "You've taken a backup position before; it'd make sense to do it again."
Quick Fix had the foresight to bring a towel, and brushes himself off like the civilised stallion he is. He feels... almost naked without his suit and PipBoy, though he still has the outfit and always his horn.
Saffron WAS considering going with just the fur on her body. However Quick Fix putting on clothes makes Saffron stare at him with a lifted brow, then at herself. Suddenly feeling inadequate, she puts on some cotton clothing herself, even if she pouts at the choice, and her wings constantly shift about, rubbing at places on her sides. "Yeah, I agree. Plus, with those skills of yours Ember, you're a GREAT artillery piece." Saffron smirked to Ember, nodding to her once.
Ember shimmies to Sundancer as the others are getting ready "I think I must have missed something here, but why exactly is this such a big deal?"
Saffron took a few moments to aggressively comb her short, stallion-y mane back into proper, comfortable form after having shaken the water off her like a dog and flicked it off her wings. Her tail was still a bit puffy and disheveled, but she didn't mind--they were in a rush, and so, after they had finished drying up, she got on her way--walking alongside Quick Fix.
Saffron "Why do you wear clothes that aren't armor when it's not even cold..." Saffron mumbled, in Quick Fix's direction, not looking back at him.
Sundancer "Eh, the guy seems dutiful. He's useful but he's old. I don't expect him to get anything out of this after a couple months in there. It's important because the leader of our Vault friends is possibly killing himself. He's made Brick his number two, so we've got feathers in the game."
"Umn..." Quick scrunches. "Well... it's... weird, walking around without clothes on. Ponies can see your... your *bits*."
It could be a bit nerve wracking entering that circle south of your village. The overseer was putting on a strong face, but it was clear enough he was doubting his life choices. When the four entering the circle do so the experienced perk up your ears to try and catch that humming tone indicating gatekeeper’s presence. What you hear this time is… disconcerting. Instead of that, barely audible humming the four can hear disgruntled grumbling. Incoherent noises from a disembodied voice as if they wanted to kick rocks and punch walls. Before you have much chance to address Gatekeeper they speak up in an almost shout. “What now!?” Their voice was still androgenous, but now furious.
Ember Flare "Oh and on another subject, would you mind getting me some of those robot hulls or something? I would like to tweak that vault suit they gave us into a little more... comfortable for myself"
Brickfielder purses his lips and stiffens up a bit as he enters the circle with the others. Unexpected...
"Greetings, Gatekeeper." Quick starts, ears lowering some, "we apologise for disturbing you. There are important matters to discuss."
Saffron pinned her ears at the anger-fueled yell that met them. She grit her teeth a little bit. "... Gatekeeper, what is wrong? We've come to, uh, inquire about... Those missing ponies of ours, which we asked so many moons ago. You said you'd ask the Lords about it." She spoke up softly, "But if our presence disturbs you so much, we can try again later."
Sundancer "Oh yeah, sorry, I made one especially for Brick, but I just cut wing holes in yours, huh?"
Ember keeps a look for the group near the circle but continues "Oh it's not like I asked for anything before, I'd just like to make a fake chassis and vents in it, you know, sort of like in that pow- previous armor"
Sundancer "I'll put a shell on your back for version 1.0, but I'll want to get feedback from you and get a closer look at your... organs to work out a better solution."
Ember Flare "Uh... alright I guess?"
Sundancer "In fact, if I'm going to put together any complicated armor project yours would be the place to start. Saffron's going to stay light, Brick's is going to take twice the material and I can just stick my legs back on if they fall off."
Sundancer is mostly talking to herself, scrolling through the inventory list she keeps on her pipboy
Gatekeeper quit their grumbling for the time being and seemed to draw their full attention on you. There was a palpable weight in the air that even Ember and Sundancer could feel some distance off. Ember could also note a small spike in the ambient magic. “What is it? A boon? Reparations for the destruction mortals have wrought should be the ‘important business.’” You could hear gatekeeper throwing up limbs in frustration. It started to grumble again. “Cursed mortals. Speak the desire before a curse is ensorcelled.”
Saffron side glances at the Overseer, giving him a slightly tense, but still confident look. "Overseer..." She started quietly, "Give the Gatekeeper a physical description of what we need." She told him softly, then turned back to the empty space where the voice of the Gatekeeper seemed to originate from. "We've come to try and trade for our ponies. We just needed to know if you had any idea of if they are present in the realm, to your knowledge, that we may negotiate a price for their safe return." She keeps her tone quiet, and soft, despite the Gatekeeper's own grumbling tone and veiled threat.
The overseer nodded and was about to talk before Gatekeeper interjected. “The playthings. Mortals want the playthings returned. Very well. A bargain.” There was another sharp spike in the ambient magic levels again. Those inside the circle could feel electricity in the air now. “Leave the circle before the bargain is struck, and die.” Gatekeeper said this like it was entirely normal. “What is the offering?”
Brickfielder fidgets a bit nervously, and glances at the Overseer.
Ember Flare "...it's looking pretty bad there. The gatekeeper is massing a lot of magic here"
Saffron makes a small gulp. Now THAT threat phased her a little bit, and she made it a point to step a little bit closer to the Overseer's side, in the hopes of emotionally supporting the older stallion with her presence, small as she was. Side glancing the older stallion. "... I'm sorry, sir. Do you need help making a decision? If you have any secrets to share..."
"Mmh... I might have a secret, but it's nothing... life-changing. Just embarrassing." Quick whispers to them both.
Saffron anxiously shuffles in place, gritting her teeth to the point that she winces a little. Side glancing Brickfielder once with a very, VERY intent look.
The overseer took a deep breath and was able to speak now. He told Gatekeeper he was offering whatever it asked for. A secret, an oath, in exchange for his wife and child returned. While he left out the other obvious payment, Gatekeeper was not forgetful on the options. The cost, it said, was an eye and half ‘a’ mortals teeth. It seemed to use the term in the same way it said a Lords, seeming to recognize the single entity of a multiplicity. Starting to ask how he, the overseer, would even remove them the question turned into pained screaming. With an invisible force the payment was ripped out of the overseers head in an accompaniment of blood from the overseer's mouth. The eye was pulled on it’s retinal cord momentarily before it was severed with an unseen knife. The overseer collapsed in pain while his taken parts hovered nearby in a small swirling motion, before being sucked away as if into a singularity. Gatekeeper sounded pleased despite not saying anything directly.
Saffron recoils from the front-row seat she had to the extremely visceral spectacle they were witnessing. For a good second, Saffron was paralyzed as she watched it happen, her face flushing pale. "Holy shit..." Saffron strides forward to hold onto the Overseer before he falls over too hard, then stares up at Quick Fix for help.
Brickfielder does his best to avert his eyes as the... payment is collected, and does his best to catch the Overseer as he collapses, shooting a VERY firm look to Quick to help him.
Many emotions ripped through the colt, but all were locked away as he rushed over to the Overseer to help him. If he had more training with his magic and skills perhaps he could have regenerated those parts in the moment; unfortunately, the best he could do now was stop the bleeding.
(GM Note): Quick made an academics test to keep the mayor stable.
Brickfielder simply supports the Overseer while Quick works, tightening his jaw.
Saffron's hoof half-lifts over to try to help Quick fix as he made the attempt. But it was just so gnarly that Saffron couldn't even force herself to touch anything, she just held the Overseer's head and forelegs steady to indirectly aid the actual, trained unicorn.
Ember continues watching even as Overseer seemed to jerk and fall over
The overseer was in shock, blood seeping from his open mouth and down his emptied eye socket. It was the best Brickfielder could do to keep him steady. The overseer seemed even smaller than normal now. Working fast the doctor on hoof could stem the blood that was flowing. His magic started to work, but it did little to stop the overseer from passing out from the pain. It kept the shock from killing the older stallion at least.
"Holy shit holy shit." Saffron muttered beneath her breath, still a bit shocked from the experience. Even if it wasn't her. "I-is he going to be fine??" She asked Quick Fix hurriedly as she held the stallion whilst he passed out.
"What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck." Quick's vocalisations were audible only to the two beside him, hissed under his breath as he worked.
Brickfielder keeps supporting the Overseer even after he passes out, though does his best to keep his eyes from focusing on him too much. "Relax..."
Sundancer is too hidden in the bushes to get a good look at the Overseer's near demise and waits for it to be over
Quick Fix took a deep breath, careful not to relax too much lest the adrenaline wear off and the flood of repressed emotions hit him like a truck. "He's alive. But he's going to need surgery to... fix this."
Saffron relaxed her wings a little at the 'He's alive'. Giving him a quick nod, "We'll fix this. I know we will--gosh I'm just glad he survived..." Saffron sighed in relief, gently laying the stallion down fully, then jerkily stepping around besides the green unicorn, pushing her muzzle gently against his neck to reassure both him, and herself. As her eyes watched, hopefully, for the arrival of the Overseer's family.
Ember would feel a well of magical energies forming in the circle. It was accompanied by the sounds of hooves stampeding those in the circle could hear. The magic ebb reached a peak and burst like a dam. Ripping itself out of thin air, the being pulling itself out of the singularity in the air where the door must be. First it was long, thin glass forelegs that tore out and firmly planted themselves into the ground of the circle. Then the horned head was pulled forwards and upwards on a long elegant glass neck. The body and back legs soon followed, but it seemed as if the mass kept coming. The creature that soon filled the circle stood as tall as a vertibird and took up almost the entire clearing. It was an enormous glass being with a pair of flowing glass horns crowning it’s head. It seemed a god had arrived.
Brickfielder doesn't drop the Overseer, but he does turn his full attention to the thing manifesting in the circle, eyes becoming as wide as dinner plates as he stares up at it.
Saffron's eyes slowly lifted as she began to notice the first signs of... Something hooved coming through. Reflexively, Saffron leaned her muzzle back from Quick and began to slowly shuffle to keep Quick Fix behind herself. She was unarmed and basically naked, but she still tried to shield the unicorn with herself. As her head tilted WAY up to see the full extent of the crystal creature. Her wings stretch up somewhat.
Saffron "... Hooohhh... This uh... This isn't what we asked for, is it..."
Quick Fix had a very similar reaction, looking up at the strange creature of glass with wide eyes. Albeit, he felt a little safer with Saffron covering him in front... "...where are they..?"
Sundancer suddenly loses her nonchalant attitude about the circle's dealings and watches the newcomer closely from her concealment
Ember is likewise tensing up, trying to focus on her magical awareness
The towering being, even in stillness, seemed to move. Its body did not seem to be a whole and solid being like the butterflies or the bears. Instead it seemed composed of jittering plates and sheets held together by magic. Magic that sparked and arced between segments of glass. It did not seem to directly recognize your group, simply being here for an incomprehensible task. The belly of the massive creature opened apart as the glass plates moved out of the way. From somewhere within the creature came tumbling two ponies. An older mare and a teen stallion. They landed in a heap under the massive creature. It seemed your bargain was complete. The electricity in the air faded. The massive creature intoned in a voice like breaking glass. “The agreement is fulfilled.”
Brickfielder glances down at the two ponies that fall out, before looking back up at the deer, his brow lowering just a bit even as the shocked, wide look stays in his eyes.
Saffron's wings stretched out for their whole wingspan as she waited in silence,in a defensive stance, in front of Quick. She then widened her eyes as the thing's belly opened up, and the ponies came tumbling down. She tucked in her wings, and began to stride closer to the two ponies, giving them a closer look to see if they were even conscious, or alive.
Brickfielder just nods to Saffron going to the other two ponies, and returns his gaze to the deer.
Quick Fix similarly moves past his shock to move over to the jettisoned ponies to check up on them. Today has been... awful. But at least something good has come of it.
In a horrifying disregard for physics the massive entity bent forward into itself towards the point in space it had arrived from. The magic spiked once more as the creature began to pull itself into the singularity. Plates flowed along it to be drawn into that single point of space and disappear. The horns raked the ground and caused Saffron and Brickfielder to draw back for the moment. But as quickly as it arrived the god left. You were left to collect the mare and the teen. They were alive but unconscious. The pair was wearing scraps of their vault suits still, and had scars that had healed. Some large, others like pinpricks. Your squad had a trio of passed out ponies to bring home.
Ember Flare "Huh... so it worked?"
Sundancer "Shocked we weren't double-crossed. They seemed mad, and the payment wasn't too terrible. The overseer will get a cool eyepatch."
Ember Flare "I almost assumed that the huge thing was coming to take away more ponies"
Brickfielder sets about carefully pulling the Overseer out of the circle, wearing a very serious expression as he does. "...Something about that... *thing*, offends me."
When the adrenaline wears off, and Quick takes a deep breath, and he dashes into the forest without another word.
Brickfielder goes wide-eyed and watches Quick run away. "...Well, guess the damn kid isn't going to help us carry these three back..."
Ember raises an eyebrow at Quick dashing away
Saffron backpedals sharply from the thing as it returns whence it came. She tried not to look at it, fearing for her sanity if she stared at it while it did her thing; instead just focusing all her gaze and attention on the ponies they had rescued. She stays still until it's not there anymore, then strides forward to start hastily putting the older mare onto her back, adjusting them to be horizontal along her back with some effort and a few low grunts. She looked up to Brickfielder once as she brought up her head from under the older mare's. "We shouldn't say stuff while we're still here, it can still murder us in cold blood." She muttered back to him. Eyeing Quick Fix as he runs off, but dismissing it quickly as he nods to Brick, "Grab the colt... And the overseer, if you can manage it." She told him simply, then looked further towards their other two companions.
Ember steps out but keeps her distance from the circle "Heyy you did it!"
Brickfielder does his best to heft the Overseer up to his back, gingerly, given the state that he's in; the colt is easier to carry, at least.
As Brickfielder and Saffron go about the task of carting the sleeping ponies away from the circle they can start to hear Gatekeeper humming.
"Sure did." Saffron replied with a bit of a trembling voice still, but a small smile that exuded pure relief as she stepped out of the circle. "Absolutely terrifying though, did you SEE that thing?" She asked Ember, side glancing back to the circle as she heavily stepped along, wings partially out to balance the mare on her back, as they walked further away.
Sundancer "It was a struggle to not shoot it. I'm glad it worked out."
Ember Flare "Well pretty hard not to"
Brickfielder furrows his brow. "...I know what you mean. ...If Quick isn't back in the settlement by the time we get back, I'm going to go out and find him."
"I'm standin' here wishin' we did now..." Saffron grumbled in Sundancer's direction, nodding in agreement as they hastily made their way back. "Unfortunately, pretty sure I wouldn't have survived if that thing got pissed off in my general vicinity." She added softly, then side glances Brickfielder. "Don't worry, I'll find him... He'll be fine..."
"Infact, I might go track him down right now before he trips and hurts himself or somethin'." Saffron looked to Sundancer once, smirking wryly. "Can you carry this mare back?" She said, stopping near the cybernetic pony, shuffling a bit in place to nod to the mare on her back weakly.
Brickfielder fixes Saffron with a firm gaze, before sighing out his nostrils and nodding.
Sundancer doesn't look very enthusiastic about it, but lets Saffron unload the mare on her
With that experience over the group for the most part can get to bringing the family back to the settlement. It will be a lot of carrying back. But at least you will get a lot of helping hooves once you arrive. It would fall to sundancer to diagnose the situation once the unconscious ponies are situated in places to rest.
Saffron noticed the face Sundancer was making, and just sighed out a quiet, "Sorry." Saffron simply said, as she started to put the mare down, then adjust them on Sundancer's back. After that, she hurriedly starts to canter off to where Quick Fix had been going, jogging to catch up and hopefully find him quickly, hopefully before he got lost.
The Overseer would be out for maybe a couple hours but could be resuscitated in short order. He would be in pain and need some oral surgery to seal up his gaping gums. The wife and child however were a bit of a mystery. They had healed from whatever physical harm had come to them, but there was no telling why they were passed out. Being pulled through that doorway however must have been quite the experience itself. But Sundancer was unsure when, or if, the pair would wake up.
Brickfielder is no doctor or nurse, but he elects to stay with the ponies, giving go-aheads for surgery and painkiller usage and otherwise sitting at the Overseer's bedside.
Sundancer taps her wings against her chassis in frustration at the possibly magical ailment that has befallen the Overseer's family
Out of curiosity Ember would approach the unconscious ponies and see if they had any magic presence in them
Whatever malady has gripped the unconscious ponies it did not seem to be magical in nature. They seemed to be in a coma.
Brickfielder will remain with the Overseer and his family for quite a while, but, at some point, will start going about other tasks in the settlement, often ducking back in to quickly check on them. He seems a bit lost in his thoughts during tasks though.
(GM Note): Quick coming back was discussed ooc. A full scene for it was supposed to be handled between sessions.
Quick Fix will swiftly and professionally check on the Overseer and the two unconscious horses, pointedly avoiding looking at the big stallion.
After Saffron had brought back the Quick Fix back to camp, she mostly opted to leave him to his work. Hoping the pony would relax as he did his job, rather than kick himself. Before they left each other for their own things, Saffron stayed back as he walked away, looking at him with a deeply troubled, sad stare... Then turned around, walking back to the treeline. Her work complete, she flew back to her favorite oak, the tallest in the vicinity, and perched atop it to be lookout for until they needed her again.
With the horrors in the woods resolved the group can start to move onto other tasks. You had an expedition into the mountains to plan and many daily tasks to perform.
Brickfielder remains sitting by the Overseer as Quick goes about nurse duties, fixing him with a gaze as he eventually notices the unicorn not looking at him. "...Quick Fix. Something's bothering you."
Quick Fix finally allows his gaze to drift over to Brick, though he's hardly making eye contact. "Oh, I just... I thought... you'd be angry with me for... running off like that."
Smoky Mirrors would track down Quick Fix as well, wanting to ask what had all happened. Rumors spread pretty fast in this small of a town. The mayor and his family being dragged back unconscious was a pretty big one.
Brickfielder furrows his brow slightly. "...I am, a bit. But how angry I am depends on why you ran off in the first place."
"I... Brickfielder." He sighs. "I have seen many things, working as a doctor. I have been shown countless horrific wounds to prepare me for my work. What we saw... I-I... *nothing* prepares you for that, Brick. I'm n-not a soldier."
Sundancer has a clipboard and chewed up pencil sketching out various plates of armor found on the vault's robots and trying to combine them with space to vent Ember's gas
Quick Fix seems engaged in discussion with his massive pegasus friend. Smoky may have to wait a little bit.
Brickfielder takes a deep breath, and sighs. "Yeah, well, I've not seen anything quite like that before either. But you still left us with three unconscious ponies. If you're going on away missions with us, you can't run away like that. Am I clear?" He at least doesn't sound angry with it, just having the tone of an older brother instructing their younger sibling.
Ember wouldn't mind if Sundancer wanted to go prodding her mutant bits for the suit, the other ponies in the room seemed unconscious for a good while
"Y..yes, I understand. It won't happen in the future." Looking at his frame, there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell Quick was helping anypony carry them, though it was more the principle of the thing.
Brickfielder nods. "...We've been through more than you, I'll admit. I try to teach operating under pressure to the security here. You could learn a thing or two from that. Plus learning how to use a gun."
Sundancer just takes measurements, the details of Ember's biology being relatively unimportant for her current fixation's prototyping stage
Quick Fix "...I've never really... had much will to hurt someone or something else before. But, pressure training, m-maybe I could use some of that."
Once the modifications are complete, Ember switches her dirty doctors coat for the vault suit "Hmmh... that sure is very... form fitting"
Brickfielder just nods. "I can put you through the same wringer I gave to the security team."
Quick Fix winces, "um, I'd prefer maybe something a little... gentler to start off with. I-I'm kind of fragile."
Brickfielder gives Quick a slight smirk. "It's not like you'd be in a life-threatening situation, you know. Part of it is learning concepts, and part is remembering to apply them in stressful situations."
Quick Fix "Emotionally, I mean! But, yes, physically as well. Generally, I'd wanna start small."
Your doctors perform some oral surgery on the Overseer the next day, stitching up the left side of his gums where all of his teeth were removed. At least he’ll be able to use the right side of his mouth. But his speech is going to be a bit slurred on some sounds now. He seemed quite frustrated that while his wife and child were secure, they would not wake up. They must have gone through some harrowing experiences given their scars. There was not much to do for the time being except to watch over and take care of them.
Brickfielder does his best to... reassure the Overseer. But the frustration is completely understandable.
Quick Fix investigates the scars more closely at some point, trying to ascertain whether or not they line up with the locations of organs.
The cuts seemed to be in random locations. They were also made by extremely sharp implements. None of them were deep cuts. So at best Quick could surmise the cuts were intentional in cruelty.
Saffron spent a very long time outside of the camp. Nothing really kept her from coming back except her emotions, so she simply spent time in the wilderness like a hermit for a whole day, until eventually she came back to sleep. She didn't talk much, not even with Quick. But, she did something she hadn't done before in the night. She turned to sleep facing him, and gave him a biiig hug. When questioned, she just told him she just needed a very long walk, and that she felt sickly from what she had seen. The next day, she did the same thing, and went to leave the others to more professional tasks, while she went to gather supplies for their voyage.
Collecting gear for your expedition would be simple enough. Although there was not much to bring other than foodstuffs, some rope, makeshift shovels, and your personal equipment. Despite his injury the Overseer would encourage your group to go off. Autumn was now in full swing and soon winter would be following. He wanted you to find and port back whatever you could so it could be bartered as soon as possible.
Saffron wandered around the store room. Out of boredom and a compulsive need for solitude, she went through the list of things the settlement had. She does the math in her head as she grabs the food, the rope, and the shovels. Maybe a crowbar if there was one. A stiff sigh came through her as she regrouped by the west gate, letting the others come when they were ready, as she sorted the rations and the few tools she could afford to grab into smaller packs or bags that can be carried in saddlebags, or sad saddlebags.
Quick Fix fills Smoky in on the whole situation before he leaves, omitting the part about him running off (perhaps noticeably to her, since she knows him so well.)
Sundancer carefully packs her bags with all her repair and demolition supplies, leaving the medical kit at home, with Quick coming along
"There he issss... And he's first!" Saffron spoke up with a bit of a playful undertone that still sounded a little lowkey and sad despite the new day. She stood up from sitting by her gear, and looked at him with a small smile, stepping around to start passing him some ration bags, and a shovel. "This is your stuff for the travel. 1 ration per meal." She tells him, softly.
Saffron "And the shovel. Don't forget the shovel."
With equipment in order your group headed east to the vault and gave Quick Fix his first taste of flight. The sheer cliffs would not be a challenge for your group. This side of the mountains were far steeper than the other side, back where there had been rolling hills you had seen on your first few days on the island. You will need to fly almost a kilometer before you start to find some level terrain. By then things are starting to get chilly. You can see the white caps of the mountains pretty clear from down here. It would be the first time Quick has seen snow. It would be the first time any of you would see so much in a natural state. You can form your base camp here for the day and begin searching for signs of ancient stations. If you need to move your camp later that would not be difficult.
Your group has set up a base camp east of the vault atop the sheer cliffs of the mountain range. You have plenty of firm, level, mossy terrain here, and a nice view of the white caps of the mountain. You come up with the outline of a plan to search for these ancient sites. Splitting into teams to search while one team stays to mind the camp. Then rotating out to let a team rest while another is out. Due to their navigation skills Saffron and Ember would likely need to be team leads. Without wings it could be best Quick Fix stays to mind camp a majority of the time.
As the first thing Ember turns to Saffron "So how would you like to organize this?"
Saffron was staying off to the side with her eyes staring off towards the mountain peaks. This was another sight that she really liked from up-close, keeping a wing half-over Quick to give him a bit of cover from the wind. When Ember spoke up, she looked down. It takes a second for her to speak up, as she looked between them all. "I was thinkin' me, Ember, and Sunny can go on the scouting. Brick and Quick can be here to pony the radio. Our little hoof-computers only got receivers, and I don't feel comfortable leaving anyone by themselves out here."
Saffron "Unless of course, there's other suggestions."
Ember Flare "Might take a while like that... We'll have a huge area to cover and get back to every now and then"
Sundancer "Brick's radio isn't going to be any more effective at camp. We can just fly in groups of two with Quick guarding our camp."
Quick Fix "...hold on, you're not leaving me here by myself, are you?"
Brickfielder has to stop himself from smirking.
Saffron shuffles from Quick's side, taking a few ambling paces about as she keeps softly humming and looking between everypony there, eyeballing Quick a few times. "It'll let us know if bad stuff happens at camp. Buuutt, with that said..." Saffron turns on her hooves towards Sundancer. "One of us in the group could take tha' kit since it's got all the stuff needed to take a looksie around these peaks." She then pauses, and likewise looks to Quick. "What, ya scared somethin' will jump you?"
Sundancer "I'll camouflage the camp before I go. You just have to stay quiet."
"...well, you never know... and it's lonely up here! I didn't even bring any books." Quick huffs. "I mean, I'll do it. I'm not much of a scout without wings. It would just be nicer to have somepony with me, is all."
Ember Flare "if we wanted to set the camp properly, the other team could just go ahead while the other prepares the area and sets everything up once the others return. That way we could cycle the survey teams faster and more effectively and we wouldn't have to start setting up the camp the first thing as we come back from our rounds"
Ember Flare "Uh, if that sounds reasonable?"
"Yeah." Saffron gave a nod towards Sundancer, then back to Quick. She doesn't smile or smirk at him in spite of the playfulness in her voice, but she does brush her muzzle with a hoof in consideration of this here issue. "I'm sorry Quick, but it IS more efficient if we just split into groups of two for this... Uhhmmm... I mean... I could just take you along, it's not like there's a danger our camp is gonna get raided..."
Saffron "Right, Sunny and Quick, set us up the camp. Me and the rest can do the first tun, the three of us."
"We'll do a bit of initial recon and come back..." Saffron brings up her pipboy and starts to look at the time to check... "In around 30 minutes, and then we'll split into actual teams."
Sundancer shrugs, not entirely convinced but eager as always to practice her field fortifications
Quick Fix scrunchy snoot. "Well... alright. Sunny's a good builder. I'm sure we can get things done in that time."
Sundancer wastes no time and hums as she starts cutting brush with a dismembered rotary robot saw
Ember nods sets down her camping equipment and is ready to go
Quick Fix "Is... there anything you'd like me to do, Sunny?"
Sundancer "You're in charge of pitching tents."
"I'm suuuure you can handle it, Quick..." Saffron non-chalantly says, in earnest, and goes to drop off her survival kit close to Sundancer in case it is useful for this camp-making. Then goes to pick up the Survey kit--if Brick hadn't already. "Alright. Let's do this." She nodded to Ember and Brickfielder, and flaps her wings to take flight and begin leading the formation towards the mountains to begin scouting.
"...okay." Pitching tents. Can't be that hard, right??? ...at least his horn will make manipulation a whole lot easier.
Saffron, Ember, and Brickfielder can head out to make an initial assessment of the area. There are a lot of steep cliffs on this side of the mountains so a quick aerial reconnaissance of the area surrounding the camp. It would be half an hour of flying to reach a snowy area if they were so inclined. But otherwise the immediate area around your camp seemed fairly barren. There were slow bushes and some scraggly trees but it seemed the mountains were mainly hard rock and moss.
Ember looks around as they fly "Well it doesn't look all that hard even if it does get a bit cold all the way up here..."
Brickfielder nods, flying in close formation near Ember. "Think of it as helping prepare us for winter."
Ember glances in Saffron's direction a couple of times every now and then seemingly bothered by something "Saffron I-" "...You remember that talk Officer Cloudy gave us? It's just that...."
Quick Fix meanwhile does his best to set up the tents, secretly enjoying the 'fresh'ness of the air. He's never been so cold, and it's amazing!
Ember seems to gather herself for a moment before taking a breath "I'm just saying that... *maybe* to an outsider, like our CO.... That this whole thing with the infrared... it *might look* very bad?"
Brickfielder narrows his eyes slightly, and glances between Saffron and Ember, focusing more on them than the ground below for the moment.
Sundancer is a bit frustrated by the lack of foliage to do a thorough job covering up the camp, a clump of camp-sized greenery would stand out, so she just settles for covering the cooking and sitting area and each of the tents individually
Saffron doesn't seem to respond for a while, but her ears are pulled in Ember's direction as she speaks. Saffron's face is that of classic stoicism, she moved her face so that Ember couldn't see her eyes as she led the formation and kept a diligent eye on where they were navigating, eyeing the landmarks and terrain features. "I know." Saffron quietly replied. "I mean, I should be offended that you assumed I didn't but honestly, I'm pretty chest-deep into some nastyness right now."
Saffron "It just keeps getting worse and worse and worse..."
Brickfielder furrows his brow slightly, before glancing down at the terrain as well, the corners of his mouth curling down.
Saffron glides through the air, catching the wind currents as she finally turns her eyes more towards Ember. "His--mom, I guess, came to me as well. She saw right through me about it. Way too perceptive--she told me she'd be glad to have me in the family." Saffron paused, the silence audible as the mare's shame and distress crawls across her face, lips wrying up slightly. "At least I'm convincing enough that she doesn't know I'm lying through my teeth."
Saffron "... I think..."
Ember looks uncomfortable for good while "Right. Look I don't want to imply anything! Just.... wanted to make sure that if we suddenly get new orders that- uh... Well it's not my place to question. Sorry.
Quick Fix watches Sunny work, having exhausted his rather simple task. He would be neatly camouflaged were it not for his mane. Perhaps against a skyline it would work, but on the ground the blue stood out like a sore hoof.
Saffron huffs through her nostrils, her pegasus fluff becoming a bit more puffy as her wings flap a few times as if by reflex, making her gain a tiny bit of altitude before stabilizing again. "Y-yeah well, if anything happens it's on me, and not any of you. I just--haven't really unfucked myself yet..."
Sundancer finishes with her task quickly given the limited room for going overboard and starts laying out the squad's belongings next to their tents, getting their bedding sorted out and replacing tent stakes she wasn't satisfied with
Saffron sighed loudly. Checking her pipboy to check the time... And after a while, she does start to bank to the side to begin making a return trip. She quickly changes the subject as she goes. "First group'll be me and you Ember, Unless you wanna tag along with me, Brick." She says, not looking back to them.
Ember cocks her head "uhh"
The trio do their initial scout route and return to camp after circling back. The immediate area around the camp was safe. Although Saffron could remember that she had seen a butterfly come down the mountain face a month back. It would take some more investigation to locate any circles, but for now the range seemed clear.
Saffron "Quick gonna be in the camp all by his lonesome. I'd throw in the suggestion to leave the radio with him, in case he gets a reason to call for help. Just in case."
Ember Flare "I'm pretty sure we are the only two with any proper scouting skills, I don't think we should let Sundancer and Brickfield to go by themselves"
Ember turns to Sundancer and Brickfield "no offense!"
Brickfielder wears a flat look, seeming to have at least stuffed into the back of his mind what was worrying him earlier. "...None taken." His voice reaches a new level of deadpan.
Sundancer prances in place "I can scout just fine!"
Ember Flare "Well it's more just that I could fly back here blindfolded in a snowstorm if I had to"
Sundancer pouts and points at her pipboy "I could at least walk back. I put the camp on my map."
Saffron nimbly flapflaps to a land at the camp, immediately met by Sundancer who prances and boasts her scouting skills. Saffron just smirks and giggles. "Well! How about me and Sundancer go, and Ember and Brickfielder go together then? If anything Brick can sliiiightly help, right?" Saffron pipes up, nodding to herself.
Quick Fix stifles a snicker, seeing the robot bounce like that. He'd say it was cute had he more gut.
Ember Flare "I think that would work with me"
Sundancer "I could do that."
"Aight." Saffron goes to step over to Quick Fix, and starts to bully him by gently prodding and poking at his side. "You're gonna be here with the radio, if you see anything real bad just yell into the microphone real loud and we'll swoop in and save you like the knights in shining armor we are."
Saffron "Princess Quick Fix."
Quick Fix scrunches like he's never scrunched before. "H-hey, don't call me that. I'll let you know if I see anything of interest or danger. I'll be fine."
Saffron gets real close and nuzzles at his cheek ever so slightly to tease him some more. "Prince Quick Fix it is." She nods to him, then begins to step back, lightly mock-punching him playfully on the shoulder before stepping back towards Sundancer. "Let's give it a go, Sunday." She says, eagerly, and flaps to take-flight once more!
(GM Note):The searching involved an endurance+observation test from each group. None of them fail to find locations.
Saffron and Sundancer discover a small pool of steaming water a bit higher up in the mountain. A natural hot spring of mineral water about twenty feet across. Given some evidence of buildings removed by the elements it seems like this has been a known spot for somepony in ancient times. Only the foundations of some structures remain but you presume it might have been changing rooms.
Sundancer lands at the hot spring and bath "Do you think this was a ritual place or a tourist trap? Did the gatekeeper even exist pre-war?"
Saffron followed suit, landing at the location of interest. She almost immediately goes to draw out her road-sign shield to strap it to her foreleg, before moving closer to the water to peek into it and see if anything could be seen through the water. "I mean, it's giving me some tourist-trap vibes if you're askin' me." Saffron replied with a guarded cadence, "I really hope it didn't. Frickin' eldritch abomination shouldn't exist at all, I say."
Sundancer "Yeah... The answer affects how we deal with it. If sites like this are connected to them, and the ancient people knew more than we or the druids do, we'd have to get into the archeology business for Cloudy. If it's a magical corruption from the War, it's likely easier to defeat but harder to learn how."
"I really wish I could give you a proper answer, Sunny. But I really don't know until we find any clues." Saffron softly replied, as she begins to step over to the small bits of ruined buildings nearby, keeping her shield up to her chest in case something decides to materialize from the ground.
Saffron "Though at least this confirms there IS stuff up here. We just need to keep lookin' around this general area..."
Sundancer shakes her head "Looks too worn to get anything from, and there's no reason to dig a basement. Scavengers might have already been by here."
Brickfielder and Ember discover the remains of a stone circle. Stubby mounds of stone surrounded by debris and a pair of blasted scorch marks. Investigating the area would net you the remains of some kind of bomb. It was evident that the circle had been destroyed intentionally and somewhat recently.
Ember Flare "Ha, well looks like you can just blast them away"
Brickfielder alights near the circle, and treads carefully, not wanting to cross into it even though it seems destroyed. "...That's reassuring."
"But these bombs... are those ours?" Ember tries to make sense of the destruction
Brickfielder narrows his eyes, and tries to inspect the bombs closer.
(GM Note:) Brickfielder attempts to identify the bombs with Craft, he botches.
Brickfielder mismanages the fragile remains of the bombs, destroying them even further. Unfortunately the giant was not up to the delicate task.
Brickfielder just scowls at the bomb and knocks the piece aside. "Look, I wasn't trained in explosives. It's recent, and the Cloaks surely didn't do it. So either it was us, or Trottingham has begun sending out bomb squads to the wilderness."
Ember Flare
"Uh.. Well Those are pretty delicate things. You need to handle them with care. Well it's not what we were looking for anyway"
Brickfielder shrugs with his wings. "It's not like it's going to blow up in my face. ...If they are starting to destroy the circles, at least we got the Overseer's family out already..."
Quick Fix squeaks over the radio, "I hope everything's alright out there. Things are all quiet here."
Sundancer shoots Saffron a look that says 'why did we give him the radio again?'
Saffron flicked up her ears as Quick's voice comes from their pipboys. The high pitch of their voice causing her to knit her brow with a quiet concern and amusement, chuckling to it softly--and just smiling as Sundancer gives her that look while on the return flight. "... He could warn us if he's in trouble." She replied, "But I guess you can't help against boredom."
Your searches over the first few days are fruitful in that you have some new information and confirmation that ponies left sites behind in the area. If Brickfielder and Ember want to talk about the blown up circle to Saffron and Sundancer they may want to do so quietly away from Quick Fix. After four days of searching you feel you’ve exhausted the area of locations that have not been scourged by the elements. You will want to move your basecamp further along the mountains to continue your search. Given you know what is on the south of the island it seems prudent to move your camp north. Perhaps around the hotspring to benefit from the warmth.
Quick Fix is starting to feel very bored and cold after four days of sitting at base camp, alone. It would be nice to have the hot spring to relax while the others are out.
Saffron gives the findings they had uncovered some moments of thought, especially the notion of explosives found by Brickfielder and Ember's wing. She takes note of the fact that their lines MIGHT have moved up pretty far by now, but doesn't speak much about it. Instead, once they were back at camp, she pranced over to Quick Fix. Kidnapping him in a hug. "I hope everything's alright out there!" Saffron squeaks, trying to make a (feminine) parody of his voice.
The weather of the first few days has been calm, but with occasional flurries of snow blown down from higher up on the mountains. Otherwise it was surprisingly warm with clear skies letting the hot sun beam down and warm the stones around your camp.
Ember Flare "I actually started thinking that we might have started from the wrong end of the mountain range"
Quick Fix immediately feels blood rushing into his cheeks, and scrunches indignantly. "I w-was - just - it was a slow day! I don't sound like that!"
Ember Flare "But that is assuming all the important sites would have been built as close to the city as possible"
Brickfielder trots past Quick and Saffron on the way to his tent. "You sort of do."
Sundancer "What did you want from us, a response? Next time I'm in Trottingham I'm buying their radios."
Ember snickers
"Yes you DO!" Saffron snickers and lightly grabs him by the foreleg, shaking him around a bit. She can't keep a serious tone with him around at all. "Yeah--like, we can't respond to you, ya goofball." She snickers, biting her lip and looking over to Ember. "Yeah... We did find some things, like a hot spring with remnants of long-destroyed buildings, kinda gave off the vibe of a changing room. There's stuff out here, but maybe further north..."
Saffron "We're gonna need to move around a lot, probably."
Sundancer "We're looking for loot, right? The best stuff should be where ponies used to live. Ember's right about heading north."
"Wuh.. puh.. buh..." Quick's looking a bit like a leafy tomato after that verbal barrage. "I... I-I'm gonna go listen to some music." And off he goes to his tent, ears flat.
Brickfielder watches Quick Fix retreat, and shakes his head slightly. "North does seem reasonable." He lowers his voice, once he's sure Quick won't hear. "May keep us further away from any... forward bombing operations too."
Ember Flare "And yeah, more radios would be a good idea. They are quite heavy though..."
Sundancer "Up here? What kind of bombs?"
Ember looks awkwardly at Brick "uuuh"
Brickfielder looks back at Ember. "...What?"
Ember Flare "nothing! nothing"
Brickfielder "Look, it's possible that we, as in Cloudsdayle, have started destroying stone circles. I doubt anyone else in this area is using proper bombs."
Saffron quirked her brow at the mention of bombs. She flicked down an ear and WORRIEDLY glanced to the tent Quick went into, then back to Brickfielder with a very taut look to her lip. She steps a bit closer to be able to whisper. "It might be just forward teams. But yeah, probably best to go further either way." She says, nodding in agreement to his remarks.
Saffron then steps back once. "We uh--might wait for morning before moving, but otherwise we can go when you all are ready for it. Aside from that, we've got the flight patterns nailed down I think."
Sundancer "We'll move camp for safety. I didn't perfectly cover it from the air. The last thing I want is to deal with friendly fire."
The group packs up their basecamp and heads north on the fifth day. Setting up near the hotspring seemed ideal, if not just for the relaxation benefit. Over the next few days your teams can alternate making treks northward to locate more sites.
Quick Fix from then on mostly lets the returning team cover the radio, opting to relax in the hot spring and listen to music. There's not much of a use for him just yet.
(GM Note): Keep in mind that Brickfielder’s and Ember’s location happens a day later chronologically after Saffron and Sundancer’s
Saffron and Sundancer discover an old mining camp a few hours away. One that has not been completely taken by the elements. A log building stood beside the open maw of a shallow mine. The log building’s roof had collapsed long ago, leaving the walls standing. But you can find something by picking through the remains, a miner’s outfit. It looked like whoever had started to dig here got a few meters into the face of the mountain before giving up. At least it would seem that way if not for the bone fragments scattered about and deep stains soaking the base of the mine's entrance. Some splinters of a skull were lodged into the stone about the entrance. It would be impossible to tell what exactly happened, but someone died here a long time ago.
Heading up into a snowy area Brickfielder and Ember discover what might be the celestial observatory. A tall, cylindrical building with a metal spherical cap on a plateau high up in the mountains. It is hard to make out many details as the wind kicked up a flurry of loose snow into a dense cloud around the structure. To avoid the stinging wind you will need to approach on hoof, where you could likely take shelter inside.
Ember Flare "Haa, The Druids actually mentioned this one"
Saffron landed as they found yet another location of interest. She brought up her shield--still not comfortable walking around these places without it readied, and began walk carefully along with Sundancer in tow. "Whew." Would be Saffron's first reaction to seeing those deep stains and bones. "Somepony had a field day tryn'a prospect... Place is to die for." She muttered the joke under her breath, peeking into the mine from the entrance.
Brickfielder lands and raises a foreleg to shield his face from the wind. "...Did they?"
Ember shouts through the winds "Yeah! Let's have a look inside before we report it back!"
Ember and Brickfielder approached the building until they were about thirty meters out. Then you can start to recognize that there is some kind of light coming from inside the building. You don't have much time to react to the laser shot fired at you through the flurry.
(GM Note): Brickfielder and Ember test evasion to avoid the shots. They pass, but only once Ember expends her shield power.
Sundancer frowns "I doubt it's anything. I can't imagine what they were digging for. Probably gold, come to think of it."
Sundancer considers examining the area for any paydirt this pony might have set aside that she can sample before thinking better of it, there's no real chance of getting vault dwellers up here and mining, and no way she's doing it herself
"Mmm I'm more concerned about how he died... Didn't look like he got crushed..." Saffron remarked after Sundancer, eyeballing those bones a bit more with a wary stare, then starts to back off, shuffling over to the broken-down cabin. Stepping carefully through the half-broken threshold of the building, and poking at the wreckage. "Oh hey, there's somethin' usable..." She says, as she begins to clutter around, tossing up a few broken pieces of wood, and pulling out the miner's outfit. "Woww, check it..."
Saffron steps back, holding up the (somewhat heavy) miner's outfit with her teeth, wings extended. "Ya fink y' can fichs eet oop?"
Ember raises the shield to protect herself
Sundancer raises her eyebrows in genuine surprise "This prospector was loaded."
The pair being fired on can recognize the sound of the shot, having heard it plenty of times during training. That shot came from an enclave weapon, a CLODS rifle. You're not sure what's going on but you can dive for cover in the snow or try and charge your attacker. It was unlikely they could hear you if you shouted.
Ember barely manages to raise her shield just in time to deflect the shot
Ember Flare "What in tartarus! Is it another team?!"
Brickfielder instinctively ducks down as the shot blasts past, swearing under his breath and looking ahead. "Do we look like infrareds to you!?"
Sundancer picks out the ore-testing gear, radio and armored suit and goes over them one by one "This is a stroke of luck. I'm sure someone in Trottingham will pay for this."
(GM Note:) Brickfielder tried an odd tactic on the attacker, which was tested using Presence.
Brickfielder swears under his breath, almost making to rush forward, before he plants his hooves more firmly on the ground and raises his head up as high as he can, spreading his wings out to their maximum span, and giving a salute as enthusiastic as if the President was right in front of him. "Hey numbnuts!"
Saffron lets Sundancer take the outfit, chewing on something as she hacks out some dust and wooden chips from her teeth. "Not gonna keep it or dismantle it?" Saffron stepped beside the cyborg, looking over the outfit herself. "It does look pretty expensive... It's almost a shame to sell it."
Brick rears up against the wind and performs a winged salute as visibly as he can. Given the lack of fire continuing it seems whoever had made that first salvo recognized it. You think you can see shifting from the light source, giving somewhat of a silhouette to a pony. maybe.
Brickfielder pants slightly as he feels his heart rate start lowering, and looks to Ember, nodding before trotting forward, slowly.
Ember Flare "...I can't believe that worked"
Brickfielder "You telling me that would keep shooting if you saw your target salute like that?"
Ember runs to catch up to Brick
Ember Flare "I mean... it... depends?"
Ember mutters under her breath
Sundancer doesn't respond as she takes apart the radio set, checks it over, cleans it out and puts it back together
Getting a better look at the observatory would let Ember and Brickfielder note the sections of punched in walls and the unnatural large spikes of ice that were near the breaches. The holes were about ten feet around and the spikes of ice came up to around five feet. Standing in one of the exposed was a mare in CLODs armor you might recognize once she took off her helmet on your approach. Violet Rain, leader of Squad 34.
Brickfielder cocks an eyebrow at Ember, before acknowledging Violet Rain, giving a more casual salute. "...Been a while since we've seen you."
Sundancer "Looks like it's time to take the radio away from Quick."
"Just checking in... things are all good here!" Quick chirps into the radio on cue.
It was hard to tell what Violet Rain was expressing on her face when She recognized Brickfielder and Ember. There was not much light to see and she was shadowed. Taking a large breath against the cold and possibly to steady herself she returned the salute and told you to come inside against the wind. She said flatly "We are in some deep shit."
Brickfielder wastes no time ducking in to get out of the elements, and shakes himself slightly, keeping his wings tucked tight to his sides. "What sort of shit?"
Sundancer tunes to their frequency and radios Quick back with her new toy "Things are good here, too."
Ember follows along walking behind Brick looking around the observatory the other team had taken shelter in
The inside of the observatory was a single massive room. The stone floor was littered with debris from the holes in the walls. Dominating half the room was a stand of metal scaffolding and what must have been the telescope array. Ancient machinery that was difficult to properly get the measure of. Around the edge of the room were shelves and small tables, many of which were in ruin. The light inside the room came from a campfire situated away from the breaches and where the floor was more clear. The lit fire was surrounded by five bedrolls, three of which were occupied but the rest of Seafoam squad. The fifth member was propped up sitting against a far wall, no longer needing his sleeping gear. Violet Rain answered Brick's question with nervous energy. “One dead, three injured. I’ve been keeping them as stable as I could for three days now.” She was pacing a bit, unable to keep still. From what light lit her face it was clear she had not slept in a long time. The professional and regal facade you had seen of her that first meeting was stripepd away.
Saffron had quieted down as Sundancer was doing her weird technician stuff with the radio equipment. She kept on overwatch for them. Smiling a bit as Quick's voice hits them, but quirks her brow in slight surprise when Sundancer actually responds through the surprisingly still functioning mining radio gear. Saffron wasted no time slipping in and speaking after Sundancer. "Hi!" she says on the radio, for Quick.
There's a flustered squeak over the radio and some shuffling of blankets as Quick audibly recovers from the shock. Resisting the urge to squeal, 'how did you do that??', he more intelligently questions: "You found a radio? Where'd you get it?"
Ember bites her lip but chimes in "What attacked you?"
Brickfielder looks around the room, and tries to not let his gaze linger on the fifth member of the squad. "...My condolences. You've been holed up here due to them being too weak to move out, then, I imagine." He gives Violet a nod. "You've been doing an admirable job if it's just been you on your lonesome."
Sundancer "Some ancient prospector went out alone with what seems like a small fortune in mining gear. It's not in bad shape either."
Without ceremony Violet rain pulled out a pack of nearly empty cigarettes, took one and went to the fire to light it. The fire looked like it had been made with wooden debris. The other three remaining members of the squad slept in a painful way. After a long, long dreg of the cigarette she finally responded. “Yeah.” It carried an enormous weight in it. “Not us, at first. We came out here and killed a dragon.”
Sundancer "Maybe he needed gold and there wasn't any money could buy."
"Yeh-yeh! The whole thing still works, it's kinda crazy. Guy must'a been dead for who-knows how long, he's nothin' but bones. We're gonna come back soon with it. This new gear's real heavy-looking though, not sure I can ferry this around without ditchin' my survival kit..." Saffron likewise piped in, starting to shift her wings, looking to Sundancer to see if she was getting ready to go.
Brickfielder slowly raises his eyebrows. "...I'll be damned."
Quick Fix "Oh. Well, that's a shame. Must have been a long, long time ago if there's just bones left, though. It's nice to finally be able to talk to you guys out there. What kind of gear does he have? Is it tech-y, or more just practical stuff like drills, rope, glowsticks, stuff like that?"
Ember looks at the wounded ponies "We have a proper doctor in our team, also another infrared one..."
Sundancer undresses the skeleton and heaves the suit onto her back before nodding to Saffron "A little bit of both. It's got the radio, obviously."
Ember Flare "I'll check their status and see how severe it is!"
Violet Rain gave a nod and a shrug. “Damn thing was already dead. Didn’t stop it’s skeleton from fighting back through. Managed to do enough damage to take it out for good. The remains are up on a ridge outside.” She was talking fast, that nervous energy. “But then now we seemed cursed. Every night there’s been these… snow monsters trying to come and finish the job. Just yesterday my last able bodied member went down. I didn’t expect to survive the night.” She was a bit withdrawn internally. “Can you bring them here? Help me get the squad mobile?”
Quick Fix "Right. I can't believe it's still working, if it truly has been that long. Must be earth pony tech. Stuff's built to last... or so I've heard."
Ember seeming a bit more focused trots towards the wounded, she has been pretending to be a doctor for a while now so that should count for something right?
Brickfielder nods to Ember before looking back at Violet. "We'll do our best." He gets out his radio, and silently hopes that it can transmit well. "Brickfielder to base. We found a group of ponies. Three injured." He stops transmitting and glances at Violet. "We can explain later, but for now, just know that we're working with an infrared who doesn't know anything about the Enclave. Have to play dumb. ...Sit down and rest."
Saffron sat beside Quick Fix once they had come back and Brickfielder's wing went out. She kept a wing around him, both because she felt like it as they sat around and to keep him warmer. But as they are chilling, the voice calls out from the miner's radio equipment not far from them, near Sundancer. "Wait what..." Her tone changes quickly, from mirthful to concerned and confused. She nearly lunges away from Quick Fix and goes to tap into the small radio headset in the helmet...
Ember’s diagnosis for the injured squad members was not very good. Two had been clawed up badly and the third had a puncture to the shoulder so deep he might need to have the foreleg amputated. The cold was keeping them from infection hopefully but it was not doing anything for their core temperature. They would need evacuation as soon as they could.
Saffron "Saffron here. You found ponies up there? Give us some directions and we'll come find you, we'll bring Quick and Sundancer."
Violet Rain listened and took a seat while Ember performed her diagnosis. She was almost chewing on that cigarette at this point. She might need the situation explained a little more, but she agreed to play along as best she could in her current state. She admitted her own team had been pretty bad at the deception training.
Ember returns "Well they're stable enough but need to be moved as soon as possible"
Sundancer "Sure, sure. I'll look at the wounded locals. You think going back to the hot spring is a good idea?"
"My radio member was.. crushed. His equipment did not really make it." Violet said bitterly. "I would have called in an evac if I could."
Brickfielder recalls and recounts, as succinctly as he can, the best way and landmarks for finding the location, and nods to Ember. "If need be, one of us can come and find you and lead you back. But these ponies need help immediately. ...Oddest part is they're pegasi too." He's hoping that signals to Saffron and Sundancer exactly what they're dealing with.
Quick Fix "It should help them heal and up their core temperature, depending on the wounds. We should be able to carry them all back after treatment on site. Saffron can lead us there with coordinates."
Brickfielder stops transmitting and sits down next to Violet. "We'll get you the four of you out of this."
Ember starts making her way back towards the camp and wait for Sundancer in high visibility spot
Saffron holds a moment of silence after Brickfielder's response, her eyes darting and giving Sundancer a subtly alarmed look for a second, before speaking up again. "Solid copy. Doctor Quick's comin' up to you, so make sure they're ready for his eyes." She replied, giving him also some subtle hints. "We'll be there soon. Saffron out." Then starts to pack up the mining suit, and put it into one of the tents. It was too heavy to carry, and they didn't need it where they were going. She quickly poked Quick and got him up onto her back, whilst she passed her survival kit to Sundancer...
Brickfielder glances over at Violet after Ember has left. "Remember, four square. You've been operating under stress for days. ...The one she mentioned on the radio, Quick, is the infrared. Unicorn. Picked him up during our undercover operation posing as natives of the surface. I don't think he has an inkling that Cloudsdayle even exists, so as long as we play dumb around him, we should be fine."
Once the mutant was gone Violet Rain stared at Brickfielder for a while in his attempts to get her to ease a little. She listened but then got a bit serious in a bad way. After a second cigarette she gobsmacked him with a few words. “I might die tonight. Do you want to fuck before they get here? It’ll be your only chance with a violet class.”
Sundancer grabs the bag of doctor's tools she let Quick have and rushes off ahead to meet up with Ember
Brickfielder doesn't budge at first, staring ahead silently for a few seconds before his pupils start shrinking. "...I... I, ah..." He clears his throat and leans away slightly, blushing and glancing around awkwardly rather than focusing on her. "...Isn't that a bit... inappropriate, Miss Rain?" He lowers his voice, and gives her a look like she's gone nutty. "Your squadmates are right over there. *Including the dead one.*"
Violet Rain gave a cruel sounding laugh, if mercifully trying to stifle it a bit. She tossed the butt of her cigarette to the side in what was a small pile. “Yes or no big guy. Only chance.”
Brickfielder glances around again, letting his gaze linger on the injured squadmates for a moment as he blushes, before taking a deep breath and sighing. He raises a wing and puts it to Violet's side. "My squad and I will see to it that you don't die tonight. ...And I've not had a go since before boot camp. So fuck it." He begins stripping.
Ember patiently waits for Sundancer near the halfway point blissfully unaware
It would take a couple hours for Saffron, Quick, Sundancer, and Ember to arrive at the Observatory. Brickfielder and Violet would have taken some time to themselves in a cold corner of the room out of sight of the injured. By the time everyone arrives the pair would have done their dirty deeds and redressed. At least Violet’s nervous energy had turned into something a bit more glowing. Introductions were had in brief between violet and the rest of your group, then your doctors were pointed at the injured.
Brickfielder seems particularly puffed-up and confident once the group arrives, nodding and helping direct everyone to the injured. And keeping a very close eye on Quick.
Saffron would have to land close to the slope leading up the observatory to avoid those NASTY buffets of wind. She also takes this chance to unload Quick Fix. "Not flyin' through that shitstorm..." Saffron could be heard mumbling. As soon they were on hooves, she puts a hoof and a wing over Quick Fix to keep him stable from the winds, then gets him indoors along with Sundancer. Waving a wing towards Ember as they get closer. "ALL GOOD??"
Ember looks around uneasy as she had assumed only sundancer was coming and everyone was still in their uniforms and kits splayed around
Ember Flare "Well.. relatively good I think. It's a bit of a weird situation"
While your doctors work Violet Rain explains the upcoming situation To Saffron and Brickfielder. It would be nightfall very soon and with it would come monsters. Ponies made of ice and stranger things that lobbed chunks of ice that would assault them. Violet and her team had fought them off for what it was for the last couple nights. But now it seemed with your group here they could properly defend themselves until morning. You could make use of the three remaining rifles to replace your pea shooters, she would keep hers.
Brickfielder wastes no time getting the rifles and checking them over, feeling much better having an Enclave weapon in his hooves once again.
"Is it?" Saffron quickly asked as she trots indoors. She almost didn't need an answer from Ember, as she takes in the sight of the injured... And the one dead pony in the corner. Her mouth slackens slightly, but she recovers quickly, meeting up with Violet Rain, and flashing a smirk up to Brickfielder once before flattening her gaze to listen intently. Saffron nods briskly in understanding, looking up to Brickfielder, then to Violet with a great resolve in her fiery eyes. "Once we survive the night you're all coming with us, we've got a nice settlement going." Saffron gave Violet a look, "Stay frosty, yeah?" She smirked at the mare with that joke.
Ember Walks to where Violet, Saffron and Brick "I thought I'd best inform you, I am using my mutation so do not shoot at the fire monster. That's just me"
Quick Fix winces upon seeing the casualties. That is certainly not 'all good'. He goes to work with Sundancer, doing his best to diagnose and treat the rather severe wounds of the ponies still alive. Questions will come later; for now, it's time for him to do his job.
Brickfielder just nods to Ember while hoisting up his rifle and glancing down at the sword still on his waist. "I know, I know."
Ember then concentrates her magics and summons Smokey by her side with usual accompanied exhaust fumes
Violet needs a moment to really grasp what Ember does and settle her stomach. “Ok. I’ve seen weird shit this last week. That still takes it for the strangest.” She went to her bag and drew out what was very clearly a medical injector. With nonchalance she explained ‘this stuff’ has been the only thing keeping her going so far. She can collapse when it’s all over. The injector likely had some sort of stimulant.
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow at it. "...Are you sure you don't want to stay back and handle defense? I don't want one of our doctors to have to deal with you having heart palpitations."
Saffron slightly breaks away to stride off and replace her semi-automatic shotgun and all it's magazines in exchange for the CLODS rifle herself. Then she begins to take a look around... Trying to take in their new defensive position. "That's a lot of entry points..." Saffron remarks."
With their medical expertise the pair of doctors can get the wounded and sick into the best comfort they could. They were now in a stable condition and could be moved. But it would not be good to move them without a vehicle. If you were to bring them back to Pheonix it would be a long journey. Violet had done her best keeping them alive and as long as she had. But the one with the punctured shoulder was going to lose that limb, given it had also started to burn with frostbite.
Quick Fix feels the strangest twinge as it dawns on him that, even among the dead, he is the only unicorn in the room in an observatory full of pegasi. Not to mention, who are these ponies, with strange weapons and armour? He has no theories, just... a strange feeling.
Saffron "Sundancer. Is there any way you can barricade this place? Or are we making-do?"
Quick Fix "Barricade against what? I've been meaning to ask - were these ponies attacked by the glass creatures?"
Sundancer "The holes in the wall are partially obstructed by the ice that seemed to make them. I can try and set up a perimeter using the rubble around here, but there's not that much building material."
Saffron turned towards Quick Fix. Her train of thought almost visibly changes as her expression becomes a bit more grim than usual, and she nods slowly; looking to Violet once. "As she told us, yes. And ponies made of ice. Things that shoot chunks of ice. Don't worry about it, Quick, just prepare yourself mentally for what's to come."
Sundancer "If we can move the wounded to higher ground, it would help us keep the floor clean for combat operations."
Quick Fix gulps, his eyes widen. That doesn't sound good. It occurs to him that they may have wandered into a little more than just a rescue mission.."Yes, that... that sounds wise. Brick, let's get them up there."
The wind quieted down as the sun set somewhere to the west. You had run out of time. A new, chilling howl replaced the wind and gave you all a shiver. Violet injected herself in the foreleg with her medical device and grunted, her eyes dilating a moment later. Her third energy replacement overtook her as she scooped up her rifle and readied herself. “They’re here!” She half shouted.
Saffron looked back to Sundancer, looking between her and Quick Fix himself. She nods, stepping over and looking over the telescope, and it's raised platform. "Move them there." Saffron speaks quickly and decisively, pointing a hoof towards the telescope's platform. "Some interior barricades around here, for cover. I really hope we don't have to defend the inside but--" She darts her eyes towards Violet as she cries out. "Shit..." She looked to Quick. "Hurry up and move them!" She tells them simply, and gets ready to man the battle stations!
(GM Note): The PCs engaged in a long combat that took the majority of the session. A horde of ice horses and artillery monsters attacked their defensive line. At the start of combat Brickfielder and Quick Fix made to move the unconscious enclave soldiers out of danger. Over the course of the fight all of the characters were effective in their combat roles, even as things started to look grim. Saffron held the left breech herself with a laser rifle and shotgun. Ember did much of the heavy lifting with her area of effect fire attacks, even as the enemies were partly resistant to it. Quickfix was able to keep Ember’s Focus fueled with rallying so she would be able to keep her magic up. Sundancer knocked out one of long range artillery with well placed shots from her non-lethal EMP rifle. Violet Rain assisted by holding the middle breech for a while, but was injured from several attacks. Brickfielder had to help save Violet with unarmed and sword attacks. As things got hairy a physical god came to help them in the form of Rhyolite, depicted below.
Sundancer "I think we had better keep quiet and get ready to fly. This could be something else that's coming for Violet."
Brickfielder sheaths his sword and quickly backs himself behind one of the walls, pulling out the rifle, panting, and peering around the wall at the massive pony(?) still outside.
Saffron then frantically takes a step back aside from Violet Rain, pausing to reload the mini-shotgun with a single shotgun shell before pumping it, then reloading the bigger shotgun with more shells back to full. "Now," She glances up around the corner towards the looming, shadowy GIANT PONY outside, "What the hell do we do about that one..."
With the danger starting to pass you can put down the remaining sleeping ice horse. Violet collapses with her back against a shelf, clutching at a gash from the sharp hooves of the ice monster. Outside the massive stone horse was making a sweeping look around after the few fleeing monsters. It’s attention turned to your group after it seemed to not bother chasing. In a couple strides it was on you, kneeling down to look through the large hole in the wall. "HELLO SMALL ONES" A landslide of a voice spilled from it.
Saffron turned around, following Sundancer's advice and staying very quiet as the stomping gets closer. She flinches with every step, the small mare tensing up and preparing for the worst as she looks to Violet more intently, eyeing up her gash, then looking over towards Quick and beckoning over, mouthing: "Quick, c'mere. She's hurt."
Ember is taken back instantly as the humongous horse peers inside the observatory
Brickfielder stares up at the giant with the most gobsmacked expression he's had since... well, probably since seeing that glass deer. He briefly gives Violet a glance, desperately hoping she has any sort of context for this, before looking back up. "...Hello...?"
Violet Rain looked ready to pass out. She needed attention soon but was not going to be of any use as the stimulant would wear off and she was well past her last reserves.
Sundancer would be petrified if she wasn't already hovering, and nervously raises her altitude to put distance between her and the gigantic eye
Quick Fix tries to ignore the giant horse outside with its booming voice echoing through the observatory, and instead moves over to Violet to give her much-needed medical attention.
Saffron herself took one look at the giant pony face staring into the building, staring back at them as her body locks up. Even Saffron was a little scared of this thing. She puts a hoof against Violet Rain's foreleg to gently lean her side under hers, giving her to ease her to a sitting position as the mare looked about ready to fall over like a sack of potatoes. Looking over at Brickfielder, she just lets him speak to the thing for the moment.
Ember steadies herself but she is pretty much spent magic wise. She attempts to discern the nature of the massive invader though
As the massive horse got its face even closer to the hole, Brickfielder can feel the heat of the molten mass that made up its eyes. A hail of pebbles swirled around the head in some arcane approximation of a mane. “YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO AVOID DEATH BY THE CURSE THE DRAGON LAID ON YOU, SMALL ONES. IT WAS AN ANCIENT ENEMY, WHICH YOU HAVE DESTROYED. I HAVE REPAID THIS DEBT WITH MY AID.”
Brickfielder leans away from the eye quite awkwardly, not looking any less startled as it continues talking. "...Ah... I... uh... thank you...?" He takes a deep breath, and glances around at the others, before looking back up. "...Who... are you?" He would like to ask 'what are you' but that seems rude.
"Eeeasy Rain... We'll take it from here. Slow your heartbeat. Deep breaths, you're gonna live. You're gonna survive, you and your squad." Saffron tried to reassure the injured mare as Quick did the medical legwork, looking at the gash Rain was sporting, looking over to Quick to see if he was looking worried and may have needed an extra hoof, as the giant's voice made her ears pin against the sides of her head. "Gosh, dang..."
Ember stumbles closer with uneasy feet, what the heck does this island have in store?
“RHYOLITE” the giant intoned. “IF THERE IS NOTHING LEFT YOU REQUIRE?” it asked of Brickfielder.
Quick Fix keeps his head down and his magic at work, making sure Violet's in an optimal position for being passed out after taking *many* doses of stimulants and that her immediate wounds are patched up. She's severely battered and that will take days to heal, but for now the mare isn't in any danger of getting hurt worse. ...probably...
Saffron gives Quick Fix a nod and a smile for his aid. She finally looked past the fellow pegasus and the unicorn, looking over to Brickfielder. "Hey! Ask her, or he, if they can help us wake some ponies up from a coma!"
Saffron "Somehow!"
Brickfielder works his mouth for a moment and glances around the room. "...I, well, we have several injured ponies in here." He gives Saffron an 'I'm trying' look. "Is there any way you can assist with that?"
Sundancer slowly lowers herself to the platform next to the wounded ponies "Do you have any more ancient enemies we should look out for?" Sundancer's voice is almost a shout at the range she's at
Despite everything Violet Rain stays conscious. She’s groaning and not liking the situation, but she’s powering through it.
"Hey, hey. You need to rest after all of that. I can help you over to one of the bedrolls if..." Quick trails off for a moment, taking a glance at the giant horse outside the observatory, "...if you need the help."
Saffron just sticks out her wing in the pegasus equivalent of a 'thumbs up' with her feathers; giving a single swish with her left wing, before nodding and taking a step aside from Violet Rain to give her space... Looking more over towards Rhyolite. Staring with a mixture of wander, awe, and an intimidated fear at the sheer size.
Ember looks between everyone engaging the being but elects to remaining silent for now
The giant lays herself down at the opening, resting her head upon equally rocky forelegs. “I CANNOT OFFER AID IN HEALING. THAT IS SOMETHING YOU MORTAL SMALL ONES MUST CONTEND WITH, AS IS YOUR NATURE.” The eyes shift up to Sundancer, beaming across the way. Her eyes light up the room in a literal way. “THE COURT OF GLASS. BUT THEY KNOW TO LEAVE ME BE”
Sundancer "We hate the court of glass, is there something we can do?"
Brickfielder stares up at Rhyolite for a moment. "...Wait... Court of..." He suddenly scrambles up to his hooves and looks up at her. "Yeah, big glass deer-looking things? ...Er, not as big as you, but, bigger than us. They've been nothing but trouble for us."
Ember looks at Sundancer "Yes, we need to hurt them!"
"Yeah." Saffron flicked her ears up at this topic, arching her wings as her voice pipes up. "We'd be glad to give them a piece of our mind, if we had the ways to do it."
The giant does not even need a moment to think. “DESTROY THEIR MINIONS WHERE EVER THEY ARE BLOOMED. THIS WOULD PLEASE ME. IF YOU WOULD STRIKE AT THEIR HEART, YOU MUST STRIKE AT THE LORDS. HOW YOU SMALL ONES MAY ACCOMPLISH THIS, I DO NOT KNOW”
Saffron tucked in her wings, casting a side glance towards Brickfielder at this statement from the giant. Her ears pinning against as the sheer volume almost makes her wince, but does her best to ignore the slight tinnitus for the time being. "Maybe if we had a better weapon..."
Saffron "Maybe Rhyolite here can beat them up, if we get them to reveal themselves again. They popped up when we got our ponies back from them--if we can find a way to get them to come out again..."
Sundancer nods along with the rock monster's words "Right, right."
Sundancer "Who or what are the Lords again?"
Brickfielder stares up at Rhyolite for a moment. "...We... we'll do that?" He glances at Saffron and raises an eyebrow. "...Yeah... yeah, what if, what if we helped draw them out for you? We saw one of them before."
Ember Flare "Is... is there something other than metal that we can use against them?"
The giant started to speak some nonsense in response to Sundancer’s question. “THE LORDS OF THE COURT OF GLASS ARE SHARDS OF THE LORD OF GLASS. A PERSONALITY OF THE WHOLE SO THAT HE MAY NOT SUFFER LONELINESS. OR AS SAID, ‘THE ONLY BEING WORTH SPACE IN HIS COURT IS HIMSELF.’ DESTROY THEIR MONUMENTS. DESTROY THEIR MINIONS. THE LORDS WILL BE DRAWN OUT.” With a grinding of its chin on it’s forelegs, the giant shook its head. “THE LORDS WOULD BE TOO CLEVER THAN TO BE LEAD TO MYSELF.”
Ember looks pleased with this information
Saffron lowered her ears somewhat. Working through the mild discomfort of being so close to the giant while they talked, taking a few steps backwards to gain a bit more distance. "Okay. This is good information." She looked over to Brickfielder with a small, optimistic-looking smile. "We just need to wreck their things, blast their minions, until they get pissed off."
Saffron "Though... We'll have to build up a bit harder. We need bigger guns, and more ponies to help us."
Brickfielder gives Saffron a look that hopefully says 'we were already doing that', without him having to say it out loud, for obvious reasons.
Saffron catches the look and flaps once at him with mild annoyance, scrunching her muzzle in some sort of half-hearted glower.
The giant had one bit of information to offer it seemed. “USE THE BONES OF MY SLAIN ENEMY. FORGE WEAPONS FROM THE BONES OF THE DRAGON. THESE WILL BE EFFECTIVE TOOLS AGAINST THE COURT OF GLASS”
Brickfielder lets his face take on a slightly incredulous look, before deciding he should probably just take this information at face value. "...We'll do that."
Saffron's ears flick up at the information. "Ooohh shi--..." Saffron looked back towards Sundancer, "YO! You're gonna make dragon swords!"
The giant rose up from where it had laid. "I AM FINISHED HERE. MY DEBT IS PAID. I MAY BE CALLED UPON FOR MY WISDOM. BUT DO NOT SEEK MY WRATH WITH ATTEMPTS AT DIGGING INTO MY BODY. I AM THE MOUNTAIN.”
Sundancer nods excitedly "Dragon swords, dragon knives maybe. Bone bullets, of course."
"Bone bullets??" Saffron arched up her wings eagerly, giving a small hop. Rhyolite's voice nearly blows her over mid-jump as it speaks, making her stumble back half-a-step as she looked back at the giant. Her eager smile not dying down as she nodnods. "So that's why that prospector was dead..." Saffron remarked quietly.
The giant turned with a grind of stone limbs and begane to stride off. Even at a casual stroll the being could clear father than some of you could run. It was gone into the flurry of snow in moments, leaving only the rhythmic quakes of its steps.
Brickfielder stares at the giant left, and suddenly slumps down. "What the *fuck*."
Quick Fix lifted his head from where he'd been tending to Violet, frowning. "Saffron... the body you found at the mine... you don't think that was because of...?"
Sundancer "Shit, I forgot to ask about the dragon."
Violet Rain sat up, cursing under her breath as she did so. "Damn. This island is fucking insane."
Sundancer shakes her head and flies next to Violet and the rest of the group "We seem to be safe for now."
"... Wow..." Saffron watched the massive, huge giant of stone fading away in the stormy blizzard. As it left, Saffron became less so intimidated than increasingly excited, slack jawed. Though Quick Fix speaking up causes her to double take, focusing more on Quick and closing her mouth with a clack of teeth. "Uh. I mean. I can assume so, since Rhyolite said they are the mountain. I'm... Gonna guess she came out and slapped them around until they died."
Ember looks around for a moment catching her breath before tossing her hooves in the air "WOO! we did it" and doing couple very uncharacteristic pumps with her hooves
"Right." Quick shook his head, hooves over his eyes... "how did Vault-Tec dig into the side of a mountain when there was some kind of... ancient god guarding it? And the circles... all of this has to have happened after the war."
Brickfielder looks around and takes a deep breath. "Yeah, we're leaving this place first thing in the morning. If Rhyolite is the mountain, I don't want to spend more time than we have to on her."
Violet rose up to her hooves shakily. "I'll need your radio. I'm calling for an evac."
Saffron sighed through her nose, exuding pure relief through her breath. She just nuzzles into Quick Fix's cheek encouragingly, and then changes the subject with a more calm tone. "Now we gotta think logistics. We're gonna have to wait until daytime, or until the blizzard calms down. Then we need to bring back the injured, and start figurin' out how to take bones back to Phoenix with us. We're gonna need some deep bags. And probably multiple trips. This is hazardous though, so we gotta think this through..."
Ember hooks a worrying glance at Violet but says nothing
Quick Fix presses down on her flanks gently, shaking his head, "woah, woah, don't stand. And nopony's making it here for a while. You must be from Trottingham, right?"
Saffron's eyes flick towards Violet subtly, but then flicked her eyes back to Quick. As he turned around to speak to Violet, she stared at Brickfielder with very minor but visible alarm. "Let's uh, hang out by the fire. We need to move the sick and sleepy back where it's warm..."
Sundancer grabs Violet from the other side, laughing nervously "Heh heh, you've lost a lot of blood, you just lay down and we'll take care of everything."
Violet almost growled, eyeing Quick Fix. "I appreciate the patch job 'doc.' But my boys need to get to a hospital ASAP." Violet seemed to have forgotten the situation Brickfield explained to her regarding your cover in the moment..
Saffron puts her shotgun back across her side by the lanyard, picking up the CLODS lasrifle from the ground, and starting to bring it back over to the table. "We've got plenty of medicine at our camp." Saffron remarked from the background, "And I don't think Trottingham runs out this far to pick up wounded, nor do we know their frequency I don't think. I didn't ... Ask."
Ember closes in on quick "Uh Hey, would you mind helping me cart some of those bone back in here? they do sound pretty important?"
Violet would let herself be lead over to the fire however
Brickfielder steps closer to Violet, and tries to give her a firm look to get her to remember. "We don't have a hospital. So unless *whoever sent you here* has one..."
Quick Fix "I understand... but in this blizzard, nopony's making it out of here tonight, not on hoof. And I don't think Trottingham has vehicles."
Quick Fix gives Saffron, Ember and Brick weird looks, respectively. Various details are clashing.
Sundancer glares at Quick and takes the lead as she walks Violet to warmth and sleeping bags
Saffron puts down the laser rifle on the 'table' she got it from. Looking back to Quick Fix and making eye contact. "Quick c'mere." She asked softly, beckoning them gently with her wings.
Violet hangs her head, sitting down. She's tired beyond exhausted, in pain, and coming down off stimulants and adrenaline. She shakes somewhat violently.
Quick Fix meets Saffron's gaze, his own softening... but... that's not right. The adrenaline prevents him from relaxing, and the weird feeling remains. Not even the pegasus' soothing tones calm him just yet. "...Saffron, Ember. There are wounded. I... I have a job to do."
Brickfielder trots after Violet, watching her shake... and settles down next to her, putting a wing around her carefully.
Quick passes them both, shaking his head a little. The whole situation has him on edge.
Sundancer grabs some painkillers from the medical kit left lying near the fire and offers them to Violet
Saffron followed Quick with her eyes, then glanced off briefly. She turned around and, with a flap of her wings, flew up over the platform to begin retrieving the wounded in their sleeping bags to start pulling them back to the places they were before.
Within moments of Brickfielder holding her, Violet was passed out against him. She breathed deeply and slowly.
Brickfielder seems a bit surprised by how quickly Violet falls asleep, but keeps her close, seeming more comfortable himself now. She needs the rest.
Quick Fix "So... Trottingham soldiers, then? Must be military. Shame she passed out without telling us the frequency. We could really use the help out here."
Your group would have a long night ahead. It was cold, even with the fire, and your sleeping gear was back at your camp. You might be safe for the evening but it was best to stay on guard.
Quick Fix frowned at that, though. Some things were still bugging him; the way the pegasi fought together as if they knew each other, some words from Violet, and the strange armour cladding the pegasi... he was under the impression there'd be more griffons in a team like this.
"I wonder how hard it'll be to snap off the skele-dragon's ribs. We're gonna need some sort of power tool, otherwise we'll just splinter them to heck." Saffron remarked from the background. After having put the wounded back near the fire to stay comfortable and healty-ish in the cold of the night, she swung by the dead trooper in the corner. Lingering by them for a second, hesitant to touch the corpse... But then she kneels down, looking for their dogtags with her glance to at least see their name. For the purpose of reporting it.
Sundancer "Weird laser rifles. Must be some cool dragon hunters."
Quick Fix "What's this about a dead dragon? I heard the big mare say something about bones, but... what, did these guys kill a *dragon*?
Brickfielder puts a feather to his mouth to signal to Quick to lower his voice a bit, before nodding and looking back down at Violet. "She told me all about it while you all were coming here. It's why one of them didn't make it."
"Yeah. These ponies are some hardass M-Fs, especially to last this long with no help in their state." Saffron replied back as she still carefully and respectfully looked over the dead pony for their full name and details. She casts a side-glance back in Quick's direction after a while, "Some sort'a weird undead dragon they said, right?"
Sundancer "I thought it was an ice dragon, but I didn't get the whole story."
"Right." Told him all about it, huh? No. No, that was wrong. Something here was terribly wrong. There was a tightening in Quick's chest, an instinctual creeping of dread... but he kept it inside. "I... don't know. I guess we'll probably find out once we go to fetch the bones. ...they're not going to be easy to carry back, though. We might have to bring ponies from Phoenix to haul them back."
Quick Fix "We also can't stay *here* for forever. The closest settlement is Phoenix, but these ponies are in no condition to walk."
Sundancer "I don't know if the bones are going anywhere. I can start making gear here, and we can take as much as we can back home to craft further weapons we can sell to Trottingham or arm the Vault dwellers with."
Brickfielder "Violet should be able to walk in the morning. We carry the other three."
"Yeah." Saffron looked back to the dead pegasus, looking them over with a quiet, mournful sadness as she rose back up fully. She didn't know the pony, but it felt bad to see. She reluctantly reaches over and puts her hoof on the corpse's shoulder respectfully, muttering something that none could quite catch. Then turned around to walk back near the fire with the others, and getting around the sleeping bags, to get next to Quick.
Quick Fix "...alright. That means everyone will be carrying a pony, save for me and Violet, of course."
Saffron gave a slow nod to Quick Fix. "It'll be hard to fly while carrying the radio as well, but Violet Rain might be able to ferry it in our stead." The filly-sized pegasus said, her voice taking on a softer, slightly more serious tone. Then slowly turned to the others. "This is probably something that's gonna be long term. We can't carry a whole dragon skeleton with us. We'll have to come back here better prepared. We can inspect the skeleton in the morning and plan out how to take it apart, snap some smaller pieces and carry them along. I don't even know how hardy those bones are gonna be."
Saffron "... We should sleep." Saffron says with some finality. "I'll take first watch."
Sundancer takes one last look out into the howling snow before giving up on retrieving the bones tonight
Quick Fix shakes his head. "I can't sleep on bare tile. I'm not tired, anyway. I'll keep an eye on the wounded."
You set watches and stoke the fire and try to get some sleep. In the morning you will have a lot to manage. But for the time being you can get some amount of relaxation. Even if there will be worries gnawing at each of you. Sleep does not come easy. But the dawn comes quickly enough.
The night withdrew earlier than you were used to on your side of the island. As this high of a peak the horizon was clearer and the sun reached you sooner. Despite everything Violet Rain would be woken up by the dawn making its way through the gaping holes in the walls. Although Brickfielder’s wing might still be obscuring it. The other members of her squad were still in various stages of passed out and were not fit for walking themselves. The snow and wind had quieted down overnight, leaving you with a cold and crisp mountaintop morning.
Brickfielder had alternated between keeping watch and dozing off himself, and doesn't retract his wing from Violet as she's waking up. "You seemed like you needed that rest."
Quick Fix is feeling the effects of serious sleep deprivation after spending the whole night awake, apparently unable to catch even a single wink.
Saffron's breath misted before her muzzle as she gazed outside as the daylight began to illuminate the previously pitch dark field of snow. She had one of the CLODS rifles propped up beside her, and her shotgun adjacent to it. A survival blanket wrapped around herself--covering even her wings as she kept watch. She began to stir now, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and beginning to unwrap herself from the blanket burrito she had going, and peering towards the others. Specifically Quick Fix, who stubbornly refused to sleep.
"Yo. Quick Fix..." Saffron began to free up her legs, stepping over with the blanket still over her like a ghost costume, tilting her head to have the top fall off her head to reveal her disheveled head. "Did you even sleep at all?"
Ember walked around in the ruined observatory looking around wondering what value the place would have to anyone in its current state
Sundancer sleeps in a little after taking first watch the previous night, the troubles of surface life temporarily forgotten
Violet would first reply with a pained groan as she forced herself into a proper sitting position. Then a larger one once she made herself stand up. “Thanks” She said softly in a dry voice, getting her canteen from her things. She drank deeply and surveyed the situation.
Quick Fix shook his head. "I couldn't. Those injured soldiers might have needed help in the night, anyway. Definitely going to pass out once we get back to Phoenix, though. I'm assuming we're hauling these guys over there?"
Looking to Quick Fix, then back to Brickfielder, Violet seemed to be waiting on your group to figure out the next step.
Saffron blew out a misty huff in Quick Fix's direction, her eyes softening with a mixture of deep worry and mild reproach. Stepping up next to him to lay down next to him, brushing her side, albeit covered by her survival blanket, against his. "I dunno." She muttered in response, looking over to the injured in question. "Are they fit to be moved, even?"
Quick Fix "They'd better be. This is no place to make a recovery. There's no help we can bring from Phoenix, either. Our best doctors are in this room."
Brickfielder clears his throat. "We may not have to move them all the way back to Phoenix. Violet, you said something about radioing for an evac before?"
Saffron flicked her ears down slightly with a slight nod in Quick's direction. She then sweeps her eyes towards Violet herself at the question from Brickfielder.
Sundancer after a bit of yawning looks at Violet "Yeah! We need to get back to Phoenix and you need to get to somewhere safe to evacuate. We can probably take you to the hot springs, since this place doesn't have reliable weather."
Brickfielder tries to once again give Violet a 'play dumb' look.
Ember Flare "Considering how close we are to trottingham right now, it would be easier to call help from there, than to make a perilous journey back in our camp"
Quick Fix "What help?"
Violet gave a slow nod. “Yeah. Give me your radio and some privacy. I’ll call for help to pick us up.” She tried to keep the framing as uninformed as possible.
Quick Fix is starring. It's not a nice stare.
"There's a hot spring not far from here." Saffron spoke up softly in spite of the stare from Quick Fix. "If we have to wait anywhere, it's probably best you do it somewhere warm. I dunno how long it'll take for somepony or some gryphon to come here with a bunch'a stretchers to pick you up..."
Brickfielder gives Quick a stern look before looking back to Violet. "Or, if they're able to make it up here, we could stay here. An observatory's a pretty strong landmark."
Saffron then glanced up at the ceiling of the observatory, scrunching her muzzle at the cold, uninsulated, ruined place that could become a death trap in the night. "If they can get here before nightfall that is.
Violet just shook her head slowly at Saffron, then nodded at Brickfielder. "Clear field. Point of reference. Easier to find us."
Quick Fix "What's easier to find than a giant observatory? It's certainly not the... most *intact* structure, but it's the only one for miles. Impossible to miss."
Saffron flicked her wings beneath her blanket, making it puff out a few times as she smiled in response to Velvet. Then side glanced Quick Fix and softly spoke up again. "I don't know how long their pick-up takes to get here. At night time this place gets sieged, as far as I know. I'd sooner get the heck out of here."
Ember Flare "It sounded like the magic might originate from the dragon carcass, we could check it out and deal with it now"
Sundancer "I know my way back to Phoenix, maybe one of us could stay behind to make sure you're safe."
Releasing a pained sigh Violet motioned at the radio gear. She wanted it. “The giant said we weathered the curse. I don’t think they will be back.”
Ember Flare "Also... it sounded pretty useful stuff for us"
Quick Fix "We should probably all stay together 'til their backup arrives. No use in splitting up, especially with those circles around."
Saffron flicked an ear up at the mention of Violet saying that. Then it flicked down as she remembers only now. Shaking her head briefly, she stands up from Quick's side and goes to pick up the radio gear off the ground, and bring it closer to Violet and Brickfielder.
"Help me get it set up, alright?" Violet said to Saffron. "Then you can all go and give me a few minutes. The bones are just up on the ridge out there." She motioned southwards in the general direction.
Ember looks for a second "And uh.. if we're to really leave you with our radio, it would be pretty decent and fair for you to make up for that... We did put our neck out for your entire team here as well"
"Wait, hold on." Quick shook his head. "You all have wings, and I don't. It'd be faster and easier if you visited the bones without me, and I stayed behind to watch the radio. I'd be no use anyway."
Brickfielder nods to Saffron and Violet to set the radio up. "...Still a bit crazy that we have to go retrieve dragon bones..."
Quick Fix looks even weaker than usual, probably thanks to the lack of sleep.
Violet nodded at Ember. "We might have killed it, but you can have the body. It's valuable. Really valuable. But you need it for weapons or something?"
Brickfielder "Evidently..."
Saffron gave off a low, slightly rumbling and tired "Mhmm." that did not carry the usual energetic mirth as it usually does. Offering a hoof for Violet to sit up if she needed it, then starting to set up the whole thing. She then glances up to Brickfielder once. "At this point, I'm not getting surprised anymore. This island is a whoooole circus..." She muttered to him.
Violet plopped herself down to start fiddling with the radio once Saffron had set it up for her. Security risk or not she seemed determined to get her message out.
Sundancer has finished packing her bedroll and rubs her hooves together "It's just a shame we probably won't be able to carry it all. Maybe we can make multiple trips, or sell it to someone who needs weapons."
Saffron then looks up towards Quick Fix. She almost looked exasperated for a second, like she was telling him--WANTED him to leave, with her intent gaze. "Quick. Can you levitate things?"
"Oh right the whole dragon slaying business... I guess it would have been sorta yours. Yeah I guess thats fair" Ember says looking a bit embarrassed
Ember Flare "I'll uh... go look at the bones then right?"
"Uh..." Quick frowned. "I... suppose. But nothing heavy, especially not when I'm this tired. I'm also part of the load, so any carrying capacity I add is inert."
Saffron flicked a fairly dullen glance towards Ember. "You and Sundancer can go ahead. Don't gotta wait on us." She told them simply, waving a hoof as she stands up, looking over at Brickfielder, "You can help too, Brick. You're pretty strong, so you can see about grabbing some bones."
Brickfielder nods to Saffron, giving her a lingering look before turning and heading to leave. "Figure they're probably heavy anyways."
Saffron "Figure out the logistics of bringing everything back to our camp if y'can. We gotta carry the radio back, and Quick too!"
Sundancer grabs her bag of tools and leaps into the air, looking for the dragon bones buried in the snow
Saffron watched Brickfielder go for a moment, flashing him a small, but confident smile. Then she'd start to step aside from Violet, radio prepared and microphone tuned up, she goes over towards Quick Fix. and stands infront of him for a second. She side glances the radio, then him... And she puts a hoof on his shoulder, ever so gently. "What's wrong? You're giving me some really unusual vibes today... Did the fight mess you up a bit? That's why you couldn't sleep?" She asked him softly, as she moved him aside from Violet towards the wall.
The dragon bones would be a pretty powerful sight. The bones had impacted into the ground of the ridge, even if the evidence of the landing had been obscured by the snow. But the skull was pony sized and the spine and rib cage could have made housing for Brickfielder if you threw some cloth over it. The wingspan must have been massive while the creature was alive. The teeth alone would be enough to outfit a gang with knives.
Brickfielder slowly trots around the head, staring at it. "...How is this thing already a skeleton after only a couple of days dead...?"
"Nothing," he replied, resisting Saffron's touch for a moment before he sighed and let her shift him towards the wall. "I'm just... ... ...very... tired. And last night was... stressful. I want to know these ponies will be absolutely safe with certainty. I don't want to leave them alone until Trottingham comes to pick them up." The bags under his eyes made it hard to read his expression.
Ember Flare "Was it a skeletal dragon to start with?"
Sundancer "Maybe its flesh was made out of magic, or the weapon used to kill it was really intense..."
Violet could be heard in the background. Although she was trying to be quiet it was practically a stage whisper. "Lighthouse, this is Seafoam. Unsecure channel. Need immediate medical evac..." It seemed hard for her to keep it low key due to the damage to her ribs she had suffered.
Sundancer "How did Violet manage to kill it anyways?"
"I don't remember Violet saying anything about that. ...But who knows. Either way, it makes our job easier. Some of these teeth could make good knives or daggers." Even as he says that, he starts scanning over the other bones, searching for something that could serve as a larger weapon.
Brickfielder "Shot it, I imagine."
Ember Flare "But boy... those teeth are huge. We actually could outfit a whole bunch ponies with anti glass monster weaponry from this you know"
Saffron wasn't too forceful and flinched her hoof back from him when he resisted. Instead she puts her hoof more onto his, trying to hold it as they move aside to be within whispering distance of each other without Violet being within earshot. She listens to him intently, nodding slowly, sighing another puff of mist out of her nostrils as she shifts on her hooves with some discomfort as she notes the bags under his eyes. "We're going to protect them until their friends can pick them up, don't worry about that. We got this far, we're going all the way through with it..." She told him, albeit with a slight bite on her own lip.
Quick Fix pretended not to pay attention, but one ear was on a swivel.
Ember puts her hooves on and seems to concentrate to glean anything magical from the bones
"Right. So... we'll stick with them 'til it comes. All of us, once the dragon bones get hauled back. None of this... this... splitting business." Quick yawned, then tapped himself on the side of the head to try and rouse himself a little. There was a long day ahead. "Don't worry about me, by the way. I'm no stranger to all-nighters. I'll sleep once we're all safe."
Brickfielder "Hm. ...Good point, Ember. At least outfit the security team of Phoenix with them, if nothing else."
Ember replies softly with her eyes still closed "...and they could also encourage those in the trottingham to take stronger action.."
If digging into the snow you could find leg bones and arm bones. Quite a bit of fragments as well. It seemed the skeleton landed on its left side when it crashed and shattered much of that side. Ribs and wing bones could be constructed into larger weapons. But there was plenty of material to work with for nearly any need. The bones themselves had a faint trace of magical aura. It felt hot like an inner heat radiating from deep inside them.
Saffron had a bit of an optimistic chuckle in response to him, shaking her head. "Ahuh... Even if you look like you're about to fall over already." She told him jokingly, furrowing her brow at him. "Do you work well when you're sleep deprived? 'cause as far as I know, not sleeping doesn't help. And we don't have coffee."
Sundancer "I was considering not fashioning firearm ammunition to conserve material, but there should be more than enough here. Trottingham can take a much stronger stance, and Phoenix will have to be protected against the counter aggression from the glass."
Ember steps off "Great! it looks like it's all good. The magic seems to be distributed in every part of the skeleton evenly."
Brickfielder secures a good, solid bone that is close to his sword in size. His expression seems to brighten a bit as he hefts it up. "Probably going to take a lot of work to grind this thing into shape."
Saffron lightly taps him on the chest with her foreleg twice, then reaches up and playfully taps him on the chin. "I can't exactly not worry about you." She added, more in earnest."
Quick Fix "I haven't ever had a choice. If the infirmary is slammed, you just... you keep working until you can have a break. My shift isn't over yet. So... so.." Another, practiced yawn. "I can't sleep yet. I won't be able to, not until it's over."
Sundancer sighs wistfully "I could make suits of plate armor out of this. A few servos and we'd have the ultimate glass slayer outfit."
Quick Fix "Not like my best work is when I'm tired, but I don't have to conduct a surgery any time soon... I hope."
Sundancer shakes her head "That would require more bone than we can carry, though."
Sundancer "Rather, it would be wasteful."
Ember points around at the bones "the teeth are obvious and easy things to craft into weaponry, other longer bones might need more work but they are easier to mold into whatever"
Ember Flare "The skull itself is the biggest single solid mass, do you have any ideas for that"
Brickfielder "...Hm. We could carry enough for at least some armor. Maybe one full suit. ...You'd know how to craft full-body plate armor?"
Sundancer snorts "Compared to maintaining power armor and building robots from scraps, it shouldn't be hard."
Violet’s use of the radio was somewhat brief. She could be heard saying where her squad could be located. But the mission had been completed with one casualty and four injured. There was a reply that came through but Violet turned the volume down as soon as it started, preventing it from being heard beyond herself.
Saffron smiled a bit more brightly in response, nodnodding her head in amused agreement to his last statement. "Yeah let's hope. You've been doing very good at keeping them alive so far, so you've probably saved them having to deal with necrosis or hypothermia, or both." She playfully remarked, in spite of the rather serious subject. "Even in a fight you weren't bad. You give pretty good encouragement, y'know?"
Brickfielder "...Fair."
Sundancer "I've got the tools for it, a whole vault full of them."
Brickfielder snorts. "...The twins would be losing their mind if they found out I was going to use a dragon bone sword."
"...I'd hope so. That's about all I'm good for unless anyone gets injured. ...maybe Violet wouldn't have gotten as hurt as she did if I had've ran over and patched her up, but... I... couldn't bring myself to." Quick shook his head.
After a while using the radio Violet seemed to finish up and scrambled the frequency. She got up and looked over at Saffron with some urgency. "You all will need to leave for a while. The team coming to get us are very concerned with security. They might shoot at you if you stay here."
Saffron shakes her head quickly to dissuade him out of that thought, taking her hoof in his, shifting aside to give the gesture some subtlety as she casts a subtle glance in Violet's direction with an almost palpable worry for... Something, she puts his hoof against her chest. "Violet will recover. She looks like a tough mare. I know you would've saved her life if it came down to it, so don't go blaming yourself so hard about that." She tells him. But then, before a reply from Quick can reach herself, she quarter-turned her head and flicked an ear up towards Violet. Saffron nods uneasily, slowly.
Saffron "That's a bit... Much. But, yeah, we'll skedaddle. How long 'till they get here?"
Quick Fix "...right, so much for staying, then." Quick frowned. "Well, next time we visit Trottingham, I'll be sure to ask around for you. I always like to check up on my patients."
Sundancer begins her deconstruction for transport by cutting the teeth off and putting them into her saddlebags
"It's an emergency, so not long I think." Violet said, sitting down with a grunt. "So take our radio, and your gear. Come back for your bones tomorrow."
Ember Flare "Well still, more than enough for us, still going to want to haul back as much as we can"
Saffron let go of Quick's hoof and briskly turned around again. "Aight, you got it." She replied swiftly, making haste to quickly pack up the radio gear, and start putting it onto her back. Luckily she left her survival gear back at camp, so she had room for it; packing up her blanket into her saddlebags as well. Once that was done, she beckoned Quick with her wing, "Let's go warn the others."
Quick Fix "Fly over there. We'll reconvene here and head back to the hotspring."
"Ahhh, fine, I was so ready to carry you but fine." Saffron playfully replied with an almost singsong cadence, already cantering outside and flap-flapping her wings to, with some effort, take off with the radio on her back. Fluttering herself over with the other gang.
Ember digs into her backpack and tosses out the stained old doctor's coat into the snow "Best make some room right?"
Sundancer shrugs "At least we've gone through half our food."
Quick Fix trots over to Violet once Saffron has cleared the observatory, and looks down at her tiredly... and softly. "You take care of yourselves, alright? I can't imagine it was easy to take down a dragon."
"Yo!" Saffron's voice called out from above the rest of the squad, the sound of her wings beating heavily to hover from the weight of her radio as she looked down at them, slowly and carefully descending. "We gotta save the carrying of bones for tomorrow, Violet says her pick-up gonna Shoot on Sight once they get here."
Brickfielder nods to Saffron. "Fine by me." He lowers his voice slightly. "Quick?"
Violet looked at Quick, probably fairly level with him even if she was sitting. She screwed her jaw shut for now, not saying anything. Just breathing shallowly through the pain.
Quick’s gaze turned sympathetic, "...I have a spell for the pain."
Saffron nodded back towards the observatory, stepping over to him to start pulling the radio equipment off her back once she did land, and giving it over to him. "He's waiting for me to come back. Take the radio, it's too heavy to carry both it and him."
Sundancer hastily puts the few teeth she's pried out in the bag "Violet deserves at least some of the spoils." She then flies to the lighthouse to see Quick and Violet off
Staying quiet and as still as she could, Violet just offered a small head shake. It was hard for her to keep the look of disdain off her face as she exchanged looks with the infrared.
Ember Flare "Hmh, it would be good for the brass to get some samples to look at yes..."
"Alright. I wish you the best, miss." Back over to the wall with Quick, waiting tiredly for the others to return.
Brickfielder just nods, and takes off as well, leaving the bone he found. "Fair enough."
Ember Flare "Well mister dragon, we'll be back to rip you apart tomorrow"
"don't you go anywhere" Ember adds flippantly but after few steps back to observatory turns back and gives the bones a more serious look
The dragon does not reply regarding it's future amputations
Saffron casts a look towards Ember as she says that, then back at the toothy dragon skull facing her. "Yeah MISTER DRAGON, you just wait here and we'll make you into guns!" She quipped at the thing, patting it on the boney, cold, hard snout. Then quickly flapped her wings and quickly gaining altitude, gliding up and then down to the observatory. "Quiiiick! Quick-Quick!" She called out as she flew, her voice echoing over somewhat, landing outside.
"Still here," he called weakly, starting to look somewhat miserable; one's need for sleep feels much worse when they have nothing to busy themselves with.
Sundancer approaches Violet as Quick walks away "I don't know how you killed this thing, but you deserve some of this. Ember's confirmed it's magical, and the glass creatures apparently hate it. Pass it on to be studied or keep it as a souvenir. We can't carry it all." She drops a sack with three dragon teeth next to the fire and turns to leave as well
Saffron frowned as she stepped over to him, nuzzling him on the cheek once to comfort the sleep deprived doctor. Then turned around and laid down. "Your mighty all-powerful steed is ready, Quick. We're flying home." She told him, the tired rumble in her voice not stopping her tone from sounding ever so playful.
"...okie..." Quick practically collapsed onto Saffron's back, his legs draping around her sides as he went limp. "You're... real soft, you know that..." It seemed that whatever had been holding the unicorn back from succumbing to his tiredness had crumbled.
"President keep you safe. I'll see you again after your mission." Violet would intone quietly to Sundancer as she turned to leave. Provided the infrared had already left.
Sundancer looks over her shoulder before putting her wing up in an abridged salute as she leaves
Saffron snickered at the way he drops onto her like a carpet, grinning smugly back towards him at the remark about her softness. "Pegasi are naturally fluffy, but I am the fluffiest." She nods her head to herself, then marches outside, carrying the INFRARED outside, and waiting for the others to be there so they could all take flight.
Brickfielder secures the radio and nods to Violet as he heads out as well.
Quick Fix
"Fluffy..." He murmured, a few seconds before passing out. It seemed Quick would not be present for this particular flight.
Brickfielder gives Quick a raised eyebrow, before glancing up at Saffron. "...Went well."
Your group leaves the injured squad behind to head back to your basecamp. At least your work of exploration seemed over with. You have a treasure trove waiting back there to collect the next day.
Maybe an hour and a half after you left the group could hear a sound most of them would recognize, if not the vault dweller. Distant thump-thump-thump of blades cutting through the air. It might have been harder to recognize at first given the reverb of the mountains. Quick Fix might be the first to notice it though as it would be an alien sound to him.
"Mmm..." Quick groaned, then yawned, squealed, blinked, recovered. Waking up in flight was not exactly familiar to him. But neither was the strange sound that had woken him, which he swiveled his head and ears to locate.
Saffron looked back to see the Quick Fix passing out on her back. She makes sure to adjust his forelegs around her saddlebags to keep him stable, then gives one confident nod to Brickfielder in reply. "All things considered, yeah. We didn't get injured, we saved Violet's ponies and her, and Quick is passed out by the looks of it." She snorted in amusement. Flapping her wings and taking flight, gliding away towards their camp...
Brickfielder keeps his eyes ahead as Quick wakes up, pretending not to hear anything out of the ordinary.
The familiar sounds would give Ember a calm that almost surprised herself, all this time undercover seemed to have accumulated to previously unnoticed tension that was suddenly relieved a bit
"It could've been a lot worse..." Saffron remarked beneath her breath. Shortly before the sound of blades and thumping makes her head turn to see the source of it, diving slightly to catch some additional speed as they fly. She doesn't make a remark about it, aside from looking between her front and that general direction, for the time being.
Quick Fix is going to pass the fuck out and likely awake sometime near or after dark, much to his annoyance.
Ember approaches Brick and Sundancer as it looks like Saffron is back to doing her dirty deeds
Ember Flare "So... I was thinking you know, we could easily turn like most of those teeth into daggers and whatnot and then sell or otherwise distribute them to the trottingham folks right?"
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow... and brings a wingtip to his chin. "Arming the Trottinghamites with them might be more useful than arming Phoenix..."
Ember Flare "We don't really know how effective those things are but those butterfly things most likely would give the farmers some major creeps, not to mention the bigger things"
Ember nods, "yeah aside from couple of those security fellows we have, I doubt they could make much use of the stuff"
Sundancer "We can make a lot of things out of it. It looks like weapon-quality bone without the anti-glass properties. I'm definitely planning to make as much as I can, and it'll be a valuable trade good for Trottingham, true."
Ember Flare "and... do we even want those guys that well armed?"
Sundancer "We might sound like snake oil salesponies if we run in talking about dragon bones destroying glass creatures."
Sundancer "Better to be armed with bone knives than rifles."
"...Long-term, perhaps not, but..." Brick's brow furrows and he glances down.
Quick Fix will awaken in a decently comfy spot, refreshed and surprised. It's not supposed to be dark when you wake up... Saffron is presumably with him, who he slips past to go get a drink of water, and perhaps a bite to eat.
Ember Flare "Yeah we might have to set up a way to demonstrate it... or find someone local knowledgeable in magic to back our claim. Latter might be easier but I don't know if there is anyone in there that would be able to do that"
Sundancer "I've already thought about capturing a glass creature, but I'm not the one to do it. You'd need to wrestle it into a cage, and it would just shock me right away."
Ember Flare "And the whole business of catching *only* one off guard"
Sundancer "I wonder if the Earthen Cloaks know about the dragon bone. Maybe there's a disgruntled druid in Trottingham they'd take as an authority."
Brickfielder "...Couldn't Quick just, grab one of those butterflies with that telekinesis of his?"
Saffron
Saffron was one of those ponies that was entertained by doing her routine. Even if it meant she wouldn't do much socializing, she was happy to be between the clouds, peering down at the perimeter of their camp and keeping active watch on them. And it was fun to fly. When she did come back down during the evening, she stoked the fire with kindling she'd collected on her way. Making sure it was nice and warm for the nice, before sitting down. Taking out their rations... And Quick's as well, laying it on a spot next to her in anticipation for his arrival. Once he did show up, she beamed up at him, flicking a wing to him in greeting, then whispering over to him: "You feelin' better now?"
Ember Flare "Ah that's a great point sundancer!"
Ember is visibly excited as things finally seem to be moving forwards to their goals
Ember Flare "Seriously Brick, has he looked like he could handle something like that?"
Brickfielder "Not in the slightest, no. But if I could grab things from a dozen meters away I'd be making a lot more use of it."
Quick Fix nod-nodded, using one hoof to clear the sleep from his eyes and he yawned softly. "I must have been asleep all day. I can't believe I slept on your back... and we heard that weird thing in the distance, huh? It must have been Violet's evac... though I've never heard something like that before. Could it have been some great engine..? What technology does Trottingham even have..?"
Saffron's snout flares with an amused snort at first, smirking at him. She's about to make her usual playful remark in between stirring a pot of bean soup with her utensils. "They had hovering trucks and stuff. Like, y'know, hovercraft is what I think they're called? Uhh.." Saffron PRETENDS to not know what she's talking about despite knowing perfectly what a hovercraft is, side glancing away to subtly avoid eye contact. "The vehicles looked KIND of advanced? Though I don't think they make those kinda noises, Must've been another kinda thing that travels by air."
Quick Fix "Yeah, maybe. We should probably look into that sometime... and I need to follow up with Violet, eventually. Her teammates were in a coma, just like the Overseer's family back at Phoenix... their outcomes could give us a potential solution to our... plight."
The noise had stopped hours ago. For those awake at the time it might have been possible to hear it passing by on its way as it cut southward. Thankfully your infrared had slept all day.
Saffron's ears flick down slightly, taking a bit of a mouthful of her food to give herself some time to think. Muzzle crinkling up slightly. Though she double takes on Quick's words of those ponies being in a coma. "They were??" She asked, reflexively. "Sheesh, they must've had it rough... But, on that topic, " She turned fully back to Quick Fix, pointing at him with her spoon. "Did you ever figure out how to wake up the Overseer's family?"
"No," he shook his head, "that's why I want to follow up. Maybe the doctors at Trottingham know something that we don't. Before that, though... Maybe we can ask the priests, as well. Seeing as they advised us on how we could possibly retrieve our scarred friends, perhaps they can tell us how to revive them as well."
Saffron huffed. "I'm sittin' here hopin' that they don't tell us to make another pact with that accursed THING." Saffron spat out the words with SOME vitriol and frustration, grumbling unintelligibly as she eats her food, and drinks some water from her canteen. "GOSH I can't wait 'till we can start putting shots on those 'Lords'." She adds, beneath her breath, sweeping her tail nervously and arching her wings slightly, ears pinned.
"...I'm no expert on engineering, but those stone pillars would probably make pretty good support posts for pouring concrete..." was all Quick had to say on the matter."In any case, hopefully the remedy is purely a medical one. Heck, maybe they'll have awoken by the time we get back. Who knows."
Your group had been out on the mountain for over a week by the time you would return to Phoenix. Carting as much dragon bones as you could carry. Which given their strong but somewhat lighter nature, was quite a bit in consideration. It might take like five trips in total, but maybe someday you could get the whole dragon down. Maybe mount the skull over your town hall.
When you do return to town you receive some good news. The overseer’s wife and child would have woken up. It could be recounted that, yes, they may have woken up screaming one day while you were gone. But they were now awake and making themselves a part of the community. They say they don’t remember what had happened to them during their time in the other world. But it is hard to tell if it was due to genuine amnesia or mental suppression of what had happened to them.
Brickfielder would quickly apply himself to the same tasks as he had been engaging in before, as well as keeping close eyes on the Overseer and his family, wanting to make sure all three of them were doing okay.
Quick Fix made sure the Overseer's son really had gotten over the spore-fever he'd acquired all those weeks ago before anything else. Apologies were in order for his running away from them - and he and Sunny had dentures to install for the Overseer.
Ember would volunteer to report back to the druids of their mission and to cart back their rewards asking if anyone wanted to accompany her or to come help cart the supplies (I think they promised supplies right? or was it simply mone?)
Sundancer declines Ember's request, considering herself far too busy with the business of arms production at the moment
Saffron was by far the most ecstatic at hearing the Overseer's family was not permanently comatosed. Although it likely deprived them of another adventure, Saffron quickly began to entertain the notion of throwing a 'welcome back party' of sorts, or at least a feat. Though she wasn't sure if they actually had the food surplus for that, so until she knew for a fact it could happen she just settled for cheering from beside Quick Fix, before redoubling her efforts to get the FOOD GANG to look for more food! They needed to get the food going for that party.
(GM Note): A lot of the session was in OOC chatter discussing the use of the dragon bones and what items would need to be prioritized. Sundancer ended up deciding they would focus on making bullets, a sword for Brickfielder, and magic armor for Ember. They learned they had a time limit but not why until the end of the session.
Ember would just recruit couple vault folks to come with her as she set out to visit the druids
Ember would report their findings to the earthen cloaks, specifically mentioning how easy the trip had seemed to be. Maybe due to all those destroyed circles in the mountainside. Looked like trottingham folk had destroyed some of them so they didn't have to worry about the fae at all
Ember would also mention that the Observatory seemed in pretty bad shaped and some sort of battle seemed to have occurred there some time ago
Ember considers asking about any dissident druids in trottingham but decides it would be too suspicious.
Ember would have a conversation with Robin Hood when she visited. Just a brief one as part of making arrangements for payment. But he left slip that things were starting to heat up between The earthen cloaks and trottingham. It was possible that after they investigated these claims things could start. But it was likely they would need some other nudge to make things properly escalate.
A wagon was part of the payment Ember would escort back to Phoenix. A bit cumbersome in the forest but you were bringing more barrels and casks. In fact you were paid with a couple barrels of mead that the druids had apparently made and it was a harvest time for. They would not be finished fermenting until sometime mid winter. But that was something to look forward to.
Ember would ask the druids however about a huge hulking thing they saw walking in the snowstorm and if the Druids had any knowledge about such a being
The druids knew about Rhyolite the mountain spirit. It sort of slipped that the spirit was considered an enemy of sorts. Given the tone that was almost hidden, but ember could pick up on, you were expected to have met the giant. Possibly for the purpose of making a bad impression of them. Possibly to have met a bad end due to them. At least that is what it seemed the druids would mean in subtext when they spoke about the horrible giant of the mountains.
Ember would thank the druids, being glad they managed to avoid the thing and make her way back with the supplies
As ember returned she would share with Saffron, Brick and Sundancer that the whole mountain expedition was most likely a trap of sorts and that the cloaks were most definitely not exactly their friends
Saffron seemed only about half surprised that the druids would deliberately try to send them to their deaths. After all there was an awful lot of information that seemed to have been 'conveniently left out' of their assignment. Saffron then snarled something about the 'fugly spirit-lord-thing' and their 'fugly toothless-noseless-earless goblins' servants as she goes on to ask if they had anything to say about Trottingham.
Ember would also mention that the situation seemed tenser between the factions but nothing drastic yet
Saffron was intrigued by that news. Casually ambling in the direction of the town hall for some privacy after hearing that. This was a development that needed further planning... And a report, given it had been so long since the last one. "We'll have to take a trip to Trottingham. We'll survey the situation and then, and then nudge things into place." She'd tell Ember, and potentially Brickfielder as well.
Sundancer brings Saffron and Brick's upgrades to them when they greet Ember's return
Ember Flare "It shouldn't be that hard to escalate the situation now. We'll just have to persuade them to trust us regarding the weaponry and they should take the chance with the edge over the fae folk"
Sundancer is beaming with pride at her first time making primitive weaponry and her first time hand-loading anything more basic than lead slugs and hollow points
Ember Flare "And if things got really chaotic... we might be able take out those AA guns from their fortifications"
Sundancer rubs her wings against her sides in excitement "Do you think they'd want artillery shells that fire dragon shrapnel?"
Saffron was fairly impressed by Sundancer's ability to make bullets actually made of bone like she said, she was even more blown away when she was told the bullets were 'explosive'. She spent a measure of time getting used to the gatling part of the gun... Even now, as they discussed, she had it on the table rather proudly. "Taking out the AA guns is something that will have to come last. We need to infiltrate the castle for that, and I wouldn't want to risk it until it is asked of us."
"I don't know if I want to give them ordinance..." Saffron very slowly spoke up towards Sundancer, a guarded cadence in her voice.
Ember nods, "yes, only if the conflict grows enough to allow us to sneak in. It would be a massive boon if we took those out tho."
Sundancer shrugs "It depends on where the Lords decide to make their move. I can't think of a way to fight them that doesn't involve Rhyolite, that AA gun, or some 'outside support'"
Saffron smiled and gave a slight nod in Ember's direction. "It's on the list, but I don't know how to start on that yet... If it comes to that." She remarked, speaking much more quieter than usual, sounding constantly a little ... Unsure. But then she looked at Sundancer. "Why don't you just make some sort of RPG?"
Saffron "We meet something big we just blow 'em up!"
Sundancer ponders it for a while "I don't know the size of the Lords. I wouldn't want something so small it would only annoy them."
Sundancer "Maybe a buried charge as a mine?"
Sundancer "I'll think about it."
Saffron then flicks out her wings in a wing-shrug, then grins. "Explosives are good!" Saffron nodnods her head approvingly, then drummed her hooves on their map table. "I'm also guessing since you suggested giving the town ordinance that you want to sell them some surplus dragon-guns. Hhh..." She grits her teeth a little, "I don't like giving them guns for some reason, but we could totally do that."
(GM Note) Saffron’s player noted their intent to make a report to HQ, but it ended up only being OOC.
Saffron’s report to Cloudy Forecast would be somewhat one sided. Your squad received congratulations on assisting Seafoam and getting them to safety. But for the information about the wider operations you could not be informed. You were in the field and did not need more information that could possibly leak. You were given instructions to do some preliminary investigation of the new U.I.I. you discovered, but that task is secondary to your ongoing primary goal. Your progress is commendable and hopefully they can have you returned to base before the snowfall hits.
"Thinking about it. Them having weapons which are more effective against the lords is a good thing, in the bigger scheme of things, right?" Saffron remarked, tapping on her chin and furrowing her brow--almost talking to herself in a way. "Right. Right! Yeah, that could do it... Maybe that will be the nudge that it takes to make Trottingham fight in earnest, once they get the good guns?"
It would be a crisp autumn morning when the attack began. The cresting of the sun over the mountains would be accented by a fluttering kaleidoscope of rainbow light. Your morning would receive a rude awakening as the shattering glass voice of a Lords boomed across your settlement from beyond the walls. “Mortals. I have come to collect my playthings. Submit them and only some of your kin must die for this transgression. Fail, or attempt to flee, and all your kin will die.” For those able to peer over or through the palisades beyond into the forest you would be able to see the small swarm of butterflies around your encampment that accompany the towering Lord and a trio of the glass bears. The fight has been brought to you it seems.
(GM Note): The combat at Phoenix took one and a half sessions to fully resolve. In brief I will cover the main points here. The settlement was attacked by two groups of the court of glass. At the top and top-left of the map the towering Lord, several butterflies, and three bears approached. From the right side of the map a wide swarm of butterflies came to fly over the wall.
The combat started with the PCs together in the house next to the left side gate, excluding Quick Fix and his mother Smoky Mirrors in a top-central house. Brickfielder entered the center of town to rally civilians and get them towards the bottom edge of the map, away from the enemies. Sundancer, Saffron, and Ember Flare moved to the left entrance to start combating the approaching enemies. Quick Fix and Smoky Mirrors came to support them with rallies.
The group quickly learned the Lord had telekinetic powers. It began slamming them into the ground, hitting characters with other characters, and wretching weapons out of grips. Even as the combating PCs were able to start taking out the bears and butterflies.
Brickfielder was left to himself on the right side of the settlement fending off the swarm of butterflies with his dragonbone sword and the help of two of the vault security. He eventually became injured from the butterfly’s electrical attacks, which caused Saffron and Quick Fix to peel his way to help doctor him and provide fire support.
At the left side things did not look as well controlled as while all of the bears and butterflies were taken out the Lord was seemingly untouchable. The lord seemed content to knock out the security who had been guarding the left gate and Smoky Mirrors, to kidnap them inside itself. As it was starting to leave, Ember Flare managed to land a shot with her pistol. Which contained dragon bone rounds, and caused the Lord to become Hurt. It botched a Will test to ignore the wound and turned to try and kill Ember Flare and Sundancer. It failed in killing them, being unable to catch Ember Flare. Sundancer was provided Ember’s Pistol and managed to land a heavy blow to the Lord, requiring it to use its Combat Save to avoid becoming Dying. However the attack was with a weapon that has explosive rounds, a problem that comes up later.
Without further backup the lord seems to realize it must suffer this indignity. stepping with significantly less grace than it had previously mustered it will turn to the east and flee into the woods, crashing through branches and foliage.
Brickfielder manages to glimpse the lord running off, and hurls his sword down, swearing under his breath.
Ember huffs head close to ground watching the thing rush through the foliage
With the lord stampeding away you can hear a cheer from the far side of the village. It is short and a bit exasperated.
Quick Fix seems conflicted as to what to focus on - Brick's wounds, Sunny's crumpled form - or the fact that the last place he saw Smoky was running off to join the outer pair…
Saffron is still running in the background, running past the building next to her, to the next one, and to the palisade. She peeks between the steaks, and can't even SEE the incredibly fast thing running away for its life. Leaving her to look around a bit, before flying up to peek over the wall. Only seeing Sundancer's gun, and the cyborg. "Holy shit! Did we do it??" Saffron called out, still unsure as she scanned the treeline expecting something else to pop out.
Ember hobbles to Sundancer "S-sorry, I should have gotten it there. It just..."
Sundancer unclenches her jaw, having been grinding her artificial teeth the entire combat "They got away."
Ember Flare "Ah let me help you up you seem pretty banged up"
Quick Fix focuses on the most pressing matter, seeing as the two casualties seem to be in stable condition. "Where's Smoky?"
Sundancer "I don't even know why it wanted more 'playthings', didn't we get those two back fair and square?"
Saffron perked her ears and looked behind herself towards the direction of the cheering dwellers. Then towards Sundancer's gun. Saffron holsters her heavy, cobbled together magnum and flies over to go pick up the carbine up and started trotting over towards the others.
Back in the village the vault dwellers were finding those who had been electrocuted by the butterflies. The cheer was gone quite quickly as it came to the grim work of needing to handle the dead.
Saffron carried the carbine over to Sundancer, looking her over and hissing through her teeth at her (admittedly minor) damage. Looking up towards Quick. "Yo, Quick, check on the other fallen dwellers, they could still be saved." She told him, looking back towards where the giant thing went.
Brickfielder collects his sword and grits his teeth, before heading back into the village to help with the casualties.
"Sm..Smoky... where's...?" Quick's adrenaline rush seems to be fading, leaving him in a dazed stupor and barely paying any attention to the red pegasus.
Ember looks at Quick and then to the forest path that was just carved there
"... Shit..." Saffron muttered beneath her breath. Though they had won, Saffron did not seem to be overwhelmingly cheerful as she might be, as her eyes spied the parted foliage in the background. And quarter-turned her head towards Ember, and Sundancer again. Frowning at them briefly as she speaks up, "I'm going to go track it down, maybe we can still kill it..." She remarked to them briefly, then looking up to Quick Fix and seeing them.... Like that.
Sundancer shakes her head at Quick “We tried to stop it."
"I can figure out where it came from. It's a start of something--even if it's one of the circles..." Saffron remarked again, seeming rather intent on doing this by the slight firmness in her voice. With that, she stepped towards Quick and quickly put a hoof on his shoulder. "Quick. Hey."
Ember Flare "I guess we could... I can rechage my magic on the way but... Well I guess it was in much worse shape than us"
Ember looks at Sundancers battered body with worry
Sundancer scowls "I'm fine. I would have chased after it myself if my wings were working properly"
The Overseer was organizing people to the necessary work to be done. This was not their first loss in a short time. But it was as heartbreaking than what happened in the vault. In total another seven residents were dead inside the town.
Ember looks expectantly at Saffron
"Sh-she's... the L-Lord... it..." His speech very quickly begins to break down, stuttering with weakness and threatening to break into sobs. "I c-can't... lose h-h-her again.." Quick steps in a meandering, defeated manner towards the trail, eyes welling with tears.
"Quick. Go in the settlement, look over the ones that got downed." Saffron stated with a soft, yet firmly calm voice, nodding her head to him in understanding, then looking to the other two. She frowned, stepping back from Quick as she turned around and began to rush towards the treeline, to start following the Lord's tracks.
"..mm.." Moments away from breaking down, Saffron's firm touch and words keep his little heart from shattering just yet. He wipes away the tears, holding them back for later, reminding himself that he has a job to do. The unicorn's off to help the dwellers with bloodshot eyes.
Ember would follow after Saffron after asking back her gun from Sundancer
Sundancer passes the pistol to Ember and retrieves her stun rifle before grimly following the two into the woods
(GM Note): The following paragraph was sent in whisper to Sundancer, Ember Flare, and Saffron’s players. It also noted instructions that they were to talk privately in the discord on what they would do about the bodies. Either hide them or return them to the settlement. Depending on how they wanted to manipulate the information.
Your trek into the forest after the lord would be clear cut. It was heading towards where the stone circle had been somewhat near the vault entrance. But somewhere about halfway there your group would need to be halted. The trail of blood the lord had been leaving behind came to an end. In the middle of the trail it had discarded the bodies of the victims it had kidnapped. The security team and Smoky Mirrors were left dead in the woods. Shards of glass and bone having punctured their bodies.
With Brickfield as a second to help move ponies to beds, Quick Fix can focus on the task at hoof of stabilizing the injured. There were only a few that could be saved after they had been struck by the butterflies lightning. The mayor was organizing to have the others buried outside of town.
The trio in the woods would follow the trail for over an hour. It leads back towards the stone circle near the cave that leads into the vault. The trail there was clear as day for even the inexperienced trackers. Given the toppled trees you were almost glad the lord had used magic instead of physically mangling you. The trail ended at the circle, and Ember could feel a passive higher level of magic inside it.
Sundancer raises her weapon defensively as she watches the two non-metal ponies' backs
Ember would approach the circle, hoping that maybe they still catch up the lords by... pulling them from the circle or something Ember disregards previous safety protocols, angering the fey now was least of her worries and she kept her equipment and weaponry on
Saffron stood tensely one step ahead of the other mares. She eyeballed the circle and kept her distance; her whole face grimacing into a glower towards the whole circle, her hoof drawing her magnum pistol and keeping it handy, but on safety for the time being. She side glances at Ember in silence, watching her advance and keeping herself a little further behind them, keeping her focus and her gun ready in case anything pops out at them.
Ember resummons Smokey as well as a precaution before tapping into the wells magics
When the pair approached the circle itself they could hear the grumbling voice of Gatekeeper. Aside from the damage from the lords' approach the area seemed clear. From what Ember could tell from the last time she had encountered it, it seemed the door had been left partly open.
Ember motions the others closer, indicating that they could still keep chasing... if they wanted?
Back at the village an hour had gone by. With the injured tended to the Overseer asked Brickfielder and Quick Fix to meet with him in the town hall. The bodies were being tended to and some discussion on what the plan going forward would be should happen.
Saffron double-takes on Ember when she makes that gesture. She gives Sundancer as well a furrowed glance, before stepping closer to Ember with a softened, guarded step; looking over her and quirking her brow inquisitively, holding her gun pointed towards the ground.
Ember turns to Sundancer for confirmation as well
Sundancer would be sweating if she was capable of it "I... I don't think I should be close enough for it to be worth it."
Brickfielder's been doing his damnedest to keep himself operating at a high level to manage the village and deal with the aftermath, but, he's certainly showing the lines of stress on his face by the time he enters the Overseer's building to speak.
Saffron seemed to dart her eyes back towards Sundancer. Her face softened at hearing her tone, but that didn't seem to deter Saffron herself who quickly turned back in Ember's direction and, with a look of fiery resolve in her eyes, whispered. "Can you hold the door open so I don't get locked in?"
Ember steels herself and attempts to lead the others through the 'door'
(GM Note): Ember tests her Psyche skill against Gatekeeper to open the door. She barely fails.
Quick Fix doesn't seem much in the mood to talk. The look on his face tells the Overseer everything he needs to know about how the battle went for him, despite his total lack of injury.
Saffron watches Ember get to work. Then turned her head in Sundancer's direction, speaking with a rare, serious and grim tone. "Stay here if you want. If something bad happens, run and tell Brickfielder what happened."
The overseer had far more lines on his face. To say he had been tried so far this year would be an understatement. But if nothing it showed his resolve. He wanted suggestions on how to move forward from here. His own would be to ramp up weapon production and training for further attacks.
Ember and Saffron can run into the circle and, under Ember's direction, attempt to breach the door. They can hear Gatekeeper's voice, Panicked. "NO, NO!" Ember feels like she could tear the door open for them, but there was Gatekeeper's presence on the other side, drawing it away from her. After a tug of war of power, the entity on the far side manages to get the advantage and close the gate before it could be entered. "No, Bad mortals! Bad!"
"Perhaps... a more cohesive plan of evacuation would be useful. Setting up an alarm... even if it's just a bell on a pole in the middle of the town... that could save lives." Though his suggestion is genuine, Quick seems to be running on a sort of autopilot. His voice is quiet and monotone.
Brickfielder takes a moment to himself to wonder why the Overseer would summon Quick for something that... seems more like a leadership question. He chews his thoughts for a moment before sighing. "Short term, that's most likely the best solution. That thing may have been hurt, but being able to kill it is another matter."
Brickfielder does spare a slightly surprised glance at Quick, before nodding. "...He's right. A system besides just, shouting out alerts would also be better. Quicker way to alert security to action and alert people to get inside."
Ember growls as her hold of the gate slips
Saffron WHIPPED her head to the side once Gatekeeper's voice made itself heard. Her first reaction is to lift her weapon, toggling the safety as her wings arched and her hooves spread into a combat-ready stance to dodge an anticipated lightning bolt. She grimaces, watching the tug-o-war between Ember and the Gatekeeper, until she fails. Saffron immediately calls out.
Saffron: "THIEVES!! You are a race of THIEVES! You tried to STEAL ponies from us AGAIN!"
The overseer takes notes on his pipboy as you talk. These are good, actionable suggestions. Once everything is accounted for he will get these in place.
Brickfielder eyes the Overseer's Pipboy while he notes things down. "...The others pursued the Lord to wherever it went. Once they're back and we know what happened, we'll be able to work on a plan to deal with that threat more permanently.'
Ember stubbornly attempts to brute force the door open again
Saffron looked to Ember quickly and stepped beside her, getting ready to shove her aside if Gatekeeper tried to zap her for the attempt.
Gatekeeper let out an audible sigh of relief once the door had been effectively slammed in the pair’s face. It takes a moment to start caring about what Saffron is saying. “The lords do as the lords wish. The playthings were told to us, and a lords collected” The door was firmly shut this time. It was likely your imagination but you could almost hear the locks being set.
"...right..." Quick sighs, snoot falling into one hoof, and rubbing. "Umn, the alarm should have a couple patterns depending on a Lockdown or Evacuation. That's... pretty common sense, I think..." He lets a silence hang for a few moments before speaking up again. "If that's all, I... should be checking up on those two injured ponies."
Ember Flare: "The Druids, must be"
The overseer nodded to Brickfielder and Quick in turn. "Alright. Once they return we can get the specifics in order. We should make sure the graves are in order. We'll hold a ceremony before nightfall."
Sundancer: "You think? I don't know how else it makes sense. Possibly it's retaliation for something Lighthouse got up to."
Gatekeeper makes a spitting sound. "Ironmongers. dispose of your presence or we will dispose of it most painfully."
Ember Flare "They must be trying to use the vaulters as a means to bribe these Lords and keep them satisfied"
"What!?" Saffron snarled through her teeth, vitriol dripping from her voice from the sheer outrage. "You mean to tell us SOMEONE told you, to tell the lords, that we're some sort of--CANDY BAG you can just reach into and draw 'playthings' from?? You--" She bites her lip, "HHRRRM..." She groans, trying to stile herself from going on a tirade. "Gatekeeper this is the LAST you'll hear from us, HOPEFULLY. Who told you we were meant to be used as playthings?" Was it your servants??"
Ember readys to burn the circle if she feels a hint of gatekeeper gathering her magics
Gatekeeper said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Almost like it were talking to a simpleton for questioning it. "Mortals are playthings. That is all mortals are for. Playthings and games."
Saffron visibly snaps, and IMMEDIATELY spits on the circle's rocks. She gives Ember a sharp look, then begins to turn around and stride away from the circle.
Quick Fix trots off to attend to his duties, though he's clearly hanging on by a thread. Sleep can't come soon enough.
Ember takes a step back before incinerating the circle
Sundancer squeezes a couple shots into the stones for moral support
The stone circle was left in charred ruin after the fire magic and laser fire broke apart the crystalline structures pretending to be stone
Ember flare: "The gatekeeper sounded desperate before it managed to close the portal. I think if we managed to get in we would get to at least the gatekeeper."
Sundancer: "We should blitz one of these portals once we're healthy"
Ember Flare: "And the druids... I think they're happy to direct the Lords against us in order to keep the peace between them and trottingham"
Sundancer: "If Gatekeeper hadn't been present we might've had better luck."
Saffron saves her precious little dragonbone ammo, even if watching Sundancer shoot at the rocks while Ember does the leg work makes her smile with some satisfaction. In a typical pegasus-like scornful tone, she hissed a "Fucking aliens and their infrared servants are going to die." She stated matter-of-factly. Then waits a moment as the two mares discuss, she nodded to Sundancer, "Yeah... We can see if the other circles have something for us, then bust them as we go. But yeah, right now... Let's cart the bodies back."
Ember Flare "Might have also been our best shot, the Lords must have left the portal wide open when they fled through it"
Saffron turned and began to make headway to get things "packed up" for the return-trip. Her gait purposeful and stiff from veiled fury. "At least this gives us an excuse to move our operations to Trottignham proper."
Saffron would've been the first to break through the paved destruction of parted or crushed bushes and grass, parted saplings and small trees left by the Lord's escape. She couldn't carry all three of the corpses they came back with herself, so they each had to share the burden with one corpse each. Though she helped by at least carrying the bulk of the Security Officers' outfits in her bags so the bodies would be less heavy. On her back, she carried the corpse of a mare; the corpse of Smoky Mirrors. Who had been left battered and bloodied by bone shards and shrapnel. Coming back into town was... Pretty somber now.
Sundancer drags the naked corpse of one of the security guards behind her as she half-limps her way back to pheonix
There would be residents around who would be able to help the scouting team with the bodies. More graves to be dug. The town's mood was dour.
Ember drags her meat bag with considerable effort, not getting much help from the floating smoke monster
Saffron was short to the point that the corpse on her back, which was laid across her, had their legs drag somewhat along the dirt the whole way back. But Saffron was strong and she powered through it. As soon as they were past the threshold of the palisade and into the settlement proper, she looked around for Quick's presence briefly as other residents came to ease their burden, sharing darkened, apologetic looks with each that came near. She said nothing, and once the bodies were unloaded, she looked back to Ember and Sundancer. "Meet up at the uh-... 'Town Hall', we'll discuss what to do next there, with Brick." She told them, before taking a detour to the storagehouse to put away the Security outfits.
Quick Fix is taking his time undoing the damage to the two Vault Dwellers who survived the butterfly attacks. ...perhaps refusing to investigate the rather silent gathering outside, terrified to find out what might lie in wait for him at the gates.
The bodies of the security team and smoky mirror were laid with the others, south of the town. Funeral pyres were being set for the bodies, given the vaults procedures of burning the dead.
Brickfielder is among those who move to assist the group returning, still with lines on his face and bags under his eyes.
Labor was being done south of the town and the overseer was waiting for your team in the town hall.
Ember would try and find Brick somewhere and tell him in privacy how they found the corpses left dead on the side of the Lords path and their interaction with the gatekeeper
Saffron shares a deadpan glance with Brickfielder. She did not have the same marks of stress as him, even if she carried a heavy-lidded look in her eyes and a weighted frown; and did not speak to him when they crossed paths on her way to stow away the outfits. She made haste there, and quickly closed the door behind her. Her face softens as she freezes just behind the door, and fully comes to grasp with the death she had witnessed for the first time. She doesn't break into tears, but silently weeps in there for a while; as she thinks back to the things Smokey Mirrors had told her.
Quick Fix stays with the wounded, unless fetched. He doesn't want to think about anything else. To think would be to break.
Brickfielder has nothing to say to Ember, simply acknowledging what she tells him, thanking her for the destruction of the circle, and finishing helping with the bodies before he heads to town hall.
Ember finds her way to the town hall as well
Saffron would come back outside, after around 5 or so minutes. She spent some time painstakingly laying out the uniform jumpsuits of the vault security and their barding over one of the closed crates. Putting their helmets ontop slowly, and looking at her reflection in the partly reflective riot visor of the helmet for about 10 seconds. Before wiping her tears, inhaling sharply--filling up her lungs as she goes at-attention; contemplating something... Then simply deciding to leave it at that, turning around and finally walking out, trotting across the courtyard of the settlement and across, to meet back up with Quick Fix.
When Brick joined him in the town hall the overseer would not really need to ask what the group had found. He had observed from the doorway. Mourning would come later that day. They should settle on what to do next.
Saffron would eventually track down Quick to the building that had been converted to what amounted to a resting space for the wounded. She slinks herself in with a cautious step which makes very little noise, eyes darting, as she sees him still there next to the beddings. Observing him for a second, as she begins to slowly shuffle over to him, until she is right next to him. Her mouth half-open as a whisper crawls begrudgingly out of them. "H-hey..."
Quick Fix jumps a bit, interrupted almost halfway through the soothing of his patient's burn. He seemingly can't bring himself to look at her... his expression is unreadable facing away as he is, though his posture shows how utterly crushed he is. "..y-yeah..?"
Sundancer arrives after, having wiped some blood off her still dented chassis
Saffron let a painfully long two seconds of silence pass. Then audibly swallows; he could hear her slightly pacing and shuffling in place uncomfortably. "... I'm sorry." She pushes out the words that come out thick from her. "Uhm. Ahem.. Ehm... We... We couldn't save Smoky Mirrors..."
The overseer got the conversation going once Sundancer was in. "Sundancer. Would you be able to increase your manufacture of the dragon bone weapons? We will need a lot more weapons to defend outselves with."
Ember Flare: "I doubt it is feasible to stay here after this attack. They'll most likely keep coming back again and again"
Quick Fix still keeps his eyes forward. ...but now he can't keep his whimpers from spilling out, and his tears run down his snoot and drip onto the ground. He slips away from the patient and onto his side, staring at the wall, curling up... breaking down.
Sundancer is surprised to be spoken to first "Oh, uh, yes. I can begin right away. We lost a lot of our security, what sort of equipment will you want? More ammunition or more swords and spears?"
Brickfielder: "For what we have, spears would certainly mean arming a lot more ponies. Only have to fashion the tips with bone."
Saffron exchanged a very awkward glance with the semi-conscious patients, as she slips up beside Quick and sits next to him. Putting her hoof slowly over his and giving it an encouraging squeeze. Her eyes downcast, even as she rests her chin over the top of his head. Staying there with him for as long as it takes.
The overseer raised an eyebrow at Ember. "I expect they will come back, yes. But what do you mean? Where would we go? The vault is going to be irradiated for a hundred years."
Ember Flare: "There is no way you could stay here.. the best hope would be to go to Trottingham up north and plead safety there. The druids and earthen cloaks seem to regard this place as means to keep the Lords anger at bay"
Quick Fix wanted to leave this for later, when he could have a moment alone, but his emotions took hold and for many minutes he cried his little heart out. It might be prudent to carry him elsewhere, so he can mourn in relative privacy. Quick seems too heartbroken to move himself out.
Brickfielder glances between Ember and the Overseer. "...If the Cloaks aren't favorable to us, then we're in the same boat as Trottingham to begin with. And it is certainly a secure settlement." He also shares a look with Sundancer, though his other thoughts on the matter are things best left unsaid around an infrared.
Ember Flare: "And considering how they didn't get any playthings this time and how badly we wounded the Lords, we might want to move out sooner rather than later"
Sundancer: "They probably have more trained warriors to use the weapons. Put a line of protection between your citizens and the glass."
Others in the party might notice that Ember seems a bit uncharacteristically certain with her words, she seems to be a bit in character at the moment
Brickfielder would shoot Ember a smirk if he weren't tired.
Saffron knew what to do. She looked over all the ponies in the medical area to make sure everything had already been sorted--as it should've been, then gripped his hoof a little tight as she began to stand up and very gently urged him up. "C'mon dear. Let's go somewhere quiet." She whispered, nuzzling under his cheek to dry his tears with her nose as she led him outside. Staying between him and most of the settlement protectively from the sight of others as she leads him to their own sleeping area in the cottages.
Quick Fix slowly lets himself be guided up to his hooves and towed outside... though his sobbing remains as crushed as ever, if a little quieter than the surge of heartbreak before.
Those in the hall can perhaps hear the unicorn's sobbing pass by as Saffron leads him to their lodgings.
(GM Note): The PCs with the Overseer test some negotiation and deceit to convince the Overseer that it would be best to move everyone to Trottingham. They succeed.
Ember adds some convincing flair reminding how the druids are utterly devoted self mutilating fanatics that do the Lords’ biddings and stalk every poor soul in the woods
Saffron nudged her cheek against his, brushing her face against him in a wordless attempt to console the stallion with genuine affection despite everything. She eventually took him to the doorway into their lodging, breaking away--but not letting his hoof go, as she opened the door, semi-pulls him indoors, and then closes the door behind him. Now alone, she just takes a seat there, and wraps her forelegs and wings around him and gives him a looong lasting hug.
The overseer listens to the arguments presented to leaving and weighs it against what he understands. He owes everything they understand about the surface to your group. If you know it would be best for the vault dwellers to move to Trottingham, then it makes sense to do so. It would take a few days to organize it all. But he has a major concern. They would need to pass by the earthen cloaks to get to trottingham? What would they do if they are stopped by heavily armed foresters?
Sundancer does all she can to avoid snapping at the infrareds as the adrenalin of combat and dragging corpses starts to filter out of her braincase
Quick Fix finds himself in a very familiar position: crying into Saffron's shoulder, letting all his sorrows out for the mare to hug better. But... this won't ever get better.
Smoky won't ever come back. His thoughts seem to cycle in a loop of sadness and grief, until there's only whimpers left for the pegasus to comfort. Whimpers, and shudders...
Ember Flare: "We should try and avoid them if possible. Maybe plot the route as close to the mountains as possible"
Brickfielder nods with what Ember is saying. "Avoid the heart of their territory. Make sure guards on alert while we move. ...Perhaps we could ask Trottingham for assistance, if they'd like a fresh infusion of civilians."
Saffron goes through some moments where she opens her mouth to say something to comfort him, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she stares at his teary face with unblinking eyes. No words ever did come out, her eyes darting as she herself thought long and hard. Nudging her chin over his head again. Until, when his crying subsised to a whimper, she lifted her head and looked straight down at him... "Quick. I..." She tries to speak; and fails again. She tries again. "... I--I... I know that, uhm... That you feel like this is the worst day ... Ever. But. But I--You... You know..." She exhales, biting her lip as she also leaks a few tears and sighed shakily trying to hold it all back.
Saffron: "I... I'll be there. With you. I'll protect you. You're not alone..."
The overseer would nod to Ember and Brickfielder. "It would likely be best if some announcement was made we were going to arrive. Ask for permission before some eighty refugees are on their carpets. Would you be able to make the trip there and back quickly, Brickfielder? Speak with someone in charge so we can hopefully get a good welcome?"
Brickfielder gives a firm nod. "I can put Phoenix's best hoof forward easily."
Sundancer follows along with the conversation but relaxes by examining her damage, nodding along with Brick
The Overseer agreed. "Ok. Make arrangements as soon as you can. I will get the citizens ready to move once you return. Hopefully the injured will be ready to move by then. More hopefully we will not have another attack before. But if you could start making some weapons for self defense in the meantime Sundancer, that will improve the odds a little."
Ember ponders silently how safe the following couple of days could be and how fast the cloaks would know how their encounter with the foe had went
Quick Fix has nothing to say in return but a tight squeeze, acknowledging her words. His whimpers had since faded into sniffles, and he nuzzles at her neck here and there with a little whine. Eyes shut tight, wet with tears... not quite better than before, but much less intensely unhappy. With time and that warm embrace, he slowly feels himself strong enough to open his eyes and look at the mare. His heart is shattered, his mother soon to be ashes... but Saffron remains, always there for him. The sudden, immense gratitude he feels coalesces into a kiss on the cheek, and another tight squeeze, before those eyes flutter closed once more.
Saffron made eye contact with him when he'd finally open those eyes. She was still looking down at him, albeit with a hesitant, more vulnerable and hurt look in her eyes as they stared into his softly. The kiss makes her smile however; and it was a happy smile despite all that happened. She kisses him back--but on the lip this time, before resting her head on his again. Letting him relax under her wings.
The evening after the attack at Phoenix a funeral was held for the dead. Three pyres were prepared with as much care as the remaining residents could manage and organized south of the village. It was time to commemorate the dead. Would you, the heroes of the day, say any words to send them off?
Brickfielder, uncharacteristically, doesn't take the chance to make a speech. Instead of eulogizing, he stays by the Overseer and watches with the pyre with a stern expression.
Quick Fix is still wracked with grief, but seems to have shed all the tears he had to give. Now his eyes look empty, and his expression grave. "She deserved better."
Ember would mostly stand in the sidelines preferring to distance herself from the proceedings with smokey hovering close by
Sundancer didn't know the security team that well, and can't really console their closest in good faith. She settles for patting Quick supportively
Saffron would've stepped up towards the pyres to give her farewells to those they could not save. Looking over her shoulders towards Quick Fix once, she gulped--swallowing some of her pride, as she turned towards the pyres and to the ponies getting ready to set them on fire. "... In death I hope you don't somehow think you've failed us. It's not... You who failed us, but the other way around. You did everything you could for us, you gave your families and friends hope. But... We let you down, we couldn't save you. But..." Saffron inhaled a bit more, picking her lips up into a smile. "Despite our best efforts to the contrary... We won. And we will continue to win and survive, for you, in spite of everything. I just hope that," She looked off to the side towards Brickfielder subtly, "We don't end up being the ones to break the trust you've put on us in the end." Then she looked back towards the pyres, wincing a little bit as she moved a last glance towards Smoky Mirrors' body. "... I'm sorry. But, my promise still stands..." She whispered. "Goodbye." She said, more audibly, and finally stepped back, giving the Overseer a quick nod.
Quick Fix leans into Sundancer ever-so-subtly. One particular line has him blink a couple times at Saffron, briefly confused, but despair soon returns to overtake it.
The overseer did his best to give a heartening speech. But with the slur of his half mouth he kept it brief. He named the dead, and sent them off as their bodies burned. It would be late in the evening by the time ponies returned to their homes. Tomorrow would be the start of a new busy day for everyone.
Saffron would rejoin the others' group, plus Quick Fix who was there. She had that distinct look of resolve and confidence to her, as she looked up towards Brickfielder. "We already got the Overseer to agree to move, right?"
Quick Fix blinks at them both. "Wh..what? We're leaving? Just leaving this place and the Vault behind?"
Sundancer: "Yeah, it's just up to us to clear the path so they don't all die on the way there."
Brickfielder nods to Saffron, and looks down at Quick. "It's safer in Trottingham. You're coming with me to negotiate for them to accept us as refugees."
Sundancer shakes her head "Believe me, I want to stay near the vault as much as you do, but the area is too dangerous right now."
Ember nods, "it is very likely that the cloaks will be taking direct action against us after this. If not instantly, then at least after a while"
Saffron nods towards Sundancer, then pursed her lip to Quick Fix's hesitation. She turned to him and sighed through her nostrils. "Yes. We can't stay here and wait while the Lords and his minions get progressively more numerous--especially as the druids have been the ones to allegedly sick them on us. They'll start joining on the raiding soon enough; we can't wait on that to happen, we don't have enough resources or the pony power to keep this up long term. We MUST leave, and get to Trottingham." She said, matter-of-factly, giving a nod to second Ember's words. Crossing her forelegs a little. "We need to start putting together a caravan, with plenty of food and mountain gear." Saffron frowned and huffed, "Or at least heavy clothes." She added, looking to the cyberpony more intently. "Whatever bare minimum you can get us will do."
Ember Flare: "Mountain gear? You're thinking about crossing the mountain with this many ponies?"
Sundancer: "This many ponies that can't fly"
"We can walk it." Saffron insists, looking between Ember and Sundancer with a firmer look. "Either way, I'm planning to get in touch with Rhyolite. I'll ask her for advice... And then I'll make a final decision. But either way we need carts--for protection and to carry things, so that's something we'll have to make either way."
"The Cloaks... ...they told us what to do, didn't they." A few shakes of the head; the gears started to turn. "Trapped. We were... used. And betrayed. Luna's grace..." Quick Fix had been somewhat out of the loop of their discussions and realisations, but now it was hitting him. And though it was hardly shown in his expression and body, in his eyes shone a quiet rage. "The mountains will be safer, if we can find a way up. The alternate is moving through the forest, which - if what you've suggested is true - leaves the whole caravan open to easy ambush."
Saffron visibly purses her lip again, nodding slowly in agreement to Quick Fix. Her eyes then dim as she thinks a moment longer, shaking her head a little bit. "We have to keep an eye on those assholes." She adds beneath her breath. "But we can't really watch them for a long time without a way to communicate..."
Ember Flare: "We could watch for them for any larger mobilizations... To be honest I doubt we could actually hold against their assault. Those magical beasts have been pretty dumb and simply swarming at us"
"Yeah. Is it possible to uh--" Saffron starts looking down at her mesh of web-gear and deep pocketed vest and dark clothing. "Improve this outfit with a few things? Maybe some armouring and a 148?" She eye'd Sundancer a bit more.
Quick Fix: "We split up last time, when they had the advantage of numbers. That was unwise."
Sundancer closes her eyes a little haughtily "I suppose I can put off forging god slaying weapons to do some personal work before you go."
Your group spends a day in Phoenix to finish putting together the materials you will need for the upcoming tasks. And to give Brickfielder a bit of time to recover. It will take two days to reach the observatory again and that should provide some additional time to help get him in order. Your group packs for their various jobs and will set off two days after the attack. Saffron’s patrols of the area around Phoenix do not indicate any irregular activity from the Earthen Cloaks. Which is to say she spots one in the far distance keeping sentry along what amounts to the border between territories.
(GM Note): Throughout the session Quick Fix rolled his academic tests to put Brickfielder together.
Your trip up to the mountains will be a lot quicker than your last trip, given you were not exploring any longer. The weather is outright cold up here now. With winter approaching you were not sure how long the paths along the mountain would be safe for. You figure Brickfielder and Quick will need to be swift in their diplomatic efforts. Otherwise The caravan might end up having to travel through snow. Your group makes camp the first night at the hot springs. Tomorrow you will be able to reach Rhyolite’s mountain.
Your team can approach the remains of the celestial observatory. With a calm, chill day as it was, the place seemed Peaceful. There was a layer of snow inside the building itself, obscuring the former campsite of the 'dragon hunters.' The sharp shards of ice that the creatures had left behind were still clinging to the sides of the building. Supposedly you just needed to call for Rhyolite and she would answer?
Sundancer will start packing more dragon bone, cutting it into chunks with more confidence now that she had an idea what she was making with it
Ember Flare "So Brick, uh how were you planning on convincing the trottingham to take on these refugees? I mean if the promise of weapons doesn't do it?"
Quick Fix seems quite silent as they approach the serene site of their previous battle. He still has a loss to mourn, even though his heart has been tempered with fresh anger.
Saffron led the way with Ember in tow during their trek. Hooves crunching in the snow and wings tucking onto her back from the frigid, biting winds, quietly thanking Sundancer's good craftsmanship for the fresh pair of boots and well-made outfit, occasionally looking back to see if the other(s) were keeping up. Then once they get in view of the observatory. She stops, breathing a long sigh that pushes out a puff of mist. She arches her wings and raises her head, before calling out. "RHYOLITE!!"
Brickfielder's brow furrows while looking around the area of the observatory. "Promise of skilled labor. Leveraging our knowledge of the Cloaks. Twist their leg if I need to." He glances down at Ember. "If I can't get a deal like that done, I'd be embarrassed."
Ember smiles "Heh well good to know you're that confident"
"If all else fails... I can seek their empathy. They know the wrath of the Lords and the Cloaks." Quick adds.
Brickfielder doesn't return Ember's smile, but he does nod to her. He almost says something else, but casts a glance to Quick, before looking ahead again.
Ember Flare: "Yeah it might help if the locals knew how bad the vault ponies have had it recently"
Ember turns her attention towards their surroundings once Saffron made her call
Called, Rhyolite answers. Somewhere in the distance Saffron’s echoed voice is overtaken by the rumbling and grinding of a landslide. Somewhere north of the observatory a pile of rocks are crawling up themselves to form the body of a pony. Even from afar you can see when the eyes of the structure ignite with heat. As the pony figure starts to move, it will close the distance rapidly, starting as a hoof sized figure and growing with thundering steps as it approaches. Within a few moments Rhyolite has arrived at the observatory, towering over your assembled group. Her voice booms. “YOU HAVE CALLED. WHAT WISDOM DID YOU SEEK?”
Quick Fix appears to have something else to say, but is interrupted by the booming steps and voice of the giant mountain-mare spontaneously coalesced in front of them. He waits for somepony (most likely Saffron) to speak for the group.
Ember stays close to the group "Uh well we managed to anger the lords recently. At the moment they can attack us at leisure..."
Sundancer didn't look up from her work as Saffron called, but she sure did when Rhyolite answered, silently observing the living mountain as her squad parlayed with her
Saffron's face grimaced into a look of mild, intimidated worry after her call went through. She hid it well by not looking at the others, but seeing the large lumbering spirit begin to assemble and then stomp towards them, the comparatively tiny pegasus' ears and wings tucked against her respective parts. She darted her eyes from side to side, then ducked her head down in deference as Rhyolite stood before them, and spoke with that thunderous voice. "We seek your council, Rhyolite. The DIRTY servants of the Lords tried to trade us to appease their masters, they attacked us. We managed to survive, we wounded one of the Lords. But we're leaving as soon as we can. We're planning to use the mountain paths to get towards the city." Saffron's head rises again, having to tilt alllll the way back to even see Rhyolite's head, which is mildly awkward for the pegasus. "Can you guide us? Help us in any way? Please? If we have to somehow pay for it, even if we have very little... We can try."
Ember pauses and lets Saffron make her case
Rhyolite leaned in to get a better look at Saffron as she spoke, he heat from her molten eyes causing the mare to sweat even heavier and the thin layer of show around her to melt. She looked like she was trying to remember who she was even speaking to. When she drew back she sat, shaking the area with the impact. “YOU HURT ONE OF THE LORDS?” The laugh that followed was genuine and full of mirth. “THAT WILL CERTAINLY WOUND THEIR PRIDE MORE THAN THEIR BODIES. I IMAGINE THEY CAME TO STEAL CHILDREN IN FORCE AND YOU REPELLED THEM WITH THE BONES OF THE DRAGON? THAT WOULD BE WORTH SOME COMPENSATION SIMPLY FOR THE AMUSEMENT. WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE OF ME FOR AID?”
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow slightly at Rhyolite sitting down and laughing. How many strange forces on this island act like children...?
Quick Fix is rather disturbed by the fact that the powerful, almost eldritch beings on the island seem to be experiencing some sort of petty rivalry at the expense of the 'mortals' between them. Not that he'd ever say anything like that in front of a mare so big..!
Saffron's mane almost visibly dampens as she is subjected to the (steamy) gaze of the giant mountain spirit. She swallowed audibly and huffed a little bit in relief from the heat, until she started to sweat--which made her relief turn to discomfort. Taking a step back to back off, as Rhyolite laughed. "Hahah! Yeah, it was--uh, very close but we sure put the hurt on it." Saffron replied with some mirth in turn, trying to relax a bit more. Then pauses at the question. "Do you happen to have any minions to guide and protect us, or any way to make a map of the more direct, or at least safer paths towards the City north of this island? We just need a small bit of assurance that won't end up dying on the way there. The mountain paths specifically, we're going to try to avoid the woodland entirely; we don't wanna be anywhere near it."
Ember summons some courage to address the unnerving giant "Well, so the portals, I mean..." Ember collects her thoughts for a second "Is there a way for us to access the portals that the Lords use? or to forcibly summon something from them? At the moment we can do nothing but wait for them to attack us."
Saffron's head quarter-turns towards Ember when she speaks up. The small red mare seems to nodnod her head eagerly in approval to the question, taking a step back to get alongside their mutant companion, and looking to Rhyolite with rapt attention for their reply, albeit keeping her ears pinned to lessen the impact of their voice on her ears.
Ember Flare: “The gatekeeper seems to be in a pivotal role in this but it shuts us out and seems to hold the keys and access to the Lord's realm? We know very little of that thing"
The mountain thought thoughtfully for a long second. A stone hoof raised up to its chin. “YOU ARE WISE TO SEEK PERMISSION BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS MY BODY. I HAVE A SOLUTION TO YOUR REQUEST. I WILL ENCHANT PATHS SO THAT YOU MAY PASS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS WITH HASTE AND SAFETY. A SIMPLE TRIFLE EFFORT.” When Ember started to speak the giant leaned forward, subjecting the thin mare to the same scrutiny and intense heat saffron had experienced. “THE GATES THEY MAKE ARE STRONG, I AM TOLD. UNLESS YOU FIND ONE LEFT OPEN THEN YOU WILL NEED TO TRAVEL TO THE HOUSE OF GLASS YOURSELF. A DANGEROUS JOURNEY FOR SMALL ONES SUCH AS YOURSELVES.”
Ember Flare: "Wait, it's just a portal to a different place on this island?"
Saffron nodded along with the words being spoken by Rhyolite. She smiled a little bit with a clear relief at the response she gets, sighing softly as she bows her head respectfully to the mountain. "Thank you, Mount Rhyolite." She then lifts her head slightly, sideglancing Ember to let her speak now. Finished for the moment.
“NO, BUT YES. THE HOUSE OF GLASS RESIDES ON THE ISLAND. IT IS THE NEXUS FOR THEIR TRAVEL. THE REALM OF THE COURT OF GLASS AND MIST IS NOT ON THE ISLAND. BUT IS ACCESSED BY THE NEXUS. SO I HAVE BEEN TOLD.” Perhaps not knowing much more than that, the mountain shifts and gives Ember some breathing room. “THE HOUSE OF GLASS IS TO THE SOUTH. BUT IS HIDDEN AND PROTECTED AGAINST MORTAL APPROACH.”
Saffron's brow lifts slightly with interest. "So that's what all the mist was about..." She muttered aloud.
Ember gives a worried look towards Saffron and the rest of the group (though passed over Quick if one were to notice such detail)
Sundancer is taking notes "If we could get enough information, we might be able to approach it. It would also explain why civilization has managed to take root on the north end of the island."
Quick Fix feels... almost ignored by Ember's worried gaze. For a moment he feels like crying, but he can't quite pinpoint exactly why...
Quick Fix: "This place *is* called the 'Isle of Mist'. So... before the Great War... did we know of these entities?"
Brickfielder gives Ember a glance in return, meeting her eyes momentarily.
Saffron gave a few discomforted taps of her forelegs against the melted and wet snow under her hooves, looking to the side to meet Ember's worried glance with a seemingly very pleased one of her own. Then looked towards Rhyolite. "Rhyolite, sorry if we are taking so much of your time and patience; but do you perhaps know of any artifact or--object aside from the dragon's bones that could help us cross through to the House of Glass a bit more easily? Or do you think we just need more weapons and armor, simply? Asking this as a note for the future, for when we're truly ready."
You witnessed a mountain shrug. “I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE. THE COURT OF GLASS AND MIST HAS ALWAYS BEEN HERE. IN SOME PAST AGE THEY WERE MUCH LESSER. IN SOME PAST AGE THE LORDS WERE ONE LORD. MULTIPLICITY MAY HAVE EMBOLDENED THEM.” Dust falls from Rhyolite’s face as she pats her chin with a hoof. “CONTINUE TO ARM YOURSELVES. YOU SEEM ON THE RIGHT PATH IF YOU HAVE ALREADY HURT A LORDS.”
Saffron's face shifts a little into brief amusement as she sees a mountain 'shrug'. Then she nods, and looks over to the others briefly, including Quick Fix once as well. "I think that's everything we need?"
Ember nods slowly after a moment a bit lost in thought
"Yes... thank you, Rhyolite. Your kindness does not go unnoticed." Quick manages, ever diplomatic, though the sheer size and potential power of the 'mare' certainly puts him off a bit. "We should get going, Brick."
Brickfielder nods to Quick. "That's what I like to hear."
Saffron turned her attention back to Rhyolite after Quick Fix thanked the mountain spirit. Saffron herself gives one last bow of the head towards Rhyolite. "Farewell, Rhyolite. Until next time." She more softly tells them, before starting to turn and begin the journey back for their next missions.
Rhyolite leaves with a fairly dramatic flare. Her avatar simply collapses where she was sitting. The stones making up the body lose what magic cohesion held them together and she comes apart into a heap of vaguely pony shaped stone. The parts that made up her eyes rapidly cool. You were alone amongst yourselves to split up and continue your tasks.
Sundancer: "Part of me wants to take this material directly... south, but I suppose I should use the Vault's facilities while I have them."
Ember Flare: "It's a worrying discovery that they have just always... just been there"
Quick Fix prepares to mount Brick, as has likely been agreed so that they may travel with enhanced speed. The big pegasus will make a fine steed.
Ember Flare: "...so close"
"We'll think about that once we don't have the livelihood of the vault dwellers on our shoulders." Saffron lowkey replied towards Sundancer. Casting a look back towards Ember. "Also Ember, I need to steal you away for a scouting mission once we get back. If you're feeling up to it." She added, as they flapped their wings to get airborne.
Saffron: "Now that I got these here fancy radio gear on me, we can keep track of the druid's movements"
Brickfielder probably manages an unamused look to his comrades when Quick isn't looking, as he lowers himself down to give the little unicorn an easier time getting up.
Ember Flare: "mmhm sounds good"
Quick Fix makes quite the light passenger! Though his suit unfortunately weighs him down a bit more than he otherwise would. "Alright. Ready when you are, Brickfielder… Remember to pace yourself, though. You still haven't fully recovered."
Brickfielder glances over his shoulder at his passenger. "I've been flying my whole life, and have plenty of conditioning training. I know what I'm doing." He spreads his wings and rears up, taking into the air. "We'll be back before you know it, everyone."
"Yeah, well, years of training didn't pull you out of the way of those butterflies, now did they..." Quick huffed under his breath. "I trust you. Just make sure you take enough time to rest."
Your group splits up from the observatory. Sundancer heads off alone to backtrack and head towards the better facilities the Vault holds. Saffron and Ember head west towards the Earthen Cloak’s territory. Brickfielder and Quick head north, making their way to ground for their trek to trottingham.
Saffron, as soon as there was a moment away from Quick Fix and any other obligations--such as checking on the gatherers she had helped train and double checking their morale, she went to take their radio equipment off to her little 'secret' spot amongst the trees under the pretense that they were off traveling on their mission. With her new radio equipment she didn't need to steal away their larger radio kit, she just needed to tune her 148 to the right frequency. Sitting down in front of Ember, she starts to contact their HQ. "Lighthouse, this is Nimbus, how copy over?"
Saffron got a reply from Lighthouse fairly quickly. Cloudy Forecast was ready to take Saffron’s report. Although she noted it has been a while since she received one.
Brickfielder and Quick Fix would have a silent journey. As they got further north they would encounter very light snowfall dusting the terrain. They had another day of travel to Trottingham. But it went by quickly if Brickfielder could keep his small companion at a good march.
The vault was as Sundancer left it. She had been able to personalize the workshop to suit her tastes by this point. The robots in the vault were mostly just a distraction as they went about some mindless duties in the empty tomb. At least they had managed to dispose of all the bodies in the furnace by this point. They must have worked day and night over the last couple months to get all of them through the furnaces.
Quick Fix appeared, if Brick ever bothered to check, very unhappy indeed. But that was to be expected from somepony who had lost their only surviving family. Even if they were an inconsequential infrared.
Brickfielder had bothered to check. But he has nothing to really say to what Quick is going through.
Quick Fix eventually manages to catch some sleep on the back of the feathered giant. His breathing is calm and gentle, implying no terrors come to visit him during his slumber.
Saffron lowered her voice with a hint of apology. "It's been a very long week, we've been making some preparations. You might need to have a pen and paper on hoof, ma'am." Saffron then pauses a moment, to start organizing her thoughts. "About a week ago we were attacked by the crystal glass U.I.I that we've come to know as 'The Lords'. One of the biggest entities yet, a large, around 10 or so feet tall, deer-like entity with extreme resilience to physical damage and powerful telekinetic powers and their lesser butterfly and bear minions at our own base. We managed to wound it and beat it back using a new type of experimental weaponry that used the bones of the dead dragon, neutralized by Violet Rain's team. It works very well, might I add, it has magical incendiary properties." With that, she paused again to elaborate a little more. Explaining to Cloudy what they had discovered about the Lords thus far, details such as The Lords being a splintered whole of one big thing, the butterfly's supportive abilities to heal and rally, and the ability of the Lord to kidnap prone ponies very, very quickly.
Sundancer wishes she had time to arm the robots against the glass hordes, but without a mobile power source she contents herself with forging arms
Saffron: "Additionally, we managed to locate the uh... Origins of these creatures. The very south of the island, the misty part specifically near our Lumber camp, has a place called the 'House of Glass' hidden within it. According to Rhyolite--the mountain U.I.I, that's where they are based, and it is an extremely hazardous place that might conceal an army of those things."
Quick Fix and Brickfielder would arrive at Trottingham two days after they left the mountain. The fields had been cleared of crops and the light dusting of snow made the view both coldly beautiful and hollow. The city was itself much like their first visit, if damp with melting snow on the heated buildings and with a lot more chimneys going. They would have their first taste of diplomacy at the gate, when speaking with the post about what their business was.
Ember would add that Rhyolite seemed friendly at the moment due to Violets team taking out the dragon, but it considered the whole mountain range it's body and mining or other activities might anger it "At current time it appears to have a common enemy with us, the lords. It also seems to be willing to assist in actions against them"
Quick Fix finishes up the last of Brickfielder's healing on their final morning of travel to Trottingham, and though forlorn the completion of bringing his patient back to full health cheers him up a little. "There... you're good as new. Now, be more careful next time."
The response from your CO was not the most encouraging. She would report all that you discovered up the chain. But for the time being this information was all secondary concerns. You were informed that the few encounters Lighthouse has had with the glass UIIs were handled with traditional fire tactics. At the present time she understood the UIIs to be a distraction at best. Not a credible threat to the operation. She wanted to know the status of your mission.
Quick Fix is as curious as always about the looks of Trottingham. And the snow - the snow! Goodness, it's pretty. He can't wait to see the inside. As for diplomacy, though, he lets Brickfielder take charge... with a spot of assistance.
(GM Note): Quick Fix proceeded to fail every attempt at assisting with diplomacy.
Saffron took in a breath and looked up towards Ember once as she began to speak. "We are making a final push towards Trottingham very soon. We are moving our entire camp, infrareds included, and operation, to the city to make the final push towards starting conflict between the rebels and the locals. Once we get there I don't foresee us taking very long to instill confidence in the local military to start skirmishing with the U.I.Is and the rebel forces. It will take us around 2, possibly 3 days days to reach the city, and once we're there I don't foresee us taking more than 1 to maybe 3 days to complete our objective."
Ember Flare: "The glass creatures have been agitated to a degree quite a bit and the earthen cloaks seem to have the responsibility to soothe them. The lords have a hard time making distinctions between 'mortals' as they say. So if for example you all the found circles around the base were destroyed, they would be even more agitated"
Brickfielder alights and trots to the gate guards, sort of hoping his distinctive size and wings would mean he's a bit recognizable from the last visit... if these are the same guards. "I need to speak to the ponies in charge. We're from the settlement of Phoenix on the western coast of the island. We've been attacked by forces aligned with the Earthen Cloaks."
The reply from lighthouse was affirmative. Again this information would be sent up the chain. But if your information was that destruction of the UII related locations was advised that was likely a good course of action. Seafoam had advised the same and their preliminary attempts had confirmed theories. Your CO commends you on the good work. She wants you back at Lighthouse before winter properly struck. Since operations would slow during that period. She gave a note that Seafoam had been recovered and recuperated thanks to your efforts.
The guards at the gate to Trottingham would give each other confused looks before confronting Brickfielder. They’ve never heard of Phoenix before and do not understand what he is talking about.
Saffron did smile a little at the news that Seafoam squad was doing alright. "That's good to hear. Hope they get a medal for becoming dragonslayers." The red mare looked up towards Ember with a more amused smirk, then down to the radio again. "That's all for now, Lighthouse. I'll send another update once we're nearing Trottingham, Nimbus out." She said, then begins to stand up to keep moving along with Ember.
Ember finds herself smiling at the last bit which caught her by surprise
Quick Fix opens his muzzle to speak, lets out a few squeaks, and promptly closes it, embarrassed.
It would take some explaining from Brickfielder about the wider situation for these guards to get a grasp of the picture before them. It would take somewhere around half an hour for them to start to see. They pull back to have a quick conversation amongst themselves before speaking up to Brickfielder. They would have to bring the matter up to their sergeant. From there word would go to the Lord Mayors estate about your arrival. One of them would escort you to the local guard post so you could wait on messengers to summon you. If your matter was deemed worth the audience.
With the radio conversation finished Saffron and Ember could begin their scouting mission.
Brickfielder takes the response with dignity, and turns away before he finally sneers and starts pacing back and forth, digging his hooves into the dirt and mumbling under his breath.
Quick Fix appears uneasy, though also still embarrassed as well. "...sorry about that. U-um, those guards make me a little nervous.."
Ember changes to her sneaking gear "hmh seems like they don't think the lords all that credible threat... I kinda understand that. Just those bears and butterflies shouldn't do much, but if they get really pissed and multiple lords actually popped in...."
Brickfielder stops and shoots a look at Quick, before sighing. "...Whatever, it's fine. It was easier to get in last time. Damn idiots, can't listen..."
Ember Flare: "Hopefully not something we actually need to worry ourselves about"
Quick Fix shys back from that look, ears threatening to flatten before he can catch himself. "R-right. Maybe they're more on edge thanks to the winter."
Brickfielder frowns, and nods. "...You're doing fine. It's these other damned... look, just, keep following my lead."
Quick Fix nodnods rather too quickly. "Of course, Brick. This is your show. I'll help as best I can."
Saffron's wings tucked against her back as Ember speaks, letting the mare change into her previous totally-not-a-thief outfit. "Yeah... I'm pretty worried too, I wouldn't want to go back and find out half the squads under Champaign Shower got taken out. Just... At least now they know about it, that's all we can do." Saffron half-turned her head to smile a bit more encouragingly towards her comrade. "I'm confident things will be okay. It's the Cloudsdayle army we're talkin' about."
(GM Note): Saffron and Ember test for sneaking into Earthen Cloak territory.
Ember and Saffron’s scouting mission would start off with good results. They manage to see without being seen themselves. They avoid the scouts at the edge of the Earthen Cloak’s territory and slip their way within sight of the hanging village proper. Under cover of darkness they watch an assembly of druids and Robin hood return to the living spaces from deeper in the woods. It is clear their leader is agitated as he spoke loudly about their own troubles. “The lords must be appeased before the winter equinox. They must receive new play things.” The leader of the earthen cloaks would almost yell with exasperation. Whatever would happen if the Lords were not appeased was enough to make the Earthen Cloaks desperate. The pair of hidden agents could withdraw from the area to a safe distance for resting. They could try again to learn more the next night at risk of discovery.
Brickfielder and Quick would be escorted into the city to the local guards post. It was only a couple blocks down from the gate. A long, well built brick building that was both an office and barracks. You would need to explain yourselves to the sergeant on duty once more. But the stallion higher up takes your situation with a bit more gravity. He can offer you some bunks to use while you wait on a messenger from the Lord mayor’s offices. But there would be no telling how long your wait might be on a reply.
Brickfielder, after such a long amount of time traveling, wastes no time taking the offer of a bunk, to at least rest himself.
Quick Fix similarly appreciates the offering of his own bed to rest in - though he's afraid to sleep, lest night terrors come for his vulnerable mind, deprived of the warmth of Saffron's embrace or Brickfielder's back.
Brickfielder and Quick would be waiting in the barracks for most of the day before a runner would arrive to collect them. They would have had some nice hospitality during that time, with a warm meal and use of some thick blankets to keep them tight against the chill. When the runner came to collect them it was starting to get dark out. But it sounded like a now or never sort of deal to get into an audience. They were told they were to follow the runner back.
Brickfielder would actually be rather at home in the barracks, fitting in fairly well with the guards there. And, similar to them, he wastes no time snapping to attention and going to the task at hoof when the runner comes.
Quick Fix rubs his face and rolls out of bed, ready to assist Brick with the upcoming diplomacy. He's tried to focus his thoughts on the cold, the warm meals and the cruddy bunks, rather than the loss and the crackling shots in his memory.
Brickfielder and Quick Fix were escorted into the fancy district they had been told to avoid on their first trip into the city. It was hard to tell what might have changed since your last visit. But the pair were escorted to a large stone and plaster building that was near the gate into the castle district. They could see the open gate that led into that part of the city down the street. The building they were brought into seemed to be some kind of main office. Going up to a second story they were brought to what was evidently a waiting room outside of someone’s private office. They were told to wait and would be called in soon. It was practically just a hallway with some comfortable chairs to sit in.
Brickfielder doesn't sit down despite having the option, remaining standing and looking around instead. At least he's not pacing.
Quick Fix plants his rump in one of the comfy seats - perhaps because he wants to be polite, or maybe he's just tired.
The pair in the hallway would be started by the door opening quietly on well oiled hinges about ten minutes after they arrived. In the doorway a middle aged pegasus with deep blue colouring in a suit would clear his throat and wave them to enter. The pegasus’s office was well decorated and furnished. Trophy cabinets holding pictures and odd momentos. He sat at a broad desk with papers in orderly stacks and multiple stamps lined up. He had two seats prepared in front of his desk for you to take. The older stallion introduced himself as Sir Overwatch, the assistant to the Lord Mayor. He had been informed you had urgent news.
Brickfielder would... be surprised by the presence of a pegasus, but, would avoid indicating that, nodding respectfully and taking a seat. "Thank you for accepting to meet with us. I'll be terse." He attempts, in the simplest terms, to explain how Phoenix came to be, the relationship with the Cloaks, and the recent attack they suffered, all leading to the main point of coming here: "It's not safe out there on our own. We want to ask that Trottingham take the remaining ponies of our settlement in as refugees."
Quick Fix just kinda... sits there, looking cute. Apparently he's deciding to hold his support for it if it's absolutely needed.
The Lord Mayor’s assistant takes your story at face value. He seems to have no reason to mistrust you at least. He will have your request forwarded to the Lord Mayor to sign off on, but he explains the situation. Your people could arrive and set up temporary shelters in the area around the south gates. You would need to fend for yourselves when it came to supplies, or on the potential generosity of the citizens. From there it would be expected your people would do their best to integrate into the city as homes could be made for them. He seemed to be aware of vault dwellers enough to know they would be naive about the ways of the surface. The conversation was managed over about half an hour. With that in its way he changed the situation a little bit. He asked Quick Fix if he could wait in the hall for a few minutes. Sir Overwatch had questions specifically for Brickfielder.
Quick Fix narrows his eyes a little, standing his ground. "I might not have had much to say, but I am here to listen as a diplomat for the Dwellers. What you have to ask him you have to ask me."
Brickfielder seems satisfied with how things are progressing, and assures the Vault dwellers would do their best to integrate. Upon Overwatch's request, he's silent for a moment, before looking at Quick. "It's alright, Quick. Go and take a seat in the hall. Let us talk assistant mayor to assistant mayor."
(GM Note): Quicks Player disconnected for a bit so executive power was used to move the scene along.
Despite the protest the unicorn would be forced to sulk from the room. The heavy door would make it very difficult to catch any of the conversation in the office however. With the vault dweller out of the room Sir Overwatch gets to the point. He asks Brickfielder how he felt about the president's day attack.
Brickfielder would tense up, and sit more upright, staring at Overwatch with slightly raised eyebrows, before settling into a firmer expression. "...I was very young. I can barely remember anything about the day itself... Sir. But it was a gross attempt at defiling Cloudsdayle all the same." He glances down briefly and looks back up. "...You're in deep."
“Six years.” Sir Overwatch noted simply. The meaning had been made and he continued to get to the point. “What is your mission here? I have been waiting on word of this operation for a long while.”
(GM Note): Quick’s player came back and asked OOC about listening in on the conversation. After near failures they succeeded on some observation+evasion to handle a vent.
Outside of the room the Unicorn could telekinetically remove the cover of a vent from behind one of the waiting chairs. He would need to get his head into there to make out what little he could. He could hear Brickfielder talking, but the assistant was quieter.
Brickfielder: "C.L.O.D.S., Sir. My squad and I are posing as refugees from the mainland. We're one of only a few teams that are performing clandestine operations."
"That much was evident boy. What is the purpose of your team?" The agent asked again. "I doubt it is to escort vault residents around."
With what little he can makes his eyes widen and his stomach curl. He had a feeling something was wrong, but... that can't-... and that would mean... Saffron..? It takes every inch of his being not to do something - run away, or burst into the room to confront Brickfielder, or curl up and cry... ...but he doesn't. He needs more information. And in that field, discretion is his ally.
Brickfielder stays sitting where he is, holding Overwatch's gaze. "...At present, we are to cause aggression between Trottingham and the Cloaks, Sir. The Cloaks betrayed Phoenix, and we were hoping that Trottingham's residents hearing that story from the refugees would help incite something."
“Good.” Overwatch said with a nod. “That would be sufficient justification to start aggressions with them this spring. Escort your refugee train here and then consider your mission a success. I will have the city extend them further aid simply to keep them sated for when the occupation arrives. Stretch reserves further.” He paused and continued. “When you next report to your CO, make sure this phrase goes up the chain. ‘Autumn Delta Plume.”
Brickfielder: "Autumn Delta Plume. Understood, Sir. Thank you."
"Good luck. I am glad to have this over with soon." Quick could hear the creak of a chair as Overwatch stood up to show Brickfielder to the door.
Quick Fix swiftly removes head from vent and propels himself into a chair, wiping the tears from his eyes as a last touch.
Brickfielder stands up, and makes sure to snap a small, but proper, salute to Overwatch before smiling and trotting after Overwatch and heading out the door, knowing that when it's open Quick will be able to hear again. "I'm glad you understand."
Quick manages to get the cover of the vent back into place and the dust out of his hair before the door would start to open. Getting himself into a seat and remaining calm would be the tricky part as Brickfielder was let out into the waiting area. You were told by the lord mayor's assistant you should leave as early as possible, to return to your people.
Quick Fix meets Brick with an acted glower. "Hmf, I hope that was productive. I don't like being treated like a child... but at least we've done what we came here for. Let's... get going."
Brickfielder bids a polite goodbye to the assistant, and glances at Quick, motioning with a wing. He seems more confident now. "I understand, Quick. But I think that Trottingham's support is guaranteed now."
Quick Fix takes a deep breath, holding back any outburst. "Let's go." And out they go, into the night.
Sundancer would have a bit of an inconvenience to manage in the vault. The reactor was starting to leak once again. Power would fail rapidly if she did not put another patch job on it.
Brickfielder and Quick Fix were given beds for the night at the barracks out of courtesy to their situation. They were fed and sent off in the morning. Quick would not likely get much restful sleep due to what he had learned. Brickfielder would be comfortable in a barracks however.
Ember and Saffron had learned some information from the Earthen Cloaks on their spying mission. Having pulled back for the day they had the option to return the following night or try something new.
Ember chews some of their rations in their makeshift camp "I knew.. they're getting desperate. We have to figure out their next step if we want this to go on without any more hitches or delays"
Sundancer grumbles but she can't let her prize give out on her yet. A couple more days, baby. She decides to weld a square of metal on the location of the breech and hope for the best
Ember Flare: "We can't let them calm the Lords now that we got them riled up"
Saffron would've moved back with Ember to their hiding spot partially underneath the bushes. They had learned quite a bit of valuable information despite only having heard a little bit. She tried to get in contact with Sundancer quickly once they settled down, or anypony who might be close to the radio--it didn't really matter who. So she could relay a message: "The druids are becoming desperate. They need 'playthings' to satisfy their gods very badly. Good chance they will make a move very soon, or when we begin moving." Once she had said that, she looked up to Ember as she spoke. Saffron considered it... "What do you suggest? We'd have to walk around quite a bit, and going into the village is a surefire way to get into shit's creek."
Ember Flare: "I think we can skirt around them... Even if they aren't as loud as they were today. And what's the worst that can happen? They spot us."
Ember waves her hoof dismissively "I'm sure we'd be able to lose them in the forest pretty quick"
Saffron smirked to Ember's confidence approvingly. "This is their home turf and these ponies are survivalists by the looks of it." Saffron remarked on a lower key. Then nodded slowly. "But I do think it's worth trying to find out if they're planning an ambush, so we can plan ahead of them. We can skirt around the village and see what comes out, or if we hear something..."
Ember Flare: "mmhm, Robin Hood clearly leads the whole pack, but the druids might be more likely to contact the lords. Do you think we should prioritize one or the other?"
Sundancer manages to get the spot welding in place for the reactor. But from the looks of it the thing is not doing well. It’s deteriorating and at this stage is going to shut down and be a leaking mess within a few days. She will not have to worry about it exploding like in the cartoons. But she will have to hurry or risk irradiating herself and all that she is working on.
Saffron starts to shift back up slowly, navigating through the inside of their bush-cover and peeking towards the village to see how they could start overwatching from closer up. "I'm thinking... Yeah, if we check on the druids we'll get at least a hunch. Though I get the feeling Robin Hood would want to do things more personally now that things are becoming heated… Are you ready for it? We can find a better spot."
Ember nods and gathers up her gear
Saffron picks up her survival kit's saddlebags from the ground and wears it across hers back, securing them to herself. Once Ember is ready, she starts to scout out a position to better see the Druid's movements from a bit closer, while also keeping in mind where she had seen the Lookouts.
(GM Note): Saffron and Ember made an evasion skill test to sneak around. They crushed it.
Saffron and Ember work like ghosts among the Earthen Cloaks. They manage to avoid the sentries around the perimeter and gain access to the deeper parts of their village. They locate the druid’s frequently used circle located in the heart of their territory. The place has been ritualized and is decorated in strange and arcane fashion. Ritualistic offerings or decorations of herbs in bowls are located around the perimeter in unison with candles and effigies of ancient bones. In the center of the circle lies a stone altar, darkened with likely years of spilled blood. The pair catch the druids in the middle of a ritual that evening. With many of them gathered around the circle, chanting and praying. From the outside Ember can feel the magic aura of the ritual. They are calling for guidance by their masters, and the masters answer. Even from outside the circle you can hear the voice responding to their direct request. It is not gatekeeper, but a lords answering them from beyond. It tells them they must control the offerings and prevent them from escaping. The lords will have their playthings. The servants will deal with the collection themselves.
Saffron's face grimaced into a scowl as they loomed from the shadows. Tangible outrage making her brow twitch into outright hostility as she held a hoof over her heavy pistol, glancing down at it once in consideration...
Saffron however never ends up drawing it. Too much risk. She looked towards Ember once instead, looking over as her brow lifts questioningly. Then leans in very close to whisper as quietly as she can. "Do you think we could find where they store their weapons and set it on fire?"
Ember whispers back "Well maybe an armoury or something... but do you think it's the best time? We might cause them to act earlier than they would otherwise"
Ember Flare: "It's a solid idea but... should we wait till the last moment?"
Saffron nods slowly. Then thinks a little more, starting to slink further into the shadows as she proactively turned around to begin getting away from the congregation of druids. "We can poison something." Saffron mutters back. "It'll be more subtle. "..."
Ember Flare: "...Their entire village is built in the treetops... if we managed to find some flammables in their storages and set several fires they might have a bit more on their plate than they can handle? It would take me too long to set several fires in quick succession, I need time to recharge"
Saffron shakes her head slowly. Double checking her equipment. They had everything BUT poison. She thought hard. But nodded along with Ember's words, her face brightening up slowly. "Yes. That could work. Risky, but could work. Let's go scout out their stockpiles."
Saffron begins to start creeping along the way they came. Sticking closer to Ember to try and find something they could use to sow fire and chaos in their wake, then exfiltrate.
Ember and Saffron could recall they had seen supplies in netting hanging around much of the Earthen Cloak’s village. Setting a building or two fire would not be too difficult a feat for Ember’s magic. The severity would be hampered given the chill autumn air. But that meant there was plenty of dry foliage around as well. If they attempted the arson they would need to evacuate immediately after while trying to keep under the radar.
Ember concentrates her magics, trying to envelop several trees and branches in her magical grasp. Smoke rising from the seams of her outfit and very soft glow escaping the dark fabric
#CGMP_DESCRIPTION
Between the pair of them Saffron and Ember can cause quite a blaze to start. One among the dry underbrush and another directly along a building and supply line. The blaze will start quickly and alert attention nearly as fast. The pair of arsonists will need to make a quick and quiet escape to prevent immediate counter attack.
Saffron did not have magic to help her set fires, but she didn't let that small detail stop her from going up-close and bringing out firestarting supplies to begin setting another location on fire as Ember sets one ablaze. As the fires begin to rage, she canter back to Ember, gives her a signal-pat on the shoulder, and begins to retreat.
The arsonists manage to evade the Earthen cloaks that rush in to try and steam the blaze. But the fire would start to spread quickly from the dry kindling. The pair do not so much have to outrun the patrols or sentries. They have to youtube the fire that would be spreading through the underbrush quick enough to be knipping at their flanks. It might be the case they did their job here too well. The entire forest might start to burn.
Ember keeps running but glances behind her every now and then "uh oh... I think the plan worked"
Sundancer can spend her days in the vault extremely productively. By the second day of dedicated work she was out of dragonbone, but managed to load all the shots she wanted and make more than a few axe heads and knife blades. She begins to cannibalize the vault's steel in her wake. Through her work she eventually makes enough armaments to outfit a small army. At least enough to outfit most of Phoenix. It is almost more work hauling her finished goods back and forth from the vault than it was to make all of it.
Saffron doesn't look back given she could feel the heat singing her tail, she could feel it on her wings as she ran with them half-spread. "I think it might've worked TOO well, actually." Saffron remarked with some amusement as they ran, only glancing up to see the amber glow brightening up the trees beside them as they made to get away from the village entirely, and get back towards home.
There is no telling at this early stage what larger effect the fires will have. The air around the earthen cloak’s village becomes dense with smoke that evening. The pair will not get much rest that night as they have to flee the blaze. With the live woods it will likely take a long time for it to eat its way out of the village. But for now the situation is a wait and see.
Embers gaze lingers behind for a moment "It does look pretty though... I hope the HQ doesn't consider this destruction of Enclave property"
Saffron comes down from her run, into a trot, and finally to a dead and slightly drifty stop on the dirt. Looking back past Ember and towards the distant glow and obscuring smoke in the background. At hearing Ember, she chuckled and side glanced at their comrade once. "Damn, yeah. I think we might be too good at sabotaging, might need to tone it down, haha..." She snickered, and gave a nod to herself. "Oh well. I'm sure things will work out one way or another... Let's get going to meet Brick and company half-way."
The day after the blaze Saffron and Ember would receive radio communications from Brickfielder and Quick Fix on their return path. The arsonists were to link up with them to escort them back home. It would be clear given the raising wall of smoke from the south west that there was a story to tell in person.
Saffron sounded smug on the radio. She was definitely happy with their deed when getting in touch with Brickfielder again. The smugness returned when, walking along the same path as them, Saffron and likely Ember behind them met up with the duo. Saffron started to canter towards the giant and the tiny unicorn with a big grin. "Heyo." Saffron greeted them cheerfully, "So. How was the social interaction?"
Brickfielder seems to radiate confidence as he alights and allows Quick to disembark. "We have Trottingham's full support. We can start moving everyone right away." He nods his head towards the southwest. "Couldn't help but notice that forest fire. What's the reasoning for that?"
Quick Fix has only a terse expression to greet Saffron with. He wouldn't fake eagerness to see Saffron; she would be able to tell, he's sure. "Things went smoothly. What did you do?"
Ember Flare: "We wanted to slow down the Earthen cloaks attack plans. So we thought it would... you know help if they had to worry about their village for a moment"
Ember rubs her neck "But it kinda got out of hoof"
Brickfielder looks at the rising smoke again... and permits himself a smirk.
Saffron walked up to stand beside Brickdielder as Quick Fix dismounted. Her eyes visibly drift towards Quick Fix, brow rising slightly as she definitely sees... Something in Quick Fix's gaze, but makes no comment as she replied to Brickfielder. "Well, you SEE... What we suspected about them sicking the Lord's goonies at us was true. They were VERY desperate--as I said on the radio, I think, so we sneaked into the village past a TON of guards and eyes, spectated their ritual congregation as they were in the middle of being told by the lord to 'Contain us', to make us into slaves."
"SO... We," Saffron looked to Ember, nodding to herself. "Set their shit on fire. And then ran away. Unseen. Good luck planning an ambush while your house is burning."
Quick Fix quirks an eyebrow. That doesn't quite... fit. Why would they plan a sabotage if...? Perhaps to help the Vault Dwellers - but what value would...?Motives conflict in the unicorn's poor head, who shakes it to clear his mind. What a mess."That'll hopefully prevent them from attacking our caravan. ...unfortunately, ponies can't walk through an active forest fire."
Saffron turned her head to spit in the direction of the rising plumes of smoke that was the Druid's village. The hatred she felt was palpable, her eyes changing from the usual relatively good-natured look to one that was outright poisonous. Which quickly went back to a peppy glance when she turned back towards Quick. "Don't worry. Remember our deal with the giant? We'll be okay."
On the trip back to Phoenix your group can witness the blaze from the air. The area around the earthen Cloak’s village is dense with smoke and beyond visibility. But to saffron’s keen eyes She could estimate that the blaze should have been wider spread than it was after the couple days of travel. Somehow the Earthen Cloaks must have a way to contain the fire or mitigate it in some fashion. It turned out not to be as all consuming a blaze as Saffron had hoped, or feared, it would be.
Saffron would make a remark on this as she keeps tabs on the fire. Both for themselves and to confirm her suspicions. "Hmh." She slowly shifted her eyes back in Brickfielder's direction. "The fire is being contained." She remarked on a softer, more serious note. "Probably receiving help from the Lords. It will likely still take them time to douse it, so if we move quick we can avoid getting ambushed too early on."
Ember Flare: "Huh... I guess it worked exactly as we hoped then... Still we best hurry everyone out before they manage to regroup"
Brickfielder shares a look with Saffron and nods. "No reason to delay."
"Agreed." Saffron replied in the direction of her compatriots. Though she begins to hover closer to Quick Fix's side to passively walk alongside him, occasionally looking slightly worriedly in his direction.
Quick Fix keeps at least some distance from the rest of the squad, including Saffron - he shifts to the side a bit every time she tries to approach, though he shows no signs of why he might be acting so strangely in his expression. Perhaps he just wants some space after losing his only family."The sooner we make it to Trottingham, the sooner we can start making something of ourselves."
The majority group could return to Phoenix with the good news, in both cases of the tasks. They would learn how productive sundancer had been, given that most every resident of the village would have some armament to defend themselves with now. They could have the ammunition distributed among themselves and stored for later Enclave recovery. Brickfielder could give news of his diplomatic success to the Overseer, who would be ecstatic that things had gone so well. Sundancer would however have to inform them that the Vault’s reactor was now offline.
(GM Note): Sundancer had been making crafting actions to make dragonbone and steel weapons while the other PCs were away. She made enough axes, swords, and knives to outfit nearly outfit all of the vault dwellers.
Quick Fix attempts to get a chance to speak to the Overseer in private.
Sundancer greets her returning squad with a smile and a wave, showing off the switchblade Saffron requested and delivering the bad news
Brickfielder, once he notices Quick heading off to speak to the Overseer, attempts to subtly go about and get the rest of the squad to gather in their cabin, saying he has news to share from Trottingham.
Organization of the caravan out had been put into effect by the Overseer while your groups had been away. Thankfully things have been quiet and a lot of the work has been in the efforts of making preserved foodstuffs. Quick would have some chance to speak with the Overseer, if not entirely privately but when he was performing his duties. Nimbus Squad would have a chance to speak privately but would not have much time to rest. The Overseer wanted the caravan out of the village as soon as possible.
Quick Fix taps the Overseer on the shoulder as soon as they have a moment alone. "We need to speak privately. I have some... troubling news. No one else can know."
Saffron would not attempt to get closer to Quick upon seeing Quick. She cared enough to not occupy his space if he didn't want her around, but, lowkey, she did look a little... Hurt, but his behaviour. While she was smug at first, now she was starting to look a little genuinely sad. She tentatively asked if he was okay or if she had something wrong. But (perhaps unwisely) didn't press him much more outside of submissively trying to connect with him a little bit again. Once they were back into Phoenix, Saffron seemed anxious and antsy. She watched Quick Fix swiftly file himself away, while Sundancer filled them in. She didn't listen much.
Ember looks impressed at the massive armory Sundancer has created "Oh wow that... You really decided to arm an entire army with these"
Sundancer winks "Figured I'd make an investment in the long term. The melee weapons should last for decades in the right hooves."
Brickfielder doesn't waste time once he has the rest of Nimbus together, making sure to lower his voice to help convey the gravity. "There's a pegasus in a high place in Trottingham. The Lord Mayor's assistant, Overwatch, has been in the city undercover for six years. He and I spoke privately, that's how I was able to secure access."
Ember shuffles through the ammo and restocks on some AP and explosive ammo
The overseer could humor Quick Fix and give him a few minutes to speak in the town hall. He would ask with patience but a little concern as to what Quick Fix needed to speak about.
Brickfielder: "More importantly, he needs us to send a code the next time we report back. Autumn Delta Plume. If I had to guess, the sooner we can get that to our CO, the better."
Saffron
Saffron would eventually, and very reluctantly tear her eyes from where she had seen Quick Fix disappear into when she was hoofed a new switchblade. One made of dragon teeth. She looked down at the item bug-eyed, then up at Sundancer. "Holy shit you're awesome." Saffron spoke with perhaps a little too wholeheartedly as she began to fiddle with it, sitting down and starting to flick it open and closed, testing it a few times. But stops abruptly at hearing Brickfielder's statement. She queried her brow. "Huh. Yeah, we just need to pack our bags quickly then huh..."
Saffron: "Uhm. Hey, Brick? What's wrong with Quick?"
Brickfielder stops and glances at Saffron. "...He's been troubled since Smoky died. Told me about it on the trip to Trottingham. I... did my best to help him take his mind off of it. Why?"
Sundancer beams at Saffron "With how little I've worked with bone, I'm pleasantly surprised." she turns to Brick "Ah damn. If the Lord Mayor's assistant is with Cloudsdayle, we might not be needed on this assignment for much longer."
Saffron's ears pin and her wings tucked. Looking off to the side with sheer shame for a good two seconds, as she begins to talk. "Because... He's like--you noticed him keeping his distance right? I mean I tried to comfort him best I could and--and I kept my distance and all but he seemed... More troubled, like ... At me specifically?"
"...uh... it's..." Quick sighs, shaking his head. "I always knew something was wrong, but this... this was... worse than I thought."He fills the Overseer in on the situation; he overheard Brick's side of speaking with the mayor of Trottingham after he was asked to wait outside. He heard Brickfielder state he was a clandestine operative posing with the other pegasi as refugees from the mainland, with the goal of inciting conflict between Trottingham and the Cloaks. Seeing as Saffron and Ember had almost taken out the Cloaks single-hoofedly... it was not for the good of Trottingham. They must come from an outside force with a deeply-rooted interest in invading and occupying the city for reasons unknown.
Saffron's body seems to sag. Not even the dragon switchblade seemed to interest her anymore. Though she does do one-more flick to close it up, and then start to conceal it under her webbing vest.
"you know it's... not gonna matter much once we're done with the mission right?" Ember furrows her brow and cocks her head slightly "we'll be returning to base"
Brickfielder just raises an eyebrow at Saffron, before shaking his head. "I don't know. You may need to speak to him about it; he's grieving." He then looks at Sundancer. "And that's for the best."
Saffron starts to stand up again, looking straight to Ember with a tense look. Jaw firmly clenched and face slowly grimaced with discomfort. "Yeah. I know." She simply said. She then fell silent, downcasting her eyes. "I need to... Get my shit together a moment." Saffron's eyes lifted up towards the others, hiding all her discomfort behind a small smile, "All in a day's work though, right? Or at least a few week's work. Heh."
Sundancer nods enthusiastically "Sooner I can get two C.L.O.D.S. ops under my wings the sooner I can get on with my life." she turns pensive "I've enjoyed my first one more than I thought. Maybe I'll do more ground ops after I turn blue."
Saffron then starts to walk away, more in the direction of where Quick Fix had disappeared into to catch up with them. "Colt. What am I doing..." She seemed to tell herself quietly beneath her breath.
Brickfielder watches Saffron leave the cabin, and manages to look a bit concerned, looking back to Ember and Sundancer but not saying anything. "...Let's just get things ready."
The overseer would listen to Quick’s explanation with stunned silence. It would take him a few moments to think about it. His response was a bit tepid however. While he did not have any reason to disbelieve what Quick says he had heard, it did not quite fit what they currently knew about the pegasi group. They had spent all that time building up the town and arming them, training them. What benefit would they have for doing all this? If their goals was to invade somehow they were not doing a very good job of it by helping to bolster Trottingham’s defenses. It was a tough puzzle. He asked Quick if he felt it best to try and confront them about the matter?
Ember looked a bit concerned at Saffron's reaction before turning attention to Sundancer "Oh right... most of you are just going to be doing one more mission.. Heh.. I'll be doing these for a living I guess. Well it's been pretty nice first dip into real action. Expected much worse"
Brickfielder: "I don't know about *one* more. It's five years until I'm a Blue."
"I have no explanation for that. Why would they spend time on rescuing us and training us and arming us when their objective was to weaken Trottingham? ...maybe they're... just... conflicted." Quick frowns. "It would certainly explain the way Saffron has acted to me in the past. Always acting like she's done something terrible and she doesn't 'deserve' me...""In any case, if we confront them about it they'll probably just kill us when we get there. Or maybe even here. There's nothing we can do, Sir. I just... I didn't want to be the only pony who knew."
Saffron lingered around the corner from the doorway once she was outside. Out of sheer stress she stretched her wings and blew out a shaky sigh, darting her eyes in a moment of thought and silent introspection. Then begins to straighten up, inhaling sharply as she begins to stride with more confident steps, walking across the little village they had created and smiling to those she encountered, giving them nods in greeting and even calling out a few names peppily. Until she gets closer to the doorway Quick Fix had taken the Overseer into, stopping again.
Saffron spends a moment considering walking in. Then just hisses through her teeth, and turned around, deciding to instead park herself with her side on the adjacent building to wait.
(GM Note): Saffron made an observation test to listen in on the conversation in the town hall.
The Overseer would give Quick Fix a pat on the shoulder. It was good that he had told him, even if there was not much that could be done about it immediately. If things started to look bad then perhaps what would be best is after they arrived at trottingham they might have to turn over the pegasi to the local authorities. If this was all cover for some conspiracy.
Quick Fix: "...we might be able to contact the Mayor directly and inform him about his traitorous assistant. Who knows if he'd actually believe us, though. And what would that do? They must be planning to invade soon; Brickfielder was given some... special... pass-code. 'Autumn Delta Plume'. Getting the spy thrown out won't do much good if he's had years to do damage already."
Outside Saffron could listen in on part of the conversation that was happening in the large, echoed main hall. She hears Quick repeat the code phrase that Brickfielder had just told them, and a plan to out the spy. The mayor seems to be in agreement, and says that the specifics will need to be discussed once they reach Trottingham. For the time being it was just best to keep a wary eye out for trouble. But as is it was difficult to see the pegasi as anything other than their saviors given all that they had done for the vault.
"Our best bet might be to try and work with them, if worse comes to worst. I... I think we've fought well as a team. Maybe I can use that to ensure our safety. I... I don't know. Luna's... bony... horn..."Quick shakes his head and trots out of the cabin.
Saffron was content with not eavesdropping in Quick Fix's business. However is was almost by pure chance that she had found herself in the right position for her to overhear crucial information, as her headset earpiece seems to catch something by proximity. She overhears the code phrase being uttered by Quick Fix, and she stops mid-scratching of her neck, tensing up as her eyes start to widen in realization. Just in time for Quick Fix to come out, and make VERY AWKWARD eye contact.
Quick Fix blinks, seeing the red pegasus standing across the street with a rather... concerning expression on her face. He feels the need to clear his throat, a strange tightness welling up in his chest, "...Saffron."
Saffron stared him down, looking him straight in the eyes with the most uncomfortably alert look in her eyes, her brow furrowing slightly as she gave him a very inquisitive look, looking past him and into the room where he had left the overseer, and then back to him. She seemed to be stuck in an utterly stunned silence.
The rest of the squad can help with preparations for the evacuation. There was hauling to be done but much of what all was going to be taken was being brought on pony back.
Quick Fix regards her with a similar expression, starting to frown... did she overhear something they said? ...no matter. There's no way he can sabotage their mission at this point. Maybe Saffron doesn't know that, but Quick does. He walks past her and down to the team's cabin, sighing.
"Hey." Saffron strides up next to him before he can fully get away, going so far as to put a wing across his chest to stop him, getting right into his personal space as she whispers quietly. "You need to talk to me. Right now." She says, in a tone that didn't 'ask' but moreso ordered him to do so.
Saffron: "Walk with me a second, alright?"
Ember goes around checking they're getting everything vital packed and comments to Sundancer and Brickfielder "Almost a shame to leave this whole place behind... for a wooden shanty town it turned out surprisingly cozy"
Quick Fix looks at her. He doesn't gaze, nor glance - he looks. And he stares. It's not an angry stare, but a cold stare: a stare devoid of feeling, save for contempt."We should be preparing to leave."
Brickfielder nods while assembling his things. "...Quite. It's something we helped make, I suppose."
Sundancer: "I had fun, but it was my first effort. I might end up making landfall bases professionally."
Saffron stepped directly in front of him with a narrowed look in her eyes. "And you need to rethink some life decisions you're about to make." She rebuts. "Don't play coy with me. I already heard the bloody codeword you're not supposed to even know about, so look me in the eyes and start spilling the beans."
Ember Flare: "Ah that does sound pretty comfortable... making fortifications, staying away from the heat… I'm just hoping this place doesn't ruin me for some wasteland trips... bleh"
"And why would you know about any 'codeword'? Why would you eavesdrop on me?" He kept his composure before, but there's an edge to his voice. "Why would you lie to me? W-why would you pretend to love me a-and give me a FAKE first kiss and- a-and - and send all of us to a c-city that you KNOW is about to be attacked?!" He's tearing up. His voice tends toward screaming.
Ember will also at some point take the time to switch from her burglary outfit back to the Dragon bone infused armor
Sundancer nods "The weather's been really nice. I don't know if the fog makes the air more dense or it's the altitude alone, but the dew is a good feeling."
Saffron's ears pinned against the sides of her head as he begins to raise his voice. "I wasn't even eavesdropping I was literally across the damn path!... If I had the choice I'd choose to unhear what came out of your damn mouth." Saffron protested with a fairly noticeably genuine frustration, throwing out a shaky, emotionally charged sigh as he says the rest of his piece. She shakes her head. "Not everything was fake. It was not a FAKE first kiss--maybe to you it feels like it now, and I wouldn't blame you. But I couldn't straight-up tell you anything! You don't see it from my end..."
Saffron: "And look. The fact we're going to town with everyone is already derailing from the original intent. if you go into town with everyone, you can escape. There's a way out. Here there isn't!"
"And what's that?" His voice is low, and shaky, threatening to break at any moment. "We're on an island. There isn't anywhere else we can go. You'd be destroying the only safe place for hundreds of kilometers."
Saffron shakes her head and throws out another sigh. "Those gryphons came from somewhere. That city is coastal--there HAS to be a port. Gryphonia maybe, somewhere, anywhere." The mare shakily puts a hoof to her forehead. "It's out of my hooves, Quick Fix. All I can do is try to make sure you get out of that city with the rest of the dwellers."
Quick Fix takes a moment to think. He's still teary, but at least he isn't screaming and crying and letting the whole town know of the big bad pegasi sending them to their deaths. "...alright. How long do we have? ...until it happens? And we can't come to where you're from?"
Saffron tucked in her wings and shook her head, looking over her shoulder warily as he muttered a response. "Once we get into Trottingham and get settled down things are going to be in motion already. I don't know how fast the cogs turn, probably days at most." She looked back at him, looking him in the eyes. She didn't cry herself but she trembled with some sort of adrenaline. "Just don't do anything stupid."
Saffron: "I care about you. That wasn't a lie. But I can't help you if it becomes evident you know things."
"...there's nothing we can do anyway." He sighs. "If it really is just days away, then we couldn't make any meaningful difference. Even if Trottingham knew what was coming it's likely it will be overwhelmed. The best thing we can do is to try and make it to another nearby city. And the best thing you can do is help us, now that you've done your job so well."He glances toward the cabins."Sundancer must be one hell of a smart robot to be part of a team like this. And Ember seems... grounded. Brickfielder I'm not so sure about. He doesn't seem to know what I found. But it would be best if they didn't know until we're gone. Can you convince them to assist our evacuation?"
With a little bit extra help the caravan would be packed and ready to go before the end of the day. The overseer was on site once again, looking tired. The last touches would be put in place before everypony in Phoenix would be ready to make the next trek.
Saffron tentatively raises a hoof, shamefully brushing the tip of her hoof against his chest fur. Too ashamed to really push her hoof for any real touching, and quickly lowering the hoof a second later. "Cyborg." She corrects him at the mention of Sundancer. Shaking her head at him quickly. "And I could try. But I wouldn't bet any bits on it. But if you endear yourself to Brickfielder a bit more... He's definitely more eloquent than me."
"He also has hooves big enough to stomp me into paste." Quick seems... uncomfortable. Perhaps not very pleased with having to regard Brickfielder in that manner. "I'm not sure... what he's *really* like. But it would probably be best if you were with me if I talked to him."
Quick Fix also hums a bit at the mention of Sundancer's true nature. He *knew* there was something up with that 'robot'.
Saffron wries her lip with a deep discomfort. But nods quietly in agreement. "I did promise your mom to watch your back, before she died. I'll hold that promise as much as I can, but make sure you cover your bases." She simply tells him quietly, and then stepped aside from in front of him and nudged his foreleg with hers to urge him onward.
Saffron: "C'mon. Let's not be late. We might get ambushed on the way up the mountains, so make sure you're mentally prepared."
"...mhm." Without another word, Quick leads the way toward their cabin. How he'll get Brickfielder alone with himself and Saffron he doesn't know. Ah, well... just another obstacle to be surmounted. Like old times.
Leaving behind the village you built is no easy task. There would be a melancholy among the vault residents, even as many of them know they are going to a new and hopefully welcoming place. The caravan of under a hundred ponies would not be the largest mass you have seen. But with a couple wagons to draw it would be slow going. Heading east towards the mountains your group who had been there before would be surprised to find a broad switchback path that would allow the caravan access to the higher levels of the mountains. Rhyolite seems to have made good on her word, as your scout confirms from the air. There was a relatively flat trail heading north along the mountains that had not been there the last time you had been here.
Quick Fix attempts to pull Brickfielder toward the back of the caravan as they travel, sharing knowing looks with Saffron.
Brickfielder prefers to remain in the air, moving up and down the caravan to monitor and assist where needed, but he would inevitably notice Quick and Saffron's pulling, and eventually takes a detour to the back, alighting by Quick to give his wings a rest and trot instead.
With Saffron and the caravan close by, Quick feels... relatively safe to discuss certain things with the big pegasus. "Brickfielder. We... have logistics to discuss."
Brickfielder gives a raised eyebrow down at Quick, and looks back up at the wagons. "...Do we? We're on the move already. Logistics were decided back in Phoenix."
"I'm going to be... blunt." He returns, simply. "It has come to my attention that Trottingham isn't going to be safe for us shortly after we arrive. We are going to somehow need to secure transport off the Isle of Mist as soon as we arrive."
Saffron stood close to Quick Fix as they walked back. Very close; she doesn't really leave his side very much outside of moments where she had to check on things or help somepony who might or might not have needed it, before coming back. Seeing Brickfielder coming over from the corner of her eye, she turned her head to him with an uneasy-looking smirk, nodding up to him. Side glancing Quick Fix once as he begins to speak.
Brickfielder shares a glance with Saffron before looking at Quick. He then looks back at Saffron, furrowing his brow slightly, and returns his gaze to Quick. "If you believe that, then that's something we deal with once we're in Trottingham. We can't arrange something like that from here."
Saffron: "We'll have to talk with whatever harbor master is over there, yeah. He just wanted to know if you'd like to help, if anything."
Quick Fix: "...I just want to make sure... that we'll have your support. I know it's not necessarily... your 'duty' to ensure our safety. But... I'd like to think... that you care for us. And you know that the city isn't a safe place for us."
Saffron's lips visibly fall into an uncomfortable frown, turning away from Brickfielder to stare ahead with that long face of hers.
Brickfielder keeps a firm gaze on Quick, probably having a less genial demeanor than he generally maintained while being the assistant to the Overseer. "...I can help talk if need be."
Saffron's frown seems to lessen at the agreement from Brickfielder. She finally turned her head a bit more towards him, "Alright. Glad to know we have the help of Big Boss now." She rather jokingly stated to lighten the mood, looking between him and the tiny unicorn once. "I'm gonna do some forward scouting. Why don't you two hang out a bit? You looked so nice together." She grinned, as she starts walking away cheekily.
"I'll be right back, promise." She said, on a quieter note, in Quick Fix's direction.
Quick Fix offers a tiny nod toward the little red pegasus.
Brickfielder casts another glance at Saffron, face still hardened, before he nods to her in acknowledgment.
Quick Fix lets the silence hang for a little while, before he speaks up again. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for us. For... me. I... I liked our talks, Brickfielder. Our flights together... those quiet evenings..." He sniffles, trying not to tear up and failing miserably. "But I-I understand what needs to happen. We won't get in your way. Just... get us out of here."
Saffron sped up from a stride to a canter to jog past the caravan and start making headway towards the woods so she can find a good-enough play to radio back Cloudy and give them the big news, as well as also make sure the terrorists weren't setting up ahead of them too.
Saffron would be able to make a call to HQ regarding the squad’s current situation and to report the code phrase they had been given by Overwatch. Your CO would give you an affirmative reply regarding the phrase and your situation. But she would ask if it was possible for your squad to leave the vault residents to themselves and return to HQ.Winter would be approaching very soon and it was best to have all squads accounted for before the snow-in. Would there be anything preventing them from exfiltrating sooner than later?
Brickfielder keeps looking ahead as Quick starts talking, eventually glancing down at him out the corner of his eye. He doesn't say anything, though, and just looks ahead, face screwing up slightly as he gets lost in thought.
When it came to the Earthen Cloaks, they seem to have been left in the dust. Their type of camouflage was not suited for the mountains and from the residual smoke the forest fire was still going. The wind was carrying it east up the mountains, stinging everyone’s eyes.
Quick Fix doesn't have much to say further, and he regains control of his composure soon enough - externally, anyway. They have a long trip ahead of them.
Saffron was more or less expecting their CO to try to recall them like that, but it still felt like a bullet to the head. She cringed a little bit and thought fast. She replied: "The contact told Brickfielder specifically that we needed to get the Dwellers to Trottingham to use as a scapegoat to begin conflicts. Once we get them there things will be in motion. We can probably leave as soon as the Vault Dwellers get behind the walls, that's about as early as we can make it without tipping anything off."
Cloudy Forecast was covering her bases with Saffron it seemed. She accepted the squad would need to escort the vault dwellers to Trottingham. But she also asked if the doctor that had been spending significant time with the squad would be considered a loose end.
Saffron gave a nod to herself at that question, swallowing her lips for about a split-second before she began to push herself to reply before it became suspicious. "It is a possibility as he has been acting oddly, but he doesn't know anything as far as I know. If it's too much of a concern he could easily be convinced to come with us when we're being exfiltrated. He's... Useful."
The reply to Saffron would be brief and likely hit like a sledgehammer. “Kidnap the doctor and exfiltrate with him. There is use for him.”
Saffron's entire face clenches up into a wince at that reply. She breathed a sad little sigh aside from the microphone, then replied firmly. "Understood. Wilco. Nimbus out."
Saffron then turned around and began to stride her way back onto the path to return to the caravan. She walked slowly, keeping slightly in concealment just-in-case, and also to give herself some time to think and feel bad. She would eventually pop back out of the bushes at a confident stride, flicking a few leaves from her tail and wings as she came out, and giving nods towards the Overseer once she passed by them. "All clear! No bad ponies or creatures in sight." She told them, swiftly moving on towards Brickfielder and the rest of the team.
The trek north for your caravan would be fairly smooth until it started to snow on the third day. Ponies were tired and even the enchanted path you were taking was starting to get churned with sludge and muck. It was not hard to keep to the path, simply difficult to avoid sliding. But by the end of the third day the path would leave the mountains. You were about three quarters of the way when the path would lead you down from the steep cliffs towards the forest floor. It was an area that you had not seen before. The forest in the north eastern section of the island.
The caravan would have to make its way through this area of light forest on its way to Trottingham. But further luck would help in that regarding. Instead of having to slog through underbrush and between trees there was a road that headed north and southward. It was only a dirt road and getting wet from the start of the snowfall. But it was a clear path cut through the forest. Following it northward would undoubtedly lead to Trottingham.
Saffron would've told Brickfielder of the response she got from Cloudy, albeit away from prying ears if at all possible. "They have plans with him. So we're taking Quick Fix with us." She told him, in plain terms; and eventually told the other two mares as well. Letting them know what's up. She is a bit hesitant to tell Quick Fix however, as there's hardly a 'good moment' to drop such a bombshell. But as they begin to get onto that dirt road, and it seemed they were on the home stretch, she did approach Quick Fix. "Hey, Quick?"
Quick Fix: "...yeah?"
Ember is pretty confused about the information and Cloudys interest in some random infrared... Maybe Saffron had been giving a bit exaggerated reports of his usefulness?
"Okay." Saffron mentally prepares herself, swallowing her lip and looking off to the side awkwardly for a bit. "Uh... Fuck how do I..."
Saffron chuckles and whimpers at the same time, side glancing at him once then looking away in silence.
"...what?" Quick tilts his head at her, showing some genuine care and concern for the first time in... well, since she met up with him after his return. "You... can say goodbye. I'm not angry with you, Saffron. ..." He whispers something of his own, but similarly too quiet for her to hear.
Saffron shakes her head. "Not to say it wouldn't hurt to say goodbye, but that's not the thing..." She turned her head fully towards him with a somber look that almost didn't fit on her usually cheery face. She leaned in to whisper, concealing the words behind a nuzzle against his cheek. "What would you say if I told you that I would have to take you with me?"
Quick Fix seems... stunned. He has little to show but wide eyes and a slack jaw, though he soon closes it and gently shakes his head in his mind-clearing fashion. "W-wh...what? Have to... take me... with... you? Saffron... what were you doing when you were 'scouting'?"
Saffron frowned at the (expected) reaction. But there was no regret on her face, and she just smirked at him sadly. "I was scouting. And also having a chat." She stated vaguely enough, then gave him a silent look for a second. "... The point is, you have to come with me so the others can leave without putting me and the others at stake. Or your life on the line, for that matter."
Sundancer acts like a busybody as the caravan is in transit, clearing obstacles, cutting hoofholds in the ice and generally putting her nose to the grind without paying much attention to the infrareds past their footing
Sundancer would occasionally be asked to help mend something small along the way. Minor things such as mending straps or sewing op cut knees after slipping. Things that would be little more than distractions.
"...ah..." He frowns, brow furrowing as his expression turns from surprise to grim understanding. "So, I'm a liability A... loose end. Do they know about the overseer? A-are... are they going to kill me?" Though he's mostly been quite sombre or dull about the recent revelations, Saffron can pick out quite a heart-wrenching strain of panic and dread behind his words.
"No." Saffron answered without a single split-second of delay when answering about the Overseer. And just left it at that, looking him in the eyes and frowning at seeing his panic and hearing his fear. She took an uncomfortable amount of time to formulate a reply, inhaling sharply before sighing shakily. "... To be honest they said you had use to them. So probably not..."
Quick Fix gulps at that. Not exactly... a very reassuring answer. "I d-don't want to die, Saffron." The unicorn murmurs, closing his eyes... a tear streaking down his cheek.
Saffron's wings shrugged slightly. Pursing her lip into her cheek. She down casts her eyes. "I don't want you to die either..." She whispered back in earnest. But she couldn't say much else. Putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Be cool, Quick. I'm not going to let things happen to you if I can avoid it. Just... Trust me."
Quick Fix responds with nothing other than a shaky sigh, a few silent sobs, and a sniffle. He clears up his face with a hoof, but nothing he can do can keep the fear from showing to anypony who looks. Now more than ever, Quick fits the appearance of a scared seventeen-year-old.
Saffron holds her wing over Quick Fix's back in an attempt to comfort him and embrace him, brushing her cheek against his to dry his tears. She moved her eyes to any onlookers observing, shaking her head weakly to them to reassure all that she was handling it. Even if she started looking a bit more miserable herself in the process.
(GM Note:) The group spent a bit of time debating if they would bother going all the way to Trottingham. In the end they figured stealing Quick Fix and leaving in the middle of the night would be easier.
That evening the caravan makes camp on the side of the road, less than a day out from Trottingham proper. Under threat of potential death it would not be too difficult to pull Quick Fix out of the camp. A bit of hoof holding and perhaps a gag would be the most required to get the young unicorn away from the camp given Saffron’s conversation with him. By the time he was in the mountains once again it would be a bit late for the unicorn to have second thoughts. The enchanted pathways that Rhyolite had made for your caravan were already fading and the cliff would be sheer once again in the morning. Your group would have almost a week's journey to take to get back to Lighthouse. Enough time to browbeat the unicorn into submission as necessary.
Your group has made camp up in the mountains to rest after having left the caravan of vault dwellers the night before. It would take about five days to travel back to Lighthouse. But for now you would have an infrared who needed some assurances and likely had a lot of questions. It seemed easier to placate him at least a little before literally carrying him away. It was breakfast time but also time for some hard questions.
Quick Fix had already spent some of the night querying Ember about what was going to happen, but her answers had been... vague and concerning. He seemed to understand that he didn't have much choice in the matter, though, nor ability to affect the proceedings. Unless anypony wished to speak to him, he was 'content' to learn more once they reached camp.
Sundancer gives Quick a wide berth until she knows what Cloudy is thinking letting him into our camp
Brickfielder doesn't make any effort to speak to Quick, keeping his eyes to himself while eating breakfast and gathering up the camp.
Saffron sat a few steps from him. She looked ashamed and could hardly look at him as she ate begrudgingly, grimacing every now and then to herself while she thought in silence with a different look in her eyes. Steely and stoic, but also ... Somehow annoyed? She didn't fully eat the mushrooms, eventually putting down the draconic switchblade she was using--having tested the theory of whether or not it could cook the food it was stabbed into, somehow. That didn't seem to cheer her up either. Just like the first day, she was very quiet, and was so far in the background in terms of presence she could easily phase away from other's peripheral vision. Until, of course, they began to fly. She picked up Quick before anyone questioned who should, and flew with him.
Your first day of travel would be a straight forward flight over the snow kissed mountains. The weather was harder the second day out. Stiff and frigid winds swept the mountains and made progress slow. You had to do quite a lot of walking instead of risking being blown about in the gale. Snow drifts were forming along the ground and loose snow was limiting visibility. You could press on or try and dig in to ride out the wind.
Sundancer tries to hide the tremble in her voice as she yells over the wind "I think we should slow down. We could get separated"
Quick Fix has grown a bit of a thicker coat since the summer, and looks rather quite warm in the blowing gale. ...compared to the pegasi, at least. He's no earth pony.
Ember Flare: "It's not that bad? And it could get worse!"
Brickfielder has an easier time projecting his voice through the blistering wind. "I wouldn't be against stopping for a rest, at the least!"
Ember grits her teeth at the chilly wind but still tries to get closer to sundancer
Saffron quarter-turned her head in the rest of the group's direction. Flicking an ear in their direction. "Then look for a place to stop!" She called back to them, and turned around, "We sure as shit can't stop in the middle of a blizzard. For now, stay close to each other, and watch the depth of the snow! Hooves on your backs if you can."
Ember Flare: "Also I just have this feeling in my gut like everything could go sideways in the last moments"
(GM Note): The group tested their Athletics and endurance skills to avoid negative effects from the bad weather. They barely succeeded.
Your squad manages to stay on track and avoid being swept up in the harsh winds. You group up, tie together, and press on through the gale. You make camp early that day in the crook of a cliff that provided a windbreak.
The third day was much like the second. Hard winds keep you from lifting off due to the risks. You were unsure how long this storm would continue. You could remain in your camp and forgo progress that day or press on into the frigid weather.
Quick Fix hasn't had much to say for most of the trip, but in the morning - teeth chattering - he pipes up. "I can see on my PipBoy - the springs are nearby. Maybe we could stay there for a while."
"This-s-s damn b-blizzard is starting to piss me off..." The small red pegasus grumbled beneath her breath, one of the few things she'd say informally. She stood up and got out of their tents, dismantling it to put it back onto her saddlebag. Quick Fix speaking gives her a moment of pause, likewise checking the PipBoy and looking down at the marker... "You're right. It's basically in the way. We'll be able to take at least a day, to see if this AWFUL fuckin' weather passes."
Saffron: "if it doesn't though, we'll have to walk through it."
Quick Fix: "M-maybe we could ask Rhyolite for help again..?"
Ember shivers "I guess a small stop wouldn't be too bad? Right?"
Brickfielder: "A stop is good. But I think we've used up enough of Rhyolite's goodwill. We can get through without her help."
Saffron side glanced at Ember, giving a shaky nod. She had Winter gear alongside her with her survival kit, so she had heavy clothing on top of the stealth armour Sundancer had made for her. But there wasn't enough for all. She nodded to Brickfielder once. "Yeah. Rhyolite will probably ask to bargain, and I'm not gonna try and made another pact with somethin' sketchy like one of these 'spirits'." She muttered, breathing out heavily. "We can do this, Quick. Lil' bit of bad weather won't keep us down."
The group can avoid the worst of the blizzard by spending the day around the hot spring. It would be too dangerous to actually wade into the waters and come out freezing. But the area around the springs would provide cover against the storm and the heat from the springs would provide some necessary warmth.
Quick Fix later sets up a shelter by the springs and washes his clothing in the hot water. It has been far too long since the heavy canvas Vault suit has gotten a good wash. Unfortunately, that leaves him stuck inside his (and presumably Saffron's) tent while the water dries.
Brickfielder spends his time resting next to the spring's waters, resting in the residual warmth and keeping his wings and legs tucked close to his body.
The less familiar chill over the several days has burrowed into Ember enough to override her insecurities and she strips out of her gear and submerges as much opf herself into the water, but not too much to let the water inside her openings
Sundancer: "If we were going to do it, we should have done it right away, after letting the infrareds through."
Saffron started setting up the tents close to the warmth of the Hot springs. They wouldn't need to make a campfire here! How nice. She stood close to Quick Fix but didn't dip herself in to bathe, or anything. She just laid by the edge to soak in the warmth next to Quick Fix. "Not a good idea to be wet in the cold, clothes included." She light-heartedly tells Quick FIx with a cheeky smirk, then shakes her head.
Sundancer sniffs "You'll build up condensation near the hot water. Where you are isn't much better."
"...yeah." He has one flap somewhat open, so that the heat of the springs can raise the temperature inside the tent itself a little. ...it's particularly helpful for his drying clothes; water doesn't much tend to evaporate at temperatures below zero."The tent will stop the wind from taking all that heat off our fur, soaked or otherwise. ...still, I certainly wouldn't be bathing in there, at least without a towel."
Ember just huffs contently in the warm waters letting her eyelids close for a bit
Sundancer: "That's the advantage of feathers. Shake them off, dry yourself off, shake them off."
Brickfielder casts a glance to Sundancer. "Something you miss?"
Eventually Ember has to brace herself and she gets out of the springs attempting to quickly dry herself and get the gear back on.
"That only works for wings... and not even yours." He huffs, laying back on his bedroll... and crossing his hindlegs. Gotta stay decent!
Sundancer wipes her face off with a metallic hoof, just spreading the water around "It's just condensation"
Saffron nods along with him, "I have towels anyways. I came prepared." She softly told him, as Sundancer's remark made her turn to see her. "Feathers ARE pretty cool. Just not all the fluff dries up as quickly as the wings." *She said, looking off to the side once to notice her sore lack of feathers. But Saffron wouldn't say anything. Even as she wipes her face like that.
"Uhm." Saffron restarted herself a bit awkwardly. "At least steel is easy to dry as well. Do you even feel the cold over your body?" She asked her, out of sheer, sudden curiosity.
Sundancer: "I feel the cold, just not a lot of effects of it. You'd be surprised how much of your sensation of cold is defined by reactions such as shivering and goosebumps."
Camping out at the hot springs would be pleasant. Time to relax your aches for a bit. On the fourth day the skies cleared and the weather was calm. You got to see the sunrise as more than a pinprick in the flurry. You could make better progress today given you could spread wings and cover far more ground.
The slow down from the weather made it so you were just able to leave the mountains on the fifth day. The forest had gone through its winter transformation almost overnight in the wake of the bad weather. The trees had been stripped bare or leaves and the forest floor had a layer of snow obscuring everything. Streams still flowed and broke up the white blanketing occasionally. This was the first true winter any of you had seen. Winter that was wild and natural, compared to seen through holo-vid or carefully crafted by weather architects.
Brickfielder certainly is taken by the winter sights, given how often his eyes wander to the snow-covered trees; every stream they come to makes him pause and take in the view as long as he reasonably can before resuming his trot.
Quick Fix enjoys looking over the winter landscape. He almost feels... more at home with the forest, with the cold and the crunchy snow and the barren trees... something to think about that's not the fate of his faction nor the kidnappers surrounding him.
Ember Flare: "We'll soon be near the clearing. We should try and stay sharp or we might be mistaken for those creatures"
Ember looks around at the ragtag group, "or natives..."
Brickfielder gives Ember a confident look. "I got Violet to realize we're not natives in a blizzard. We'll be fine."
Saffron nodded slowly. "Sometimes I wonder how it feels to be enhanced like you are." The smaller mare replied with a slow voice, unsure if to sound concerned or eager yet. As they flew, she turned more towards the winter's scenery. She smiled a little, and probably could've said something. But didn't. Instead she turned right to Ember. "The fact we have wings probably won't get us immediately shot, plus we're expected."
Ember Flare: "...I'm surprised she didn't turn you into swiss cheese when you pulled that off"
Saffron: "Wait how'd--how did that go exactly? I wasn't there."
Brickfielder: "She may have been high on performance enhancers and stress, but we recognize our own, Ember."
Ember Flare: "Well..."
Ember Flare: "we approached the observatory and started getting shot at in the blizzard... so this guy decides to fly in the open and do a salute!"
Saffron: "Ballsy..."
"I always knew something was off with her..." Quick murmured under his breath, staring at the ground far below.
Brickfielder seems proud of what Ember says. "She saw shapes in the snow and started shooting. I waited until a good pause, got up, made myself as big as I could, and saluted like the President was giving a speech and I was in the front row of the crowd."
Brickfielder: "Violet's a good mare. Of course she'd recognize an unmistakably-Cloudsdayle gesture when she sees it."
Saffron chuckled in amusement and looked more in Brickfielder's direction as he recounted the event. She smiled in approval. "She was pretty good. Fought good too, despite being injured. And allegedly she fought a dragon..."
Saffron: "Colt. I almost can't wait to see her again."
When you were passing above the forest you would find that there was a large expanse of deforestation. It seems the lumber teams have been hard at work these past months. A swathe of the forest has been reduced to stumps. The lumber camp itself is significantly more north than it had been when you last saw it. However it seems that operations have stopped due to the snow.
Brickfielder: "I can't wait to see her again."
Quick Fix: "I don't think she expects to see me again."
Brickfielder would pause and take in the deforested swath of land once they came upon it, scanning around at the now-open landscape of snow. "So. Does the lumber camp warrant a stop? They could at least radio base to say we're almost there."
Saffron looked back over her shoulder briefly to see Quick as he muttered those words. All she can do for him is smile bitterly, before just turning ahead to fly straight. Taking note of the lack of trees as they fly past a certain point, and starting to squint to see if she spots those Red Citizens, or Champagne's teams. "We can probably land and I can radio in that we're here. It won't take more than a minute."
Sundancer: "Pay a visit to the civvies? Ew. Yeah, Saffron can just call them from here."
Ember chuckles
"Damn, Sundancer. That's kinda cold as steel," She smirked at her own joke. "Those reds are doing a good job." She added, as she simply nodded and put a hoof towards her chest-radio to call into Lighthouse to notify of their approach.
Brickfielder smiles with Saffron while looking over the scenery. "...They could be working a bit harder, obviously."
When you radio into Lighthouse you would get a response through the normal channels, not Cloudy specifically. But your notice was heard and the reply from the radio team said that an escort would be sent out to meet you. Hold tight for about forty minutes and you would be received and brought home.
"...what's happening?" Quick asks simply, looking around at the deforested land nervously. "Are they coming to get us...? Do they have wagons?"
Saffron grinned at Brickfielder and had to bite her lip to not laugh as she received a response from an operator, rather than Lighthouse actual. She starts to bank right and circle to maintain their positions as she radios in acknowledgement, then closes the channel and turns back. "Hold here. We'll get an escort to meet us along with a welcome back rug." She said, beginning to descend.
"Uhm." Then, more awkwardly, she turned to Quick Fix. "No, just soldiers walking along with us. We have to wait for them."
Ember sighs "well back to barracks life..."
Brickfielder puffs his chest out. "I'll take the familiarity." He then glances down at Quick, looking over all the deforested area. "And what you're seeing is the fruits of the labor we're enabling."
Quick Fix appears much more anxious than usual. Perhaps it's just the fact that their destination is becoming closer and closer. ...and that he's noticed not a single pony that's been potentially part of this military 'society' has been anything but a pegasus..."...they're... going to all have wings, right?"
Sundancer sticks her mechanical tongue out in disgust "I'll take the freedom. I died a little inside trying to pretend to be a machine. Huge mistake. I'll pretend to be a pony with a skin condition next time."
Sundancer laughed "Beats pretending to be an infrared though!"
Ember Flare: "Ah yeah that did deem rough... heh well we didn't really expect to be constantly surrounded by other ponies"
True to the orders your escort team would arrive at the lumber camp in about forty minutes. It was starting to snow once again and that meant vision was limited. When the trio of the security forces approached your position and hailed you, Quick would be able to recognize them in the same black armor apparel and equipped with the same weapons that Violet Rain’s crew had been. It seemed to be the standard issue. The escort team simply let your squad know you needed an escort to avoid a potential friendly fire mishap. The base has started seeing some “weird shit” since you’ve been gone.
Saffron comes to a smooth landing over the snow-covered ground with a satisfying crunch of snow. Which does make her sink into it a little bit, causing a slightly surprised wince at first, before straightening. She took a peek over the citizens that might be nearby but kept most of his attention on Quick Fix on her back. "Everypony in Cloudsdayle is a pegasus." She replied simply.
Brickfielder casts another glance at Quick before nodding to the team. "Weird shit that I'm sure we'll be hearing about from our CO..."
Saffron would then move her attention to the escort team once they got there. She acknowledged their warnings, and gave them a "Thank you." in kind. "We've seen plenty of the 'weird shit' ourselves. We fought a god, made weapons from the bones of a dragon... Talked to a mountain. It was wild."
"Cloudsdayle..." He blinks. "That's... that's, um... shoot, where did I read about that... one of the pre-war cities. A city for the pegasi... ...that would have been very hard to hit with a nuke." A realisation seems to wash over him. "You're from the city of clouds. ...but... how would I..."
"Oh we're not taking you there!" Ember waves her hoof at the silly idea
Sundancer: "This island is full of threats and resources. We set up a base on the island to deal with threats and secure resources."
Quick Fix: "...so is that where I'll be living from now on...?"
Sundancer: "Large magical phenomena like the Court of Glass presents a potential threat to Cloudsdayle and ponykind if left to their own devices."
Brickfielder: "After this C.L.O.D.S. operation finishes, perhaps."
"CLODS?" He frowns. "...but I agree. That... *thing* is a hazard to life as we know it."
"They didn't seem to take that threat all that seriously... But I'd say it's easily bigger threat than Earthen cloaks or-" Ember kinda cuts herself off
Saffron stays quiet and lets the others fill in Quick Fix. She looked between all of them briefly, then fixed her eyes on Quick Fix one more time to give him a different kind of look. One of quiet distress. She doesn't say anything to him, but rather simply turns ahead so she could lead the way along with the escort they had been given.
Brickfielder: "Cloudsdayle Landfall Operations Deployment Squad, Quick."
Quick Fix: "...so, operations operation."
You were escorted by the team to the gate of the FOB. It would be Quick Fix’s first sight of the base that was placed atop a rocky peninsula surrounded by the ocean. The camp was enclosed by a sturdy chain link fence that seemed there because bases had chain link fences. At the north end of the camp was a broad rolling gate and a gatehouse, of which your group would be escorted to. The buildings of the base were difficult to really see due to the coat of snow they were all covered in. But most of them seemed to have canvas-like material for the walls. There were some pegasus hustling through the thin snow from one building to another, which mainly just churned the snow into slushy mud. At the gatehouse your escort would speak with the gate officer and receive confirmation of your arrival. Squad 59 was returning to base from the field. You were given access to check in at the gatehouse. But given the looks the escort was giving Quick Fix it seemed they had doubts about giving any access to an infrared.
Saffron would give the escort ponies a second-look after she noticed their glances. "We're under Blue orders to bring him in." She told them simply, for context. Then gave the team leader, if any, a nod and a smile in gratitude, before turning fully to stride ahead at a military pace towards the gatehouse to speak to the gatehouse officer.
Ember Flare: "So do we report to cloudy immediately or...?"
Brickfielder would nod while following behind Saffron. "You can confirm that with our CO. Green unicorn infrared, specific orders."
Sundancer smiles at the gate guard apologetically as Saffron approaches the gate
When you checked in at the gatehouse your squad was given clear instructions: Wait in Cloudy Forecast's office for a debriefing. The infrared was your responsibility for now to make sure he did not get into trouble on the base. The infrared would need to be on leash to signify he was given some allowance to be on the base. You were provided with a thin black mental collar and affixed woven cloth leash to put on the infrared.
Sundancer side eyes Saffron "If you don't take it, I will."
"...you've got to be kidding me." Quick narrows his eyes at the thing. "A leash? I'm not a dog. What do they think I'm going to do? I'm a doctor, not a saboteur."
Saffron took note of the instructions with rapt attention. She eyeballed the leash a bit, not fully expecting it and giving the Gatehouse officer a bit of a look. Before sighing heavily, especially as Sundancer hits her with that. "Wouldn't you like that, huh?" She told her with a big of a smug aura to her, as she shook her head, walking to Quick with the collar. "Stay still..." She muttered, and affixed the collar to him even if he didn't like it. Trying to make it not tight so he wouldn't feel it, then taking the leash to lead him on.
Ember has hard time containing her laughter
Brickfielder isn't having as hard a time as Ember, but he does cover his mouth with a wing at one point.
"This is the condition of your stay, and you'll just have to like them." She flatly told Quick Fix beneath her breath.
Quick Fix leans away from the red pegasus, but with a scrunch he's forced to accept the collar. He hasn't exactly a death wish. "Th-this is... highly inappropriate..." His words trail off into murmurs, and his face reddens. A very embarrassing moment indeed.
Brickfielder smirks. "I've seen worse happen to infrareds." His mood seems to dip for a moment, before he clears his throat. "Just live with it."
Saffron gave him a firm look in the eyes as she held the leash in her hoof. "Yeah, well. You don't exactly have any rights. So you should count your lucky stars some Green, who wants to blow off steam, doesn't kick you for fun." She tells him with a bit of a grumbling tone, nodding him along to get him to walk without having to tug him by the leash, to the HQ.
Sundancer nods "Legally speaking, unicorns and dogs are both infrareds."
You had your limited free reign to enter HQ and wait in Cloudy Forecast's office. The room was even stuffier than it had been months ago. Spare chairs were stacked high in front of numerous filing cabinets that lined the walls. The broad desk taking up the far center of the room was empty of decoration on its surface. The air felt stuffy despite the ventilation. You had plenty of seats to choose from while you waited for your squad's commanding officer to arrive.
"..." That is more dire than Quick had imagined. Suddenly his resistance disappears, and he plods along with Saffron without another word. The transformation from an individual with liberty to an effective slave is not a nice one to see.
Ember rolls her eyes "Oh come on Saffron, it's not *that* bad. You can't let anyone even potentially damage him. Heck, even I could stop anyone trying to hurt him without consequence"
Ember Flare: "...I think"
Ember Flare: "Sometimes I think you don't have a subtle bone in your body. Like how did you end up in infiltration instead of something like what Violet is doing"
Saffron didn't look back at him, but she did purse her lip deep into her cheek in spite of herself. She didn't find this very amusing surprisingly enough. As they made it into the office she briefly paused to take in the somehow increasingly spartan and stuffy office. Then started to bring out the chairs, specifically one for Quick Fix to sit in. "What's subtlety?" Saffron jokes, then smirked, "I'm just tellin' him how it is. Didn't say I'd let it happen." She told Ember light-heartedly, "After all, he's going to be property soon. Can't damage government property."
Brickfielder leans close to Ember and lowers his voice. "A question for the ages."
Saffron: "Also don't ask those questions, or else I'd have to smother you."
Ember Flare: "In what? Hugs?"
Saffron brought in a seat closer to Quick Fix so she'd be able to sit next to him with the leash on her lap in her hoof. Looking back to Ember. "Maybe? If that's your preference I can smother you in hugs."
"Property.." Quick breathes, shaking his head. "...Brickfielder, I'll have you know that the only reason I found out about the operation was through eavesdropping on your conversation with the Trottingham mayor's assistant."
Saffron: "You definitely deserve them for all the artillery work you've been doing."
Sundancer: "You can enjoy holding his leash all you want, but everyone knows you're a step away from a sympathizer, Saff."
Quick Fix: "Seriously. He leaves me in the adjacent room with vents all over the place and just starts detailing *everything*."
Ember coughs and looks away and is glad Sundancer interjected before she got more embarrassed
Saffron's expression, of course, almost instantly changes to a more awkward and more irked one as she turns towards Sundancer. She doesn't say anything, but if looks could kill…
Brickfielder stops looking at Ember once Quick speaks, and turns his head towards the unicorn, slowly lowering his brow to turn his gaze into a glare, taking a moment to decide what to say. "You shouldn't be speaking ill of someone with as high a rank as Sir Overwatch must have, Quick Fix. He's had the wool pulled over Trottingham's eyes for a long time."
The wait would drag on, but your conversation would be cut short soon. You were cut off from the rest of the base in that sound dampened room. When Cloudy did arrive the room would have started to warm up by your combined body heat, becoming a bit balmy and reminding you that your squad has not had access to a proper shower in months. When the door to the office opened your squad's CO would have to pause and adjust to the scent before she entered. Cloudy Forecast was a tall and unnaturally thin mare. Her limbs were gangly and awkward looking, giving her a strange gait as she moved. Grey coated and green-grey tailed her hair was thin and wiry. She wore her officers uniform well kept and was never seen without her formal cap. The cap obscured the fact she did not appear to have any sort of mane. On her blue epaulets were black slashes in the fabric, indicating her mutant nature for those aware of the meaning. The officer took her seat at the far side of the desk and folded her forelegs together in an awkward looking way. Her eyes were hard and analytical as she took in all of your appearances. But she softened a little and gave a small grin. "Welcome back, Nimbus Squad."
Quicks revelation makes a lot of things click in Embers head and she gives Brick a very strong 'seriously?' look
Brick manages to give Ember a quite firm and annoyed 'what?' look while they enter the CO's office, standing at attention and saluting as Cloudy inspects them.
Quick Fix wants to retort with something, but any initial vocalisation is cut short by the appearance of Cloudy Forecast. ...he doesn't know her name quite yet, of course, but he takes note of the designation of the squad. He regards the rather spindly mare with what he hopes is a calculating stare... ...but probably looks like more of a concerned grimace.
Saffron was rather glad Cloudy Forecast came in when she did, sideglancing Brickfielder once as he reproached Quick. Standing up, holding the leash with her teeth as she promptly greets the officer with a proud salute and an eager smile. Then, when Cloudy greets them finally and drops the look, she lowers her hoof and stays at-attention a while long, pulling the leash back onto her hoof. "Good to be back. Can't wait to take a shower, ma'am."
Brickfielder settles back and nods to the CO. She motions at Quick as Saffron pulls the leash. "I figure it goes without saying this is the infrared we picked up along the way, ma'am."
Sundancer returns her smile "Good to be back, Ma'am."
Cloudy Forecast got to business quickly like usual. You were to give your final report regarding the mission you had just returned from. From there you and her could discuss the current situation and where things would be going from here.
Quick Fix isn't immediately referred to, so he leans back in his chair and appears to zone out while the squad recount their 'adventures'.
Saffron gave a nod to their CO and relaxed at-ease. "For my end. Me and Ember had to run sabotage against the Druids before we left for the mountains. May have set fire to most of their facilities in the process once we sneaked into their village and found them plotting to ambush us on our way out towards the mountains." She turned towards Brickfielder, gesturing a hoof towards him. "Brickfielder here made contact with an operative in the meantime. Autumn-Delta-Plume. Arranged for the Vault dwellers to be delivered to Trottingham to serve as a scapegoat to begin hostilities against the Earthern Cloaks." She told, then paused and gave a moment of thought. Slowly turning back towards Cloudy Forecast. "Sundancer also managed to create some useful weapons from the slail undead dragon's bones. We made ammunition fro it, and melee weapons."
Sundancer: "We gave most of it to the vault dwellers to either use or trade with Trottingham, so they could fight the Glass more effectively, but I sequestered some of my best work for the military."
Ember Flare: "While trottingham has some tangible anti air weapons that pose a clear threat to us, I still would like to stress the danger of underestimating the magical glass creatures. While the regular bear and butterfly minions are weak, the 'Lords' could pose a for worse threat to the base than other factions"
Brickfielder: "Our antagonizing of the Cloaks was done in part with the help of a mountain spirit. It is at least a threat on the level of the Lords if angered."
"They seemed to work. I believe I already said this, however, but I'd underline it." Saffron inhaled sharply to recover some of her breath, and subtly blew out a tense sigh. Nodding alongside with Sundancer's words. Letting the others speak a bit. Then finally turned towards Quick Fix, flicking the leash limply a few times. "And here we have the Infrared you requested."
Ember nods in agreement, the “'Rhyolite' being seems content as long as the mountain remains untouched"
Sundancer: "It has definitely killed miners before, so if there are rare mineral resources we need to access she will become a problem, but the wealth of metal at the now-powerless vault should provide for plenty of material in the short term."
Ember seems to suddenly remember something "Ah and I don't think we've mentioned but we almost gained access through the magic circles, past the 'gatekeeper' being, into... whatever magical realm they use to travel long distances"
Ember Flare: "While it is some guesswork, I think the gatekeeper is the key to enabling the fast travel of those beings"
Cloudy Forecast gave a nod once everyone had finished speaking. “I am sure Silver Lining would appreciate the expanded inventory. Traditional weaponry has worked against the lesser U.I.I.s but as you indicated having specialized ammunition will be beneficial. A plan for distribution will be brought up with Steel Rain at our next meeting. At this time we have no plans to engage them directly. But that would change if they field anything against us. As for the U.I.I. ‘Rhyolite’ their limited territory means we should not have direct contact with it during the remainder of the operation. Although as you have found it has provided useful information. When it comes to your primary objectives It looks to have been successful. We will see the results come springtime once Trottingham Forces can be mobilized to attack the rebel faction. It should provide them with combat fatigue or displacement before our forces proceed with occupation.” Eventually she followed Saffron’s indication to Quick Fix, but asked Sundancer her question. “How skilled is he as a medical practitioner?”
Saffron's eyes seem to follow Cloudy Forecast towards Quick Fix. Her chest puffs out as she fills her lungs and subtly, softly sighed with a bit of a long breath this time. She did not look back towards Sundancer however and gazed off past Cloudy Forecast with a flat look on her face.
Sundancer: "More skilled than me in a controlled environment, but nearly useless in combat. I was raised as a civilian medic, and I don't know of any of my mother's co-workers half as cowardly as him."
With his name mentioned, Quick springs back to attention. Those wide eyes focus on Cloudy, and then on Sundancer as she describes him. "...n...no, I'm not- I can handle a fight! Brickfielder helped me."
Brickfielder clears his throat. "I taught him some basic stress management techniques. Same stuff as recruits in basic. Obviously more work has to be done."
Sundancer gives Cloudy a look that says "See what I mean?"
"Cowardly means pliable, at the least." Cloudy Forecast finally looked at Quick Fix directly, analytically. "To be upfront, I have certain medical conditions. I will be using you as an on hoof personal aid regarding. If you serve in that capacity then you will benefit under my protection." She left the implication of not serving would mean open.
Saffron's eyebrow seems to rise very slowly with a very inquisitive curious look, flicking an eye in Cloudy's direction, but then quickly looking back directly ahead and towards nothing to continue passively listening.
Quick Fix: "...um... I could help you with that... depending on the condition, and my resources... certainly most of my experience recently has been treating burns and cuts from the dangers we've been facing on the surface, but I started my career mostly as a general practitioner."
"The conditions will be discussed in private. I will expect your confidentiality on the matter. You will be given some leeway under my… ownership. The paperwork has been filed. As of today I will be taking possession of this infrared.” Cloudy extended a hoof towards Saffron, indicating to take the leash. It was clear she had some reservations regarding the situation herself.
Quick Fix frowns at that, looking around at the rest of the party. "...does that mean I'll be separated from Nimbus squad?"
Ember Flare: "I certainly couldn't grasp the nature of his magic. And he does at least have pre-war level of medical training so at least some degree of competence"
Saffron gives Cloudy an unusual look. She, despite her drilled-in etiquette, looked Cloudy Forecast in the eyes while pursing her lip and withholding the leash for a split-second of hesitation. Then, without further hesitation, nods her head once and holds out the leash before the situation becomes tenser. "I have faith in him, if that counts for anything." She muttered beneath her breath.
Saffron's eyes then avert immediately. Going back to her at-ease posture while looking towards the wall again.
Sundancer nods "Vault education is pretty much the only source of infrared knowledge I trust, at least for hard science. I don't recommend the sociology section."
Cloudy forecast took the leash from Saffron without direct comment, letting the situation slide. She addressed Quick Fix “You will be required to stay by my side for most of your duration on the base. Winter has arrived and most of the operations will be halted until the spring thaws. As Nimbus Squad will be remaining on base during this time, I expect you will be in frequent enough contact.” She looked to catch Saffron in the eyes. “Do you remember what I told you before you left on your mission?”
Saffron's face sinks sadly. She nods slowly in response. "Yes, ma'am. I remember." She replied firmly despite the change in expression.
"...I see..." The unicorn doesn't seem very thrilled by the prospect, but hasn't the ability to argue either. The threat of execution is very real should he fail to comply with the pegasi around him.
Brickfielder keeps quiet while glancing around between the trio. Geez, could ya lighten up a little?
Your CO looked over the squad and got to informing you on what has been going on. “While operations have largely halted for the time being we are still to keep vigil. Prior to Brambles squad’s success we had been receiving reports of some squads hearing singing outside the base. One pony has gone missing from investigating such sounds. Water based U.I.I.s were using magic laden music to draw male troops towards the water in an effort to drown and consume them. Thunder Pudge and his squad were able to negotiate a stop to these activities. It is possible there are further U.I.I.s than those your squad and others have encountered still lurking in these isles.”
Ember Flare: "..I was wondering if there were more of these magical creatures. Well saves the time for me asking"
Brickfielder's eyes widen slightly at the information regarding the underwater UIIs. Perhaps it's good he wasn't near the base that whole time.
"...glass creatures that kidnap ponies... a giant mountain mare... and now literal sirens in the water. What next?" Quick appears very perturbed.
Sundancer: "See, Quick? Safest place on the island, heheheh."
Cloudy Forecast continued. “Operations in all have been largely successful. Even if we have lost three troops over the recent months. One from each of Brambles and Sea Foam Squads, and the aforementioned stallion who was presumed lost to the underwater U.I.I.s. Resource gathering of lumber had proceeded without much notable issues once the glass U.I.I.s were identified as a potential threat. Initial scouting of Trottingham exterior forces had begun. There is a satellite town between us and Trottingham proper that is being investigated. It is not expected to be more than an inconvenience when we move on to Trottingham in next year’s summer”
Cloudy opened the floor for questions if your group had any.
Brickfielder clears his throat. "So that means the rest of Violet Rain's squad returned here safely after our extraction?"
Saffron's brow furrowed slightly in a moment of thought, her eyes regaining some life as she asked some questions herself. "I'm guessing there have been no thoughts for a rescue mission for the one stallion who has been lured?" Then started shifting her eyes more towards the gangly CO. "And what about that satellite town? Any scouting done on it yet? Future missions?"
Sundancer: "I don't know if we mentioned it before, but I just wanted to confirm we mentioned the U.I.I.'s base of operations is a physical location on the southern end of the island."
Quick Fix stays quiet for the moment. He has a lot to think about, and most of his questions will likely be answered in private with Cloudy.
"Correct. They were collected by medical evac and returned to the field hospital. Their recovery was slow, but they are back in active duty." Cloudy said to Brickfielder. "The stallion is presumed KIA. Although proof has not surfaced." She started for Saffron. "The satellite town is a small concern. It is expected to be razed during the march on Trottingham.” Towards Sundancer. “The southern portion of the island is under a fog that our initial scouts deemed hazardous. If there is a physical base of operations there it may be out of our reach for the time being. Not unless Central Command considers the glass U.I.I.s to be a significant threat to the operation”
Ember Flare: "I am actually interested, since it seems like the feature of this island, if there are even more magical beings that have been observed around here. I feel like I'm in unique position to tackle these threats"
"Razed..?" The unicorn does speak up at that. "What, you're just going to... march in and burn it down because it's in the way?"
Saffron gave a brisk nod in acknowledgement. "The glass U.I.I may become a threat if their source of slaves is taken away. If they can't get them from Trottingham or the druids, or anywhere, they'll turn their gaze to here and eventually come here with the bigger guns. Like that giant telekinetic-using deer-god that goes by the moniker of 'Lord'. As far we know there's multiple of them." Saffron remarked after the response, starting to move her eyes down towards Quick Fix. "... Maybe not a threat right now, but they will be eventually." She added, slowly.
Ember Flare: "And we do not know how many of them actually are there. We encountered one and things might have gone differently, had the thing not underestimated us severely. Sundancer here almost blew it's torso off, but before that it was tossing ponies around like nothing"
Cloudy nodded towards Ember. “That would seem to be the case from your squad’s reports. But at this time we only know of the three categories of U.I.I.s. The glass, sea, and mountain specimens. Of these only the Glass variety are on our radar as potential threats. But that is a wait and see situation. The operation may conclude without further conflict with the glass U.I.I. It seems to be a simple matter of preventing their knowledge of us and destroying their circles as they are discovered.” Eventually she responded to Quick Fix. “The satellite town has a garrison of griffon forces. It could not be left intact or we risk an attack from a flank”
"...if that's how you want to justify it." he hasn't much more to say after that; the distaste of one 'infrared' will not change the course of a military movement. Quick definitely isn't pleased with the plan in any case.
"Quick, you should realize, that you have literally been living under the rock your whole life." Ember addresses Cloudy "He'd likely have a serious change in attitude if he knew the reality of most of the world"
Cloudy nodded to Ember. “That is a good point.” She reached down to a drawer of her desk and pulled out a file from inside. It was a file the others had seen before. She slid it across the desk toward Quick Fix. Inside it contained photographs and some small reports. These items gave a clear indication of life in the wastes on the mainland. Corpses coming to life, mutated animals, impoverished settlements built on the ruins of the old world surrounded by blasted wastelands. "the griffonian isles were untouched by the war"
Brickfielder watches quietly, a bit surprised that the CO is giving Quick access to so much so readily.
Saffron's eyes flick from Quick Fix and towards the file. This makes Saffron shift uncomfortably in place for some reason, as her eyes dart between the unicorn and the imagery while given in that context.
Quick Fix leans over and stares at the file, curiosity evident in his eyes. Though the images are... well... quite apocalyptic and sometimes disturbing, his horror is internally matched equally with wonder. ...and, of course, gratitude that the one place he emerged into wasn't so inhospitable. "...incredible," he murmurs. "I imagine those organisms are specifically affected by magical radiation? ...there's nothing like that here, though. Such disparity... I hope I get to see it all some day."
Brickfielder's surprise only increases at Quick saying he hopes to 'see it all'. He'll say anything if he's in a safe, academic environment, it seems.
"See it?" Saffron's brow furrowed deeply, looking Quick Fix up and down as if trying to figure him out. "What are you saying? That's the seven hells."
"Not literally but it might as well be." Saffron amended herself with a quieter grumble.
Quick Fix: "...the key word there is 'see'. I can only imagine how dangerous the surface itself would be to traverse."
Saffron scoffs and shakes her head at that statement. She inhales sharply and returns to her posture and respectful silence.
Without comment Cloudy forecast drew back the folder and stowed it away. But not before he could pick up some of the reports regarding Fillydephia, where the squad had said they were from originally. She looked over the squad and answered Brick's unspoken question. "There is no harm in letting him know some truths. I expect he will be more receptive of his position after realizing what a good option it is by comparison."
Sundancer
"Disbelief is a funny reaction coming from Miss Explore the Wastes herself. Lost your enthusiasm?"
Brickfielder raises his gaze to look at Cloudy, answering something he'd barely given a hint of. He just nods. "I understand, ma'am."
Saffron chuckled in disbelief at Sundancer's jabbing. But kept her mouth shut.
"...my first thought was Trottingham, for the long term. Unfortunately, that looks like it wouldn't have ended well for myself or the other members of the Vault. ...not that *they* have any choice now." He sighs. "I will do my job and attend to your condition. I would request that I not be shackled to your side entirely, though. ...especially literally. I did not expect to be subject to a collar on arrival."
Cloudy Forecast: "The collar is a required condition for your position. I will requisition one without an affixed leash. But for the foreseeable future you will be required to wear it to not be mistaken for attempting to run away. You do not quite seem to understand the position being an infrared hold." She looked over your squad quizzically. "Have you not told him?
Sundancer: "We weren't entirely sure what to make of your orders. It was a pretty quiet trip."
Brickfielder clears his throat a bit awkwardly. "...Was kind of figuring he'd ask first about the colors we kept throwing around."
Quick grimaces. "I... understand. I'm just... coming to terms with what it really... means. Please don't mistake my requests for demands."
Saffron shakes her head simply in response. "Not comprehensively." She replied. "It's hard to tell somepony that they're no better than an animal under the eyes of the law. I wasn't expecting the leash to complement the logic either, but--" Saffron turned her head towards Quick and gestured to him, and the collar.
Saffron: "It is what it is. I'm sure you're already figuring it out by now, Quick Fix." She told him softly, then turned back to their CO. "I can explain how the hierarchy works, if I must."
Cloudy Forecast said "Yes. I think it best if you do so." It was hard to tell if this was a test or not.
Saffron nodded deeply and complied immediately. She sits down on the chair and turns more towards Quick Fix. "Alright, Quick Fix. I'll give you the synopsis for now. Cloudsdayle is a Stratocratic society with a ranking structure between Civilians and military that go by specific colours. Everypony is born ranked with a colour, that is, the color Red. They're at the second rung of the ladder. You, being an outsider to our society, are at the bottom. Your color is 'Infrared', and you are nobody to us. You are not a citizen and thus you do not benefit from ANY social or legal rights that even a Red class citizen benefits from. You essentially aren't even a pony in the eyes of other citizens, and they can do anything they want to do with you, and it won't be a crime. Killing you isn't murder, unless you are property. Just think about that, and keep it in mind." She looked him in the eyes as she says that. "Military colours are always above Civilian colours."
Saffron: "The individual colours for civilians are Red, Yellow, and Orange. Military colours go by Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, to Ultraviolet--being the president. That's the order, so just remember that. It's simple."
"...I'm going to guess that there's no going from 'Infrared' to 'Red'." Quick stares at the ground. "That's funny. I mean, infrared light is invisible. I may as well not even exist."
Saffron thinks about what Quick Fix says for a moment. She flicked her tongue to her lip but ended up saying nothing in response to that first statement. "You exist to us right now. As long as that keeps up, you'll survive."
Cloudy Forecast"With that social lesson out of the way, are there any further questions? If not you are to return your covert gear to lockup and are due for some R&R time. You are on decompression duty as it were for the time being. To recover from your lengthy away mission.”
Sundancer: "I'm good."
Quick Fix: "I think I can hear more once we have some privacy."
Brickfielder stands and salutes. "Understood, ma'am."
Ember sighs under her breath at the prospect of returning back to those cumbersome exoskeleton armors
Saffron backs away slightly from Quick Fix after the social lesson. She gives Quick Fix a little pat on the side and stands up from her seat. She offered Cloudy Forecast another sharp salute. And starts getting ready to be dismissed.
Cloudy Forecast: "Get some rest, Nimbus squad. You have earned it."
Saffron nodded slowly and with a rising relief. She gave Quick Fix a last glance, smiling weakly in his direction before she'd turn around and start filing out of the office to go outside into the open air. The stuffy room was making her feathers thicken.
When the squad returned to your cell in the barracks you would find the place a bit changed. The main hall looked a lot more lived in. Odd personalizations such as drawings and curios lined the walls outside of the cells in the main hall. Except the area around yours, given your lengthy time away. When you got to your cells you would each as you left them, except the letters on your cots. Most of you had several letters waiting for you, although Ember only had one. Brickfielder had the most by far. You could stow your gear, get a hot shower for the first time in months, enjoy a prepared meal, and otherwise relax with your time between duties.
Sundancer heads to the equipment lockup to talk about each piece of infrared equipment with the inventory manager as the squad filters in
Cloudy Forecast would lead Quick Fix by the leash. She took him out of the headquarters and into the slush. Behind the HQ and north of the radio tower was the officer quarters. A long rectangular building with a rounded roof made of the same lightweight material as most of the other buildings were. There was a guardpost just inside the entrance, but the guard would let the officer and her 'guest' in without trouble. The building itself was one long hall with doors that lead into individual rooms. Eight individual's rooms in the space that a barrack for fifty occupied. Cloudy's was at the end on the left. She opened the door to what amounted to a one room apartment with an attached bathroom. Not that unfamiliar to Quick Fix as it reminded him of quarters in the vault. The room itself was spartan in features. A wide metal table in the center of the room. A shelving unit. The most fancy items in the room were the bed and coat rack. The bed was a wide cloth hammock occupied by plush comforters that looked to Quick like a cloth bird nest. The coat rack was a heavy oaken statue carved to resemble a diamond dog sitting on its haunches and with paws extended at two heights. Save those two items the room seemed barren of personality.
Brickfielder takes his time trotting through the barracks, inspecting all the changes, and stops once reaching their cells, eyes falling on the letters. He'd planned to get a hot shower... but, instead, he trots in and settles onto the bed, sorting through the letters with his wings, tearing open the oldest, and proceeding to start reading, taking his time doing so.
Saffron's first words upon setting hoof outside the building was a resounding: "Fuckin' finally...", she immediately beats her wings to soar towards the barracks instead of walking there normally. She made a bee-line for the shower area but stops briefly when she notes the letters... Briefly pausing, she looked to the showers, then to the bed--almost the same as Brickfielder. She sits down and begins to take off her newly made armour, clothes, and disgustingly cobbled together weaponry, and in the meantime begins to open each letter. Swallowing heavily as she goes to read them, almost bracing for the worst.
Quick Fix winces as Cloudy's tugging him along with the leash. It's obviously humiliating, but his silence indicates that he's adapting well to his new... 'position'. Once they arrive in the room, though, he does speak up."Is this your... bedroom?"
Sundancer plops onto her bed with Brick, likely being the cleanest one of the squad and likewise being able to let hygiene wait "Alright, what did everypony get? Fan mail Brick? Do your parents spray perfume on their letters, Saffron?"
"I wish." Saffron muttered in Sundancer's direction. "It'd be nice to smell something nice for a change."
The vast majority of letters waiting for Brickfielder would be from his siblings. They did not seem to bother waiting for a reply from him before going on to talk about their latest day to day experiences. One letter was from Brick's parents, checking in on him.
Ember sets up her equipment and dons the regulated cloudsdale service uniform. She is surprised and excited about her one letter
Brickfielder doesn't look up immediately, staring down at the letter he's on now and looking up a few seconds late, seeming to be glowing. "...Kinda feels like it." He glances back down and sighs. "Kinda makes me wonder about Phoenix too, though."
"... Why's that?" Saffron's eyes move up from the letter she was just preparing to read to look towards Brickfielder.
Cloudy would give Quick Fix a nod. Once inside and the door was closed she would unshackle his collar from him. "Yours as well, for the time being. You are under my authority, and that means being required to share my living space."
Brickfielder doesn't set the letter down, and frowns. "...It's just... I don't know." Even though he says that, he keeps talking after a moment. "We spent so long dealing with that that it feels weird that we're just... back in this now. Seeing all of that. Living with infrareds. Protecting them. ...Fuck..." He refocuses on the letter he's got in his feathers.
Quick Fix blinks at her. Then he looks around at the space, and it's noticeable lack of a second 'bed'. "...I... see. Will I... be getting a bedroll?" He appears at least a little happier now that the leash is off. The collar almost blends into his uniform.
The letter Ember received was from her mother. It was fairly short and a bit formal, like they were concerned it would not get through the censor otherwise. She wanted to check up on her daughter. Even if she could not understand what all would be happening in her daughter’s life she wanted to let her know she was cared for. Despite the formal wording the intent and affection was evident. The letter smelled like home, at least it seemed to since it had been so very long since Ember had been there.
Saffron's brow falls slightly, and she visibly withdraws into a moment of thought. "... I get what you mean." She replied softly, "It felt nice to achieve what we had that time. To be honest, I felt like we could take on the entire island." Saffron chuckled dryly, clenching her jaw a little bit. "And we did, for a while too. Those Security guards. Man. You trained them well, they were pretty good." She said, almost without really thinking. Her voice trailing as she realized her own fond tone of her voice. "Damn. Probably shouldn't think about it. Alright, letter time..."
Brickfielder casts a glance up at Saffron, and looks back at the letters, preferring to immerse himself in home rather than thinking about all of that.
"No, not unless you kick in your sleep." Cloudy would say with an amused tone. "I want you showered immediately. I take it you have not washed properly since they rescued you."
Quick Fix blinks. And he gulps. He gives a little nervous look between Cloudy and the door. "...oh, I-I just imagined... ...right. Well, um." He cleared his throat. "I would appreciate a shower very much. It's been... over a month." The unicorn took a little sniff at his withers and cringed. "Ugh, even through the suit..."
Ember would get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the letter she wasn't expecting. She could feel her eyes moist up a little. She really should write back once she had the time....
"I will see about having your uniform cleaned and redecorated to your current situation." Cloudy motioned for him to scoot to the bathroom and prepare himself. The bathroom was as spartan as the rest of the suite, just a toilet, sink, and shower stall mostly barren except for necessities such as soaps. It would be the first time he has had hot water in a long time.
Quick Fix relishes the ability to get a proper wash, and - soaps!!! Cloudy can hear an excited squee from the bathroom as the hot water starts. He froths up his fur and swishes his mane with the few basic but vital amenities available. His mane is gonna look *shiny*!
When Quick Fix was done with his shower Cloudy Forecast would be waiting patiently, leaning against the table. She wanted to get to business and show Quick fix the condition he would be helping her manage. The blue officer took off her dress cap. Under the cap were horns. Not unlike unicorn horns, but small and stubby and dotting her entire skullcap. Most were thin shards of bone that broke through skin that was raw and puffed, with scabbing around the base of the exposed bone. There were several dozen of the small horns, ranging between an inch to three inches . None of them were a full horn like Quick Fixe’s own however. With a heavy sigh the officer would look at Quick fix. “It is difficult for me to tend to myself. You will be keeping a medical kit on your person and tend me throughout the day.”
Quick Fix winced just at the sight of her condition. He was an experienced medical practitioner, yes... but seeing something like *that* in person was very different to seeing all manner of things through the lens of a camera or the style of a pencil. He imagines Cloudy is probably somewhat used to seeing that look, and he attempts to modify it out of sympathy. "...so... these come through at a constant rate? Something to do with that magical radiation, right?" He frowns, moving closer to her and expecting the 'wounds' more closely. "I'm afraid I won't just be able to cut these off with what I have, if that's what you require. I'll need... specialised tools for this."
Cloudy would be straightforward with Quick Fix regarding her condition. She was a mutant, naturally born as such. She expects the mutation to be caused by latent radiation in the air, but the exact cause was indeterminate. The horns were stable and were constant. But the skin around it was being attacked like it was infected. She would need assistance with daily bandage changes and the occasional draining of fluids from the tissues. Salves applied to keep the swelling down. That sort of medical attention. She confessed it was a constant source of pain for her. So as her new physician it was Quick’s duty to study her affliction and determine the best course of ongoing treatment.
Cloudy would be straightforward with Quick Fix regarding her condition. She was a mutant, naturally born as such. She expects the mutation to be caused by latent radiation in the air, but the exact cause was indeterminate. The horns were stable and were constant. But the skin around it was being attacked like it was infected. She would need assistance with daily bandage changes and the occasional draining of fluids from the tissues. Salves applied to keep the swelling down. That sort of medical attention. She confessed it was a constant source of pain for her. So as her new physician it was Quick’s duty to study her affliction and determine the best course of ongoing treatment.
"The first thing I would think of for something like that is immunosuppressants..." he frowned, "but seeing as you haven't already been prescribed them, I'm guessing that isn't possible. The best I can do is apply anti-inflammatory creams to the sites and manage any real infections that do spring up. If you'd trust me to, I could also magically ease the pain... to an extent. I'd be a little worried about interrupting neurons in the area, and - we - don't want that." Quick looked the wounds over some more, attempting to evaluate the extent of the disease. "I'm no stranger to chronic illness, so I'm sure we can work something out that's less... 'labour-intensive' in the future. On what amounts to a battlefield, though, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to do the best I can."
The officer kept her head bowed for Quick to examine. "You are acting like a doctor treating a patient. That will be sufficient." Cloudy Forecast stated with a hint of grimness. But she illuminated where that came from quickly. "You remember what Saffron told you about social hierarchy? Typically a mutant is also an infrared. That is unless they have useful abilities such as Ember Flare and myself. But knowing what you have heard, what do you think the local head of medical staff's opinions might be regarding a mutant with the same rank as her?"
Quick nodded slowly, already leaning his own head to work some magic on the wounds. Cloudy would feel some of the soreness fade, though it was somewhat of a weak effect - probably due to the unicorn's earlier concerns. "...I imagine she wouldn't exactly be sympathetic. I don't envy you, miss. I imagine it hasn't been easy getting to where you are now in... a society like this. Back in the Vault, there was the Overseer, and there was everypony else. You just did what you were best at. Even those with terrible illnesses had use to life underground."
Cloudy gave a pleased sigh before she seemed to retreat into rhetoric on the subject. "I have done many things. All for the good of Cloudsdayle. I have used my unique abilities for the betterment of my people, even if they would deride me for my circumstances." She changed the subject to Quick. "Tell me about your vault. I have not met a sane dweller before. I am told the experiments do not often produce working ecosystems."
"Well... it was... peaceful. And very boring, at times. There's nothing much to talk about when nothing ever goes wrong. We were fed by hydroponic farms and powered by a nuclear reactor. I think our water came from a natural source of filtered groundwater below the Isle, but I never really paid much attention to that in class..." He sighed wistfully. "I spent most of my free time reading. Read up on all the sciences, since by then it was decided I would be working in the infirmary. Lots of literature too. I can't say I'm much of an expert in anything but the medical field, but I'm proud of the general breadth of knowledge I acquired. ...I was looking into specialising when our reactor failed."
Cloudy interjected somewhere to hold a hoof up to pause him as she turned away slightly. She looked like she was thinking, looking off into space at a wall. But the horns on her head started to glow in thin, weak auras of many different hues. She concentrated for a few moments before turning to Quick once more. She answered him before he needed to speak the question. "My powers." She started simply. "I hear radio waves and can transmit directly as well. I heard a message and forwarded it to the communications staff. I am the communications officer for a reason."
Quick hushed as requested, watching Cloudy with unfettered curiosity. "That does seem... very advantageous in a military environment... and I suppose that's why you're out here. Same as Ember, with her... fiery abilities." Quick took a step back and sank to his haunches. The inspection had clearly ended by now, and he'd done what he could to at least soothe the pegasus a bit. "I expect you could transmit directly to my PipBoy, then? It has a receiver. Usually we just used it to listen to music broadcasts inside the Vault. But, that might come in hoofy someday."
"I expect I could. Should it become advantageous for you to hear my thoughts by radio. But given your expected proximity, we shall see. Tell me more about your vault. I heard they involved goats?" She would have more questions of an innocent nature to ask him in the same vein.
"Goats... erm, the GOAT. It stands for General Occupational Aptitude Test. Basically, you would take it as a foal to give you a rough direction to follow if you hadn't gotten your cutiemark yet. ...so, I had to take it." She hadn't actually seen if he'd yet acquired a mark, thanks to the suit. "You know, I'm only seventeen? After I took that test everything was just biology and medicine from there on. That's why I read so much. I wanted to learn about other things, too."
"We have a similar test. To determine where ponies will apprentice. Another aspect of Vault-Tec that I suspect was incorporated into Cloudsdayle life. I suspect a great many things made their way upwards in that same case." She checked a watch she had kept under her sleeve. "Time for some dinner, then bed. I tend to rest early since I often have some message or signal interrupt my sleep."
"Hmm. Aspects of Vault-Tec, but it looks like it was... ...pardon my language... warped by time. I don't think Vault-Tec would ever have introduced hierarchies into the bunkers... though. You mentioned something about experiments?" He stood, ready to go get something to eat. It was about time... it would probably be too much to ask for good food, but eats were eats. "Right. ...do you mind if I take a wander after you go to bed? I'd like to speak with Nimbus Squad."
"Careful with your assumptions. I would prefer not to see you beaten to death your first day on the base." She stated this without intent to have it seen to. "You will not be allowed free reign and may only move under escort. Which for the time being until considerations are made, will only be myself." She took his collar and leash from where she had left it, hanging on that diamond dog statue, moving to place it on him. "Nearly all vaults on record were subject to experiments performed internally through Vault Tec programs. I do not have clearance for knowing more regarding. But from field work I can attest that I have seen... some strange and un-pony like results of these experiments."
"...I see." Quick gulped, watching her approach with the leash and collar. Had it... really come to this? And how had Cloudsdayle become the way it had? ...perhaps isolation and a sense of supremacy by the height above the wastes had corrupted the leaders of the pegasi. ...and it was all just... accepted and sometimes endorsed by the civilians and the military. ...a tear formed in one eye, which he swiftly wiped away as he attempted to force those hellish thoughts out of his head. "But... why? Why experiment on ponies you were supposed to provide protection for...? And how would anypony ever collect the data?" He magically tugged at the collar as she slipped it around his neck. "...you know, I'm surprised you even had a leash and collar on hoof."
Cloudy Forecast would not be able to answer the whys for Quick Fix. Those whys, she did note, 'were lost long ago with the dead ponies who probably caused the end of Equestria.' She would take the leash and give him some clear instructions. He was not to speak openly when being led around. Silence and being overlooked would be an asset to him. She led him from her room out the back of the building, past the radio tower, and into the officer mess hall. The building was quiet and well furnished. A single long room ending at a kitchen serving counter. It, like much of the architecture, reminded Quick of the vault's eatery. The evening meal would be warm and good quality, a portion of Cloudy's large officer ration. They would eat in silence.
The unicorn accepted that he should keep a low profile and had even been practicing it before he and Cloudy had met, so that was given a simple nod. It seemed that while they were outside of the pegasus' quarters they would mostly be silent. It was certainly uncomfortable for Quick, but it was potentially a matter of survival. ...he'd be lucky if he got to see any of Nimbus Squad privately ever again, at this rate. At least the food was good. He had to resist the urge to comment and chatter with her about it.
Cloudy had a well developed way of eating quickly and efficiently. It appeared to have been a trained method to get as much in her as quickly as possible without seeming to lose manners. The reason for this would be somewhat evident by the time she was leading Quick back to her quarters. They had avoided meeting any of the other officers at the mess hall. When they returned to the quarters and were in private once more, the officer would strip out of her uniform to have it hung up. Her stretched and unnaturally gangly nature would be on display as she prepared for sleep.
It seemed the day had come to an end. ...not that the unicorn was especially sleepy. They would be getting into bed much earlier than he was used to. On that note, he asked, "...would you mind if I spent some time listening to music? I won't keep you up... it's just... I'm not exactly tired, is all. Not yet. I don't want to keep you awake with my tossing and turning."
"You have just been on the road as it were for over a week. I doubt you are made of stern enough stuff to not be tired after all of that. Unless a simple shower was that invigorating?" She said in an amused way. "What sort of music does that device play? I cannot say I have ever had a lullaby before."
"For the most part, the trip consisted of myself resting on Brickfielder's back; flight was the fastest way across the mountains. I haven't done much exercise all week, unless you count the heightened metabolism from my body resisting the cold." He raised his left hoof and his horn lit to begin messing with his PipBoy. "Anything I have saved. Which is a lot, since I prefer having it on-demand rather than waiting for the radio to cycle."
The officer prepared herself for bed and climbed into the nest she made out of her hammock. She sprawled out in a lavish wat and watched Quick Fix fiddling with the device. "If you prefer to sleep on the cold floor you could do so. But I doubt you would find that comfortable."
Quick nod-nodded. "I'll join you eventually. Don't worry, I'm used to sneaking into bedrolls without disturbing the occupant. I won't disturb you." He decided on some classical music - was that all he had? - and made sure it was quiet enough not to be heard by the pegasus.
Cloudy Forecast seemed to have found that comment quite hilarious. She let out a chortle. "Oh my. That sounds quite scandalous. Now I am curious which of my subordinates you have been sneaking onto."
"...th-that's... um... cl-classified." He stammered, hiding his blush behind the green glow of the PipBoy. "...y-you get some rest, now. I'll join you later."
The letters Saffron received were from her family. Her father's contacts in service had let him know what sort of operation his daughter was on. He started with telling her his condolences for her being put into that sort of work. But it was what she had wanted it would seem. He wished that Saffron did not make any of the mistakes he had. Although she looked to be set up to fail in ways he had been. He wished Saffron good luck in her mission, but could not say much else.
Sundancer's letters came from her mother. She expressed her joy that Sundancer was in service and could repay the debts her new body had garnered. She expressed concerns that the debt might be very high however. That she feared her daughter might never truly finish her military career. She wanted Sundancer to confirm or deny her suspicions when she had time to write back. The letters were months old at this point. She must be quite worried.
Your first evening at forward operating base Lighthouse would be pleasant for the squad. You were back in your own bunks, with your own gear, showers, and meals of what could almost count as home cooked food. You had a long stay ahead of you. Winter was just beginning and from what Cloudy had said the operations were mostly halted during. It turned out the civilians had been sent home to Cloudsdayle for the winter as well. Aside from daily duties that would primarily be used to keep you occupied, such as cleaning or snow shoveling, you will have free time on your hooves. The first order of business today however would be your equipment. You would need to go to the arsenal and stow your covert items, while negotiating the free use of some of your crafted pieces.
For Quick Fix the situation was comfortable, if a bit unnerving. Cloudy Forecast would be a pretty snuggly mutant. It would be difficult for Quick to get to sleep given the strange situation he was in. But the road had been long and he would have been worn out. Cloudy Forecast would wake up early with the sun to prepare for her day.
Brickfielder would be in an incredibly chipper mood in the morning; spending an evening getting a hot meal, a hot shower, and writing a long letter back to his family has done wonders for his spirits. He wastes no time reporting to the arsenal first thing, widening the paths in the snow other pegasi have made on account of his larger hooves and stride.
Sundancer writes the beginning of her reply the evening she reads it, joking that she intends to remain in service until her warranty runs out before deciding it's a little morbid for having been such a long time. She shelved her writing for future consideration, feeling no time pressure
Quick Fix wakes early with Cloudy, though he feels quite refreshed; he probably just sleeps soundly with a warm body behind him and hooves holding him tight. He tends to the mare's condition to the best of his ability and waits patiently for her to prepare for the day.
Ember would ponder on the reply to the letter she received, but would otherwise go about the morning routines and get to the arsenal
Saffron was unhappy, to say the least. The letter had been as she feared. Her father knew. He probably didn't know how badly she had fallen in his trail, but he probably would soon. Already her demeanour was different--not TOO different compared to what she had displayed at Phoenix, but she talked even less. She walked with a purpose to the armoury later in the day after a shower and some rest. On her way she witnesses Brickfielder in a good mood, clearing a path. Which was good as she was very small and had to wade through it by brute force where it wasn't or fly over it. "Lookin' good Brickfielder." She'd remark on her way in, smirking at him light-heartedly. "Somepony's gotta clean up this dang snow for us smalls."
Ember Flare: "A shame to be stowing this stuff away... Sundancer actually managed to make these things quite comfortable. Though the base vault suit is a bit too... form fitting to my tastes"
"I'm gonna have my stuff logged if I can. I'm keepin' the knife at least." Saffron stated matter-of-factly, as she made her way inside and looked forward to trying to sneak the better gear into her kit.
Sundancer sleeps in slightly late as usual for her, awoken by her name being mentioned before assessing the state of the barracks
Brickfielder glances at Saffron as she joins him, not breaking his stride. "While I would be... tickled to hold onto the bone sword, I imagine against anything that isn't glass I'll still prefer a standard-issue rifle."
The arsenal was much like it had been since your last visit. The concrete building with the large steel door was waiting like a slumbering dragon. Inside were the base munition stores and inventory. Silver Lining would be in attendance compared to in the commissary or at some officer meeting. He would be somewhat Beaming at the prospect of having to catalogue and archive exotic equipment. It might be an uphill fight to keep your customized items out of his hooves.
Sundancer shakes her head and runs to catch up with Saffron and Ember after they leave the tent
Ember Flare "We should ask if we'll be able to requisition the material once we're assigned on the field again"
Cloudy Forecast would have had a stashed medical kit for her pocket medic to use. Her morning preparations included tidying her uniform, taking a brief shower, getting breakfast before most of the camp was awake, and then leaving to perform her work in communications. The communications building was packed wall to wall with radio equipment and operations tables with maps. Stuff that an outsider probably should not be seeing. It was staffed with a half dozen Pegasi this morning. At the far end of the room was a curtained off area where Cloudy would bring Quick Fix. Inside was a circular table with a couple chairs. One of which Cloudy took a seat at. Since she removed her hat it seemed like that was the purpose of the curtain. She could hear what was all going on and with her powers she likely did not need to be using the equipment. “If you wish to speak, please keep it low. We will have time until the afternoon if you wish to discuss something” Cloudy said to Quick in a low tone.
Saffron gives off a nickering sigh of annoyance. "Frack." She muttered beneath her breath. Saffron was not looking forward to this conversation. She looked up towards Brickfielder once, "Yeah well... You have a greatsword --which you're very good with by the way, and I have a knife. It's good to have a solid backup that scorched the hides out of people, y'know." He tells him with a fair seriousness in her voice devoid of the usual humor, as they approached the officer. Meeting him with the obligatory sharp salute.
Quick Fix kept with Cloudy throughout her morning routine, having little to say and not much to do either. Breakfast was likely as quiet but as tasty as dinner. He felt as if he were seeing things he wasn't supposed to as they passed through the main section of Communications, but... well, who exactly was he telling what he saw? Once they arrived in the curtained area, he took a seat at the other chair and nodded. "So... I just... sit here, then?"
Brickfielder gives a glance to Saffron, before he turns his attention forward, and he snaps a characteristic salute to Silver Lining. "Sir. Here to personally catalog our equipment?"
Sundancer skids to a halt behind the party and starts speaking without much ceremony, assuming the conversation is further along than it is "The vault suits are tacky, and the weapons are specialized mission equipment, but that armor was made for Ember."
Silver Lining, the somewhat portly fellow, would be watching like a hawk as you entered the arsenal with new goodies. He would return the salute and let you be at ease, seeming to be in a good mood. “I had heard the reports regarding your field acquisitions and forging. I am looking forward to seeing what sort of crafting could be done with vault facilities. What all have you brought me?” He seemed almost like a shady dealer about to receive precious wares.
Ember Flare: "And it works really well, makes channeling magic a bit easier... and it beats the clunkier armors we have here. Not to mention what 'native' gear we were offered before"
Sundancer crowds her way past Saffron and Brick to show off her craftsponyship "Sadly we had to donate a lot of it to the local forces, but we set some aside for our use."
“You will sit there, ma’am.” Cloudy Forecast corrected Quick Fix. “I will be addressed properly when on duty.” She said firmly. “It will be boring for the time being, yes. But you cannot wander off. There will be more to do in the afternoon. I will need to speak with Nimbus Squad once again soon.”
Brickfielder presents his bone sword proudly, holding it out flat with his wings. "Sundancer's talents with crafting in the field were invaluable."
Saffron regarded Silver Lining with a little bit of a compulsively respectful flat look, burying everything she wanted to say that wasn't pertinent for the officer specifically. "We have some bladed weapons made from an undead dragon bone," Saffron gestured to the bone-sword Brickfielder carried. "And an outfit that seems to work really well for Ember," Saffron said, casting a look towards the mutant, then back to Silver Lining. "We would like to request some of this equipment be left in our standard issue. Specifically Ember Flare's improved outfit."
"O-oh... sorry, ma'am..." He murmurs sheepishly, his civilian background clearly showing. "That's okay. I... I have books saved on my PipBoy I can read. A good chunk of the library back home. I'll keep myself occupied."
The officer at the arsenal took up one of the bone knives and started to examine it. “Wonderful. I can appreciate well crafted items when I see them. It is not often a green is able to access such rare material. What has been recovered in the field already will serve us well.” Silver Lining seemed almost to be talking to himself. But he focused on your group and what you were saying. “Yes, yes. I would imagine you would want to keep a grip on your customized items. I would like nothing less than to see you put them to good use. However. It would be quite a lot of paperwork to fill out for that. Quite a lot indeed.” He seemed to be needing convincing to do that sort of work.
Sundancer: "Well as I was just mentioning to my squadmates before we came in, it would probably be more paperwork coming up with a category of mutant armor with magical amplifiers and shoulder holes than just leaving it with the soldier it was made for."
Embers hopeful smile turns into a bit furrowed brow as it starts to be clear Silver lining considers the arsenals almost his personal cache
Brickfielder brings the sword back to his side and raises his head high; given his height, making sure Silver has to really look *up* to meet his eyes. "At the very least, we each have one or two personal items that we're personally trained in, sir. I don't warrant it'd be bragging to say I'm likely one of the finest swordsponies in this operation now, for instance. We would all benefit if Nimbus Squad were at least given preference for these items, particularly if we're deployed against glass creatures, sir."
Saffron however did not budge so easily. And following up with Brickfielder she insists. "And with respect, sir. That outfit has proved somewhat invaluable to our artillerypony here. It stabilizes her powers specifically and is not much use to anyone who isn't a mutant anyways. It would be good for our personal effectiveness against ALL threats and situations to put the effort towards said paperwork." Saffron stated firmly while maintaining a well practised proud and at-ease posture.
Ember whispers to Saffron "I think we might have to... bribe him or something"
Saffron sideglances Ember at the whisper. This made Saffron's eyes dart slightly with some thought, giving a small nod to signal that she understood before turning back to Silver Lining to see what he says next before speaking again, on her turn.
Quick Fix would witness a bit of bizarre operations in communications. Since Cloudy was undoubtedly listening into each radio communication going through the camp, she did not need to directly speak with her communications staff. Occasionally someone would knock on the hard wall next to the curtained area and hoof in a clipboard to Cloudy. She would examine the attached paperwork, mark it, and return it to the waiting soldier on the other side of the cloth. Once in a while the crown of horns on her head would glow as she did something magical. “Tell me more about yourself.” Cloudy would ask of her infrared after some time and a lull in activity.
Silver Lining seemed like he would need convincing. But a bribe might go a distance as well. It was unlikely you might have something he could not simply take however given his position. He argued against Ember's armor on the grounds that it lacked Cloudsdayle identifiers and could be mistaken in the field for some tribal witch doctor getup. Something clearly a potential danger to the wearer during a tense situation. As for the martial weapons, well it was obvious why they issued knives instead of swords. A knife was a tool while a sword was too large for the same tasks. He seemed to have trouble justifying taking away Saffron’s switchblade on those grounds however.
Quick Fix noticed and took note of these strange proceedings, but for the most part he kept his eyes on his PipBoy. He had some reading to do on aerodynamics. Maybe it would come in handy when dealing with pegasi...?...yeah, he was just bored.Cloudy's demand took him out of it, though, and he looked up at her with a couple blinks. "Um... well... ma'am... that's quite... open."
Saffron shakes her head. "Understandable sir, understandable, but think of it like this: The outfit can be modified to have our insignia. It can be rebuilt, we have the talent and the means to convert a uniform into the same configuration and maybe even make it better." Saffron stated, before slowing down a little bit as he says the following: "And if it would make it more worthwhile, we could give away some of..." She pauses to think a little longer, "My pay, for this specific favour of allowing us to keep it." She told Silver Lining with an earnest determination but keeping a deferential tone to keep Silver Lining flattered enough to not break negotiations with his authority. "And, as for my switchblade. I would prefer it to the ripper as a holdout weapon."
"I know" Cloudy started. "But you are a curiosity. So I am wondering how you might answer my request, much as I am interested in what you answer with.”
"Hm." He took a few moments to think before he came up with something to tell her about. "Oh, I know. Something relevant to my being a 'curiosity'. I assume you don't know much about unicorns... er, ma'am?"
Cloudy forecast would give Quick fix a nod to continue, regardless of what she knew or did not know.
"Unicorns can use their horns to channel magic. The situation with your head probably makes you at least partly like a unicorn in that respect. Almost all of us can use telekinesis instinctively, which is very useful when it comes to handling tools that require fine manipulation... say, a scalpel. My 'talent' as it were, however, is healing magic. It's the reason I hardly need to use the equipment stuck to this uniform."
(GM Note): Cut a lengthy ooc discussion on what the group would offer Silver Lining as part of a bribe. Saffron’s player offered up their stipend to cover costs.Then they made a negotiation test and passed.
It will take a bit of convincing and a sizable chunk of Saffron’s volunteered stipend to make this deal happen, but eventually the portly dragon relents. He will get the paperwork in order for your squad to keep Ember’s bone armor, Brick’s sword, and Saffron’s switchblade in your capable hooves. He will just require that Sundancer has Ember’s armor lacquered black so that it will somewhat resemble proper armor. He will let Sundancer handle that now if she wishes, while he gets the paperwork in order.
Saffron slips in a: "Thank you, sir. it was a pleasure." Which was a complete lie, as it wasn't a pleasure at all. She maintains a small smile, almost a silly smile until they are cleared to go. At which point her smile immediately drops and she strides off into the arsenal to stock her new switchblade into her personal locker, and then kiss goodbye to her stealth armour under the assumption Silver Lining was going to kidnap it from her as he also takes it off herself.
Cloudy would nod once when Quick finished his explanation. “I have met a few unicorns in the field.” She would say, but not elaborate further on at this time. “What else can you tell me about yourself? I imagine you’re more than just a medical android?”
Sundancer surrenders the bag of ammo and the leftover axes for the greater glory of Cloudsdayle with reserved pride
Ember is surprised and glad she'll be able to use her armor in base, but she feels bad for Saffron giving away much of her pay on her advise
Brickfielder busies himself with turning over his items, storing away his sword.
"At least it's good to look like a professional again," Saffron remarked as she gets back into the trademark uniform of the Cloudsdayle army. Tugging at the sleeves and flexing a few times to get used to it again after so long of having her fur to the air. Casting a brief glance to Ember, the red pegasus flashed her a satisfied smirk. "Hey Ember. You got plans for this downtime we got ourselves?"
Silver Lining seems quite glad with these turn of events. He was carefully examining the blade of an axe head as he noted he would have preferred Sundancer being under his command instead of ‘wasted’ in such field work. But she was still pulling in remarkable results given the resources she had been given. Perhaps next operation he could requisition her transfer to one of his units.
Brickfielder seems to share the sentiment that Saffron says out loud, his head high as he returns to a proper military uniform, and angling an ear towards his squadmates.
Ember Flare: "Oh uh... I haven't really put much thought to it yet. I am going to enjoy some hot coffee in the mess at least"
Sundancer: "I'm sure my best work is ahead of me sir. I'm just trying to enjoy my time in the field while it lasts."
Quick Fix tapped his chin, staring at the ceiling of the building. "Hmn. I told you a lot about myself last night before bed... ...m-ma'am. I think I'm running out of general knowledge... ...erm, would you like to know what sort of fiction I'm into? My musical taste? ...I'm sorry, I don't mean to be boring..."
Ember Flare: "we'll see what they've got planned for during this downtime"
Sundancer: "I can think of all kinds of things, but the stretch of winter makes me worried about getting bored of them."
Saffron nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe there are some cards we can requisition to play! There's gonna be a lot of time to chat for sure. There will be SO much time to practice my AMAZING jokes." The mare jokingly said in Ember's direction, stepping over to give the taller mare a playful bump on the shoulder with her hoof.
Sundancer: "Planned? I doubt we have much planned... we're not schoolchildren."
Saffron: "And you know, I was thinking. Maybe we could uh... Maybe they could put you to work in the motor pool, Sundancer? I'm probably going to talk with Cloudy pretty soon. We'll see."
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow at Saffron's excitement, but doesn't say anything; the idea of her practicing her comedy does not seem to instill excitement in him.
Sundancer raises a hoof to speak "I'm sure they'll put me to work if they need me. I'm more interested in finding a deck of cards."
Sundancer "Something social. Beating Quick at cards seems like good entertainment, you think we can invite him?"
Ember Flare: "Well he might be chained to Cloudy most of the time, maybe even literally. But I doubt she would want him shadowing her all the time"
When the squad was leaving the Arsenall there was a runner waiting for them it seemed. He was from a medical unit and he seemed eager to speak with you. When he approached he noted that you were all due for a medical checkup. Somehow your instructions to get to the hospital on arrival was missed. You were to be screened for any potential infection vectors. But he did not elaborate as he was in a hurry to go in to tell Silver Lining to decontaminate all the equipment you left.
"Sure I can. If our CO will lend him to us that is..." Saffron replied to Sundancer with a somewhat veiled irked annoyance at something in that statement as she waited for them to be done dressing, looking to Brickfielder as the giant came over, and then started walking out. Immediately met-up by a runner. She was fine with going to go get decontaminated, so she quickly veered her course from going to Communications and over to the Field Hospital instead.
“It is alright. I am putting you on the spot. As is, I will have plenty of time to learn your quirks. Would you have any questions for me?” Cloudy Forecast would offer in a polite conversational way.
Brickfielder gives a smirk at Sundancer's idea. "I'm not one for cards, but I have to wonder if even I could outplay him. Now, then, we've presumably got empty sample cups with our names on them waiting for us."
Ember Flare: "I hope this doesn't mean someone managed to bring some sort of disease into the base..."
"Wack," Saffron remarked as the runner went past them and indoors. And starts to walk off with the others. "What games would you all play anyways? Blackjack? Poker? Never played poker."
Quick Fix gave a little nod nigh-immediately. "Oh, yes. Um. I wanted to ask... why... was I taken? Was it an order from you?"
Brickfielder: "Again, not really one for cards... but, if I had to beat Quick in something, it'd be poker. Blackjack's not as exciting."
Saffron chuckled and sighed a bit at Brickfielder's words. "I have an idea for the game already." Saffron quarter-turned her head to talk over the shoulder as they get to the field hospital's entrance. "We could make it so everytime somepony wins a hand, they can truth or dare someone of their choosing! Good stakes if you asked me."
Sundancer: "I used to like fast paced games where you got to slap your friends hooves. I'm curious if my poker face has improved since being made out of metal."
Saffron: "I would never play poker against Sundancer after hearing that."
When the squad would arrive at the field hospital Sundancer would be looked up and down and given a quick discharge. Since as long as she sanitized herself in the shower she would be fine. For the others their inspections would be quickly managed. A check of temperature, questions regarding discomfort or any swelling noticed, and the usual check up items were performed. Ember was running hot, but Breezy Night came by and cleared her. “That was just how the mutant was” The offer would state over her subordinate’s shoulder.
Cloudy Forecast breathed out her nose at the question and seemed to take a while before answering it. “Yes, it was on my order. But for now I do not wish to explain myself. Consider this topic taboo until I say otherwise.” She told Quick Fix in a firm, but not unkind tone.
Ember walked off back to join Sundancer after being given her leave "Well they told me I was too hot, but apparently that's just the way I am" Ember notes with goofy smirk
Saffron sits through the check-up easily enough. She didn't feel any different, apart from lightly chilled and a little annoyed from the snowflakes wetting her mane. After being cleared she didn't stick around, waiting for Ember to get cleared as well, before walking out and to the others. Her statement made her wheeze and laugh for a good moment.
Saffron "They sure got you, Ember."
"Uh..." Quick frowned, clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't push the subject. "...okay... that's... all I had to ask, then. I've been wondering about it for... ...well, nevermind. You'll probably have more communications to receive soon."
Sundancer smiles and waits for Saffron to finish laughing "Just a little medical humor."
"Wait hold on. There's somepony we should check up on, actually?" Saffron turned around and faced Brickfielder more as she takes a few steps back to the hospital, "We should ask if Violet Rain and her squad's been discharged, we can pay a visit if not."
Saffron started walking backwards again. "Wait, nah, they were discharged I remember. Cloudy told us." Saffron amends herself as she goes back to the ground, "Shut up." She said proactively to nobody in particular. "Coffee time?"
Ember Flare: "Is fine by me. I'm sure brick will find us once he's relieved"
Saffron chuckled sensibly and looked towards Brickfielder after that one. "Riiight."
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow, tilting his head innocently. "Why would I split off now? It's not as if I know where Violet is at this moment anyways."
Sundancer: "Well, we're having coffee. I think Saffron's suggesting you go and have coffee with Violet. She can't have gone far."
Saffron smirked at him with some humour. Nodding her head once as she starts her walk towards the Mess Hall. "Not saying you HAVE to leave us, it's nice to have you around Brick." Saffron remarked on a softer note as they moved past him to lead the way again. Small in front, tall behind the small. "Maybe she's at the mess hall right now."
Saffron smirked at him with some humour. Nodding her head once as she starts her walk towards the Mess Hall. "Not saying you HAVE to leave us, it's nice to have you around Brick." Saffron remarked on a softer note as they moved past him to lead the way again. Small in front, tall behind the small. "Maybe she's at the mess hall right now."
Saffron: "I know I would be after a near-death experience."
Brickfielder quietly watches Saffron from behind, before raising his eyes and looking forward.
Sundancer frowns "You'd be in the mess hall for weeks afterwards"
Cloudy would check her watch. It was about time for her lunch. She would put on her dress cap once again before taking up Quick Fix’s leash and leading him to the officer mess hall. Almost as if lying in wait was another officer and a small entourage of Greens. The officer was male, tall, smarmy, and seemed extremely pompous. When Cloudy and Quick were noticed the officer got up to cause trouble. It would be a direct experience for Quick to see the sort of bothering Cloudy likely received frequently. The fellow asked her what she was thinking. Asking her if she really felt having a pet on the base was a good idea. If she was just lonely because her status kept anyone from being friendly with her. It was direct jabbing but seemed contained to what he felt he could get away with without directly bullying the fellow officer, even if she were a mutant. For her part Cloudy just stood there and kept stoic, letting it wash off her. Without getting a raise from Cloudy, the other officer lost interest pretty quickly. Possibly before he got too far and said something he could actually get in trouble for, he took his leave with his squad of goons.
Quick Fix watched said officer depart, frowning at him. "Wow. What an awful person. Do you have to put up with that every day..?" ...he also felt a little embarrassed being simultaneously led around by the collar and used to bully Cloudy, but he was trying more and more not to let that show. He had to be strong and stoic if he was going to survive in the camp.
Ember lines up in the mess hall getting her coffee and possibly a small confection if those were being sold to at the moment
"No I wouldn't!" Saffron's voice goes a little high pitched from how hard and quickly she defends herself from Sundancer's words. "You don't know what my coping mechanisms are." She grumbled half-heartedly. "I don't even know what my coping mechanisms are."
Saffron scoffed and lifted her muzzle slightly as she went to take her tray. She had to lift up almost on her hind legs to take one side with her teeth, then spend time carefully adjusting it until she had the right grip before moving along. She was almost too small to reach up to the counter, she had to be with one hoof on it on her hind legs, one wing half-spread to keep her balance.
The mess hall would be busy, but less so than it had been on the Squad’s last visit. Without the civilians on the base the reserved tables were open for use and Squads spread out a bit. When your squad entered the mess hall your attention was drawn to a squat stallion sitting by himself enjoying his own coffee. Thunder Pudge waved to get your squad’s attention.
Sundancer frowns as she didn't mean to say anything hurtful, she was just confused by Saffron's words. "Mmmight want to figure that out."
“Most days, yes.” Cloudy Forecast would tell Quick Fix. She seemed to be a bit dour now from the jabbing. She requested silence for the meal. But let Quick Fix know he should see Nimbus Squad again soon.
"O' 'ey, is Fhunder Fhdge." Saffron attempted to speak with the tray between her teeth. If Saffron was offended she didn't show for more than a second before she was back to herself. Her head turned towards the stanky mutant, and waved at him with a smile. She waited until she got her food, whatever it was for the day, and then started to move towards Thunder Pudge. Even if it would make her appetite go away at one point.
Ember doesn't have the clearest memory of the stallion but gladly joined the stallion that seemed to so enthusiastically invite them in
Quick Fix was silent as they ate, as usual. The thought of seeing Nimbus Squad again... it filled him with anxiety, if anything. Now that the squad was back home, would they have returned to their old habits? Would they demean him? The thought made him shudder, and the magical grip around his cutlery flickered for a moment.
"Oh fuck, it's Thunder Pudge..." Brickfielder echoes Saffron's muffled speech, and sighs to himself as he starts moving after her.
Sundancer trails behind the group, feeling quite content with never feeling her skin crawl again
When the Squad joined Thunder Pudge they would slowly start to feel why the stallion was likely sitting alone. His presence caused your skin to crawl a bit and have a sensation of being moist. It felt like you needed to take a shower just being near the fellow. For his part he was quite chipper and greeted you all with a big “Welcome back Nimbus Squad!” that had genuine excitement. As soon as you might have sat he would launch into questions regarding what all you had done since he last saw you on your boat heading west.
Ember greets the stallion, possibly feeling slightly odd having sat down at the table "I heard you were dealing with some sort of sirens not long ago?"
Saffron bravely approached the table and IMMEDIATELY her feathers ruffled and her face contorted into a slight wince from the passive aura of ickiness the pony had. Saffron felt it was visibly, but that didn't stop her from slowly putting the tray down on the opposite end of the table as Thunder Pudge, and sitting down. Rubbing a hoof slowly across her fur and frowning a little to herself. She felt a little grossed out, but Thunder Pudge's excitement made her rebound back to him with a smile. "Thanks, Thunder Pudge! How are you? And how's your squad for that matter?"
Brickfielder is already gritting his teeth before they enter Pudge's "aura", keeping a straight face as he starts trying to eat.
Thunder Pudge for his part seemed oblivious to your discomfort. He also seemed more than happy to talk about his escapades. He said though that he was not sure how much was supposed to be classified yet so he could only tell you the outline he thinks. He’s been issued as the liaison to the underwater U.I.I.s since they only seemed to want to talk to him personally. He expects that’s about what he will spend most of his time doing for the operation. Keeping the sirens from trying to steal away any troops. He managed to convince them to put their efforts on the outposts on the northern islands. But he’s not sure if griffons were affected by their song powers. When it came to discussing his squad he had to regretfully inform you that he lost a member of his team during the 'negotiations' as they had offended the sirens somehow.
Brickfielder, even through his tightened jaw, manages to cast a glance to Thunder. "Sorry to hear." He at least makes it sound genuine.
Ember starts losing taste for her coffee and lets the remaining quarter of the cup sit there "Well our thing seemed to go mostly without a hitch... Even saved Violets unit when they were wounded during their mission"
Cloudy Forecast would eat her meal with Quick and either seem to not notice his discomfort or at least not comment on it. When the meal was done she would take his leash up again and lead him out towards HQ and her office. Inside HQ she would ask a runner to collect Saffron for her. She would lead Quick into her office to wait. There were more than a few eyes on them as they went to the office that was more storeroom than workspace. The runner would arrive at the mess hall around the tail end of Thunder Pudge’s speal. Cautiously approaching, the runner would tell Saffron that Cloudy wanted to speak with her in her office.
(GM note): Saffron’s player did not notice the runner for a while
Ember starts to feel a bit itchy to get away from the stallion, is he really not a mutant of some sort? She glances the Colts uniform up and down
Thunder Pudge would ask what your squad had even been doing out there for so long. He had heard some rumors but nothing concrete.
Saffron nearly spilt her coffee when she heard he was the 'liaison' of the U.I.I now, gulping down the coffee a bit painful as he hides a cough behind her hoof. "Liaison?? Of the sirens??" Saffron asked, baffled by this development. But apologizes quickly to let him keep going. Deflating by the end of it as he mentioned losing someone... She frowned, nodding slowly along with Ember's words. "Yeah. It seems our team is getting pit against stuff that's way above our paygrade. Undead dragons for Violet's squad's case. We just had to fight the shred of a god by what we know. If it weren't for Ember and Sundancer kicking its ass we'd have been worse off though..."
It does make Ember wonder if it is just a coincidence... are all missions really that dangerous or are they just somehow singled out
"Saffron? Why are you asking for Saffron.. ma'am?" Quick had kept his eyes down from all the prying eyes and only spoke up once the runner had departed and they were alone. ...he tugged at his collar a little with his telekinesis. The thing couldn't be replaced soon enough.
"No casualties on Nimbus, thank goodness." She turned to the others with a seriously glad smile when she states that, then back to Thunder Pudge. Picking up a fork to start touching her food reluctantly. "But, Thunder Pudge, I'm guessing your squad's not eating with you 'cause they don't want to or..."
"As for what we've been up to." Saffron frowned a little bit, still sore from... Something on that subject. "We... Found a vault, founded a settlement, trained ponies--had a good time. Traveled a lot. Talked to otherworldly beings! Like the Gatekeeper. Annoying asshole that one." Saffron's eyes focused on Thunder's again. "But! We also talked to a mountain, too! The mountain has an avatar of its own, and she's huuuuuuuuuge."
Sundancer sips her coffee from the next table over "We found an underground vault full of ponies and built a town."
Brickfielder nods to Sundancer, and casts a glance at the runner who comes for Saffron. "...It was certainly an experience."
Thunder pudge would nod nod at Saffron’s note about the situations being above their pay grade. But he was glad things turned out mostly alright for everyone. Their missions were successes and they were doing a lot of work paving the way past these U.I.I.s for the rest of the operation. It did seem strange that all of their teams were dealing with U.I.I.s and managing such large scale problems.
Ember Flare "Heh... and looks like some of the natives are basically worshipping those glass monsters, letting them mutilate them and whatnot. it's pretty pathetic"
Saffron then broke the conversation abruptly when she turned and was addressed directly by a runner. She blinked at the summon, then nodded in acknowledgement, took the coffee, and chugged through it while taking the slice of bread and putting it between her lips to eat as she walked, then stood up, "I'll be riff ba'k..." She told them all quietly, then started cantering off to jog and get to Cloudy's officer As soon as possible.
Sundancer: "Cloudy seems to get some pretty important missions. I'm not sure what's up with it, but she definitely got to pick who she wanted. Silver Lining was complaining about me not being assigned to his unit, and he doesn't seem afraid to pull a few strings to get what he wants."
“Oh, that’s pretty horrible.” Thunder would say regarding Ember’s comments. “What’s a vault though?” He would ask in regards to Sundancer’s prior comment. “And wait, like, a town town? You built a sector?”
Ember Flare: "Well it is a good opportunity to show off... but in hindsight these do feel pretty big gigs for first missions"
Saffron took wing once she was outside, eating the bread and basically devouring it since it's the only bit of breakfast she was probably going to get for this time. Flying through the snowfall, she gets to the HQ fairly hastily and with a great purpose in her stride. She checked in with the guards to tell them she was expected so they could note her down, then walk in and swiftly move to the office itself and knock on the door.
Cloudy and Quick Fix would be waiting for Saffron in Cloudy’s office. When she arrived the discussion would likely be quite brief. She asked Saffron to watch over Quick Fix during the day hours, returning him to Cloudy at twenty hundred hours on a given day. It would alleviate his boredom and help prevent Cloudy from becoming unfocused. Would Saffron accept the responsibility?
Brickfielder: "A Vault is a pre-war structure. Meant to keep ponies safe underground. We'd found one that remained sealed until very recently. And then, took the ponies still living in it, and made ourselves a town. Set up walls, put up cabins. ...I was the second-in-command."
Saffron strides in. She was in full, black, insignia-marked uniform of the army through without the powered armour the other soldiers wore. Still wearing the pipboy at her foreleg as before however. She greeted her CO with a quick salute, and greeted Quick Fix himself with a subtly worried look, visibly looking him up and down and examining him for blemishes. Then back to Cloudy, standing straight. The request takes her aback very briefly as her eyes widen, but does not hesitate even for a second to say: "Ma'am, yes ma'am." No questions asked.
Sundancer: "Sort of. There were dozens of infrareds inside this big underground shelter from the war, descended from pre-war ancestors, like Cloudsdayle in a cave. Their reactor finally gave out and we essentially saved all their lives. We used them as a buffer between us and the UII. It was less of a sector and more a base like Lighthouse, but filled with civilians."
Quick Fix appeared uninjured and not entirely unhappy to see Saffron, but it was hard to tell what might lie under the suit he almost always wore. At least it seemed she would be getting to see him a whole lot more. "...I see. Your... condition will be able to be left unattended from morning until night, ma'am?"
“Some healing in the morning and before bed should be sufficient. Your aid has already been a relief compared to my own self tending.” Cloudy Forecast told Quick Fix. She offered saffron his leash and looked the mare in the eyes. “Do not forget what I had told you.” Cloudy said firmly.
Saffron would reach to reluctantly take the leash, albeit still glaring down at the thing like she wanted to burn it with her hatred for a second, as she lowered her hoof back down. Her words make face drop a bit more, looking into her commander's eyes for a moment... "I know." She said softly, looking to Quick Fix sadly. "I know."
Ember Flare: "Almost a shame we had to abandon it there... it was surprisingly comfy little wooden shanty town considering how fast Sundancer got it up"
Thunder Pudge was hanging onto the squad’s every word. Despite his presence he was a good audience. “So you had a bunch of infrareds under your command then? That’s awesome! So you were living out in the woods and built a town and saved a vault and beat up U.I.I.s? That’s amazing!”
Brickfielder is far from sharing in Pudge's excitement. "...And then we left the town and abandoned them. If it wasn't for us, though, they wouldn't've lived in the first place."
Quick Fix mumbled something under his breath, but he was smart enough not to let either of the mares present hear what it was. And, to divert, he spoke up soon after: "I'll see you at eight 'o clock tonight, then, ma'am. Take care."
Sundancer: "Pulling the trigger on a few U.I.I. was definitely on my C.L.O.D.S. deployment checklist. Sorry your job has you so busy, better luck next time."
Saffron winces a little to herself as the thought makes her eyes avert from Cloudy Forecast. Looking to Quick Fix once, as she waited to be dismissed.
Cloudy would dismiss saffron and the infrared to go about their day. She would return to communications herself shortly.
Quick Fix then walked side-by-side with Saffron back to whence she had come - albeit, still letting her lead a bit. He didn't know his way around the camp. ...unless she intended to fill it, an awkward silence lingered...
Saffron gives a silent nod and a boot click as she breaks posture. Giving Quick Fix some time to stand beside her, not wanting to pull him by the leash. Then turned around and walked him out of the HQ. "So." Saffron's voice finally goes back to the softened, more sweet tone he is more used to hearing. "What do you want to? I have an idea, but I'm keeping it in my pocket if you have somethin' in mind."
Thunder Pudge was not really too concerned he was missing out on combat. He was glad for his position and commented that Sirens were actually really smart and witty. They told some really funny jokes. They just normally looked really hideous if they were not magicing themselves to look like attractive mares. Which to be fair they seemed somewhat self conscious and used that magic when he was around.
Quick Fix leant against the mare as soon as they'd left the building, resisting the urge to sigh into her fur. Things had been very stressful recently. "Weren't you doing something before Cloudy called you over, Saffron? ...um... it's nice to see you, by the way..."
"Yeah. I was having breakfast with the boys and girls of Nimbus. Also having coffee." She told him casually with a small wing shrug. As he leaned against her, her eyes scanned for the eyes of others, keeping vigil for his protection as she began to lead him towards the mess hall, around the field hospital. But keeping it slow and at a saunter.
Saffron then also leans in to sneak a peck on his cheek in response to the last statement, and adds nothing more. Apart from a slightly wistful, and at the same time sad, smile.
"Hmn. Coffee. Was always more of a fan of energy drinks, myself... not really very appropriate for the morning though. Mnn... you could only claim so much of that kind of thing per week. I burned through my supply of hot chocolate pretty fast during stressful weeks." While he was reminiscing, though, Saffron was able to sneak in a little peck past his defenses. A light blush and a sheepish smile soon followed. "...c-can we still do that here?"
Saffron snorts in amusement and brings up a smirk towards him. "Dunno. Prolly not. But I'm doing it anyway because it cheers you up." She rather simply told him. "But speaking of energy drinks," Saffron turned ahead again as she raised her voice again as they got closer to the mess hall. "BIG fan of energy drinks when I had them available to me. My mom told me they're not very healthy though so I only really drank one or two a week. The second being when I was REALLY feelin' like crap. Man I could go with some hot choco right now..."
Thunder Pudge would finish up his meal and be glad he got to meet up with your squad. If his information was declassified he would be glad to tell you more about it. But for the time being he should get back to his squad. They would be playing poker in the barracks.
Brickfielder watches Thunder Pudge go, finally breathing a sigh of relief after he's gone. "...Cards sure have become popular in Lighthouse, huh."
Saffron stops outside the Mess Hall, not going inside with Quick Fix. She opted to wait there near the entrance with him and spend time chatting, unless he wanted to go. Idly holding the leash underneath her hoof, not even holding it.
"Mmhm. Just... be careful. I don't want to get you in trouble. This place is... it's... well. Even in a 'normal' society, I don't think it's a sound idea as a military operative to be seen kissing prisoners. ...then again, they're having me sleep with an officer. Luna this place is *weird*..." He shook his head, and pulled at his collar as he'd formed a habit of doing. "What would *really* cheer me up is getting a collar without the stupid leash. This is ridiculous."
Ember let out a sigh of relief once Pudge was gone. It was a shame he seemed to have such an effect as the lad seemed otherwise pretty friendly
Quick Fix seemed confused that the red mare had decided to stop right outside the mess hall.
Sundancer joins the group at the table finally, only to finish her coffee as she does so
Saffron's muzzle crinkles up a little as she asks the following question: "You slept with our CO?" She asked him suddenly. Her tone was not really upset, moreso, just surprised at hearing that. "Didn't do anything dodgy, did she?"
"Uh... no. There's... just... no extra beds, I guess...? It's okay. She's actually pretty cuddly." He shrugged. "It was that or sleeping on the floor, anyway. ...I'm really not sure what's up with Cloudy."
"Yeah--see, I was expecting her to make you sleep on the floor period. And then she came back and got me to take care of you when she could've put anypony who cares less in charge of you." Saffron told him straight-up, and then looked off to the side and gave this knowledge a few moments of thought. "... Seems like I can trust her after all..." She remarked to nobody in particular, and almost beneath her breath. She then shakes her head a little, looking to the Mess Hall. "You want to go inside?" She turned her eyes to him, smiling weakly. "The others are in there if you still want to talk to them."
"Well... she... she..." Quick frowned. "Look. I asked her why she had me taken in the first place, and - she straight-up just told me it was 'taboo' until she said otherwise. I don't know if... it has something to do with her place as a mutant officer? I noticed ponies don't exactly give her nice looks... or words. And... she really has been quite kind to me..." He sighed, seemingly exasperated. "I don't know. We... we can go inside."
Saffron wried her lip into an annoyed grimace at the notion that people were talking badly of HER commander. Giving him a tense look and then sighing through her nostrils. She took up his leash again, extending a wing to use it as an excuse to drape it over him while nudging him onward without tugging him as they walked inside. "Let's see if Brickfielder still has a soft spot for ya." She told Quick Fix with a lighter tone, looking for the giant at the table still, and bringing Quick Fix right to them while navigating past the other Greens--giving EVERYPONY she could a wide berth.
Saffron and her leashed unicorn would get some looks when they arrived inside the mess hall. No one seemed quite sure what to make of it. But no one seemed curious enough to go over and find out why an infrared was on base. They seemed well enough to just gossip among themselves.
"Hey Brickfielder. Check it out." Saffron nodded her head towards Quick Fix, "We got your doctor back."
Brickfielder finally finishes eating as Saffron leads Quick in... and he has to stifle a snicker at seeing him being led by a leash. "I see Cloudy's taken care of him, in that case."
Quick Fix focused his attention on the group instead of all the strange looks he was getting around the mess hall. Seeing Brick glance at his leash, he sputtered, "th-this is a temporary measure! Cloudy said she'd get me one without the leash."
Ember Flare: "Maybe just one with a large bell?"
Brickfielder: "Mm, have to keep track."
"Th-that's not f-funny!" Quick whined ineffectually.
Saffron chuckled and shook her head to Ember's statement, and then gave a nod to Brickfielder while waggling the slack leash up and down in her hoof. "I've been assigned to be on babysitting duty every morning, until twentyhundred. So Quick Fix is about half-officially Nimbus squad right now." She replied, sideglancing Quick Fix once as he whined.
Sundancer: "Are you sure it's a good idea parading him around like that? Babysitting is one thing, but you're making a scene."
"Ahh see what I care about their looks." Saffron scoffed and rolled her eyes in some annoyance, albeit not to Sundancer specifically as her eyes wander towards SOME in the background. "He wanted to say hi to you, and I'm going to let him. I'll bring him outside in a moment if it bothers y'all so much."
Quick Fix cut in, the embarrassment fading as he realised, "it's not babysitting. It's protection duty. If I wander around here, I could just be shot, or worse."
Saffron bites her lip as she restrains herself from saying something.
Around then Violet Rain and her squad would arrive at the mess hall. They would collect their late coffee and breakfast before taking their own seats. They looked pretty drained despite having been cleared from the field hospital. Their recovery must have been a long one by the looks of it. Despite it all Violet kept her head up.
Quick Fix made sure to give Violet a good stare as she entered. He hoped his appearance gave her a good shock.
Saffron's eyes then seem to spot Violet entering with her squad. Trailing them with her glance, before starting to frown slowly and turned her head towards Quick Fix. "You ate already didn't you?" She asked him.
Ember Flare: "Oof they still look they got it rough"
Brickfielder glances Violet's way, and clears his throat, but doesn't move to get up and go to her squad.
"...yeah, I knew that whole situation was fishy. Just didn't have the initiative to push it... oh well. Wouldn't have made a difference." It was almost like he was speaking to himself, keeping rather quiet and sounding... ashamed? "I've had breakfast *and* lunch, actually, thanks to Cloudy's schedule. Do you want to pull me out of here?"
Saffron: "Would you mind if it if I did? Felt as if Violet's squad comin' in was our cue to leave, to be honest. Didn't want to spoil the air for others anymore."
Ember Flare: "Oh yeah sundancer, would you mind doing the modifications on this suit today? I don't want to be caught violating dresscode anytime soon"
Quick Fix looked around at the others, seeing their diverted interest, and he sighed. "...I understand. I'm just a joke, now. And a bad one, at that. ...let's go. You can show me your room."
Sundancer: "Today? We have all winter, though. I'll do it tomorrow while Quick is at work."
Saffron casts a look towards Ember, Sundancer, and Brickfielder herself after Quick puts it that way. She pats him with her wing to signal him to move as she turns and begins to walk outside, furrowing her brow slightly more. "You're not a joke." She replied matter-of-factly on their way out.
Ember Flare: "Ah alright, I'll just add in some temporary markings myself later today"
Brickfielder glances at Saffron, and raises his head up. "You all can go, I'll... linger around here a bit longer, and catch up afterwards." He runs a wing through his mane, and gets up, heading for Violet's squad.
Saffron would've quarter-turned her head to look back to Brickfielder. In spite of her mood, she flashes him a smirk and a flick of her wing to acknowledge him, and give him the equivalent of a pegasus thumbs up with her feathers.
Ember nods and returns the dishes and trots outside to enjoy the chilly winter air
Sundancer follows Ember out
Violet would look up from her food when the giant in the room stood. It was hard to catch what her expression was since she hid it so quickly. With some gusto she ate quickly as he approached. Probably to get it out of the way so they could talk. When Brickfielder made it across the mess hall she rose up to greet him, offering a hoof to shake. “H-hey” She said a bit unsteadily. “Looks like you and your squad are back.”
Sundancer: "I was going to see if Thunder's squad had a seat at the card table. Want to find out if they have two?"
Brickfielder, very respectfully, shakes her hoof, and nods for her to sit back down; once she does, he takes a seat with her. "That we are. And it's good to see your squad here as well. How're you holding up?"
Ember nods "Sounds like a decent idea"
Out on the grounds it was lightly snowing once again. There were ponies working in teams to shovel the muck up now. Steel Rain was also on the grounds overseeing the organization. It might be best to avoid his attention or risk being drafted.
Ember followed Sundancer as they wisely decided to give the officer a wide berth
Violet would take her seat and pick at what was left of her food. “We are doing ok. Got some shakes from the combat stims. But that should clear up soon with keeping away from it.” Violet said frankly. She eyed her squad and then looked at Brickfielder. “Hey, can we talk privately?”
Brickfielder raises an eyebrow slightly, before nodding, trying to give an understanding look. "Sure." He casts a glance to the rest of the squad as he gets back up. "Excuse us."
For their part the squad members don’t seem to take the situation as unusual. Violet got up and led Brickfielder out into the snow south of the Mess hall, towards cover in the doorway of one of the currently empty civilian barracks. Once under some cover she seemed to have a little difficulty starting. “Hey. So. About what happened in the field.”
Brickfielder stiffens up a bit, and keeps his wings to his sides. "...Yeah. Look, I..." He glances down at the snow and clears his throat. "I understand that it was a weird situation, and we were both stressed, so if you wanted to..." He seems to be having plenty of difficulty too, bringing a wing up and rubbing at the back of his head with it.
Thunder Pudge and his squad would be in the middle of their poker game when Ember and Saffron would meet up with them at their pod. It would be a tight squeeze as they had a box set up in the center of their cells and most were playing from doorways. But the girls could join if they could tolerate Thunder’s presence. They were betting with cigarettes and chits for stipends. The girls could get in on the action on some stipend credit.
“Look.” Violet started. “It’s like this. I’m from a pretty damn wealthy family. I’m going to go places after these operations. And, and I’ve got a lot of potential suitors lined up ya know?” She seemed to be going somewhere with this but took her wings and pressed them against the sides of Brickfielder’s face to make him look at her. “But honestly I bet you could kick any of their asses.”
Saffron would spend some time showing Quick around the barracks. There wasn't much to show him apart from beds and hooflocker. She suggested sitting down and he'd brush her mane for a while so they could both relax. But then she noticed the poker game. She both could use the money and also could barely afford the entry fee. But she was nothing if not daring, so she said "Fuck it, I'll play a round. Make me poor if you can." She might make Quick Fix observe to give her some backseat help, unless he knew how to play the game well.
Brickfielder blinks, and a blush comes onto his cheeks as he clears his throat. "...I... ah... I, played ball before basic. And like to keep fit." He nods slightly. "I understand, though. I'm just in this to get to Blue citizenship."
Sundancer hadn't even been dealt into the first round before Saffron arrived. "It's pretty crowded, but I'll take your pay if these ponies will."
Quick Fix knew about poker, because - well, he knew about a lot of things. And when reading got old, he'd certainly played a few games of various card and board games that had been brought into the vault over a hundred years ago. He wasn't exactly an expert in any of them though, and his version of the rules of poker was probably a little different to this one, simply due to entropy. He'd attempt to assist his friend regardless.
“I like you. But I don’t really know you.” Violet stated. “How about we change that? We got time this winter to just talk. If you’re up for the challenge It'll be later on once we get to Blue, I could see you impressing my parents.”
Ember is willing to loan Quick some starting credits if he is willing to pay back from his winnings with 50% interest
Brickfielder blinks while staring at the mare holding his face. "...I... I'd like that, Violet." He gives a more confident smile. "And I'd like to get to know you too. We're from pretty different backgrounds, after all, eheh..."
Saffron was fairly broke. In fact she was so broke she couldn't actually pay to enter. She looked to Ember when she makes that offer, however, prompting her to smile a little. The plan was coming together.
Violet gave Brick a smile in return. “Good. Because honestly with how well you stirred me up I definitely want to go for another ride later.” Her smile broke into a grin. She took her wings back from his face, took a quick look to see if they were being actively watched, decided it didn’t matter either way, and gave him a quick peck of a kiss while he was likely still too embarrassed to move.
"Erm..." Quick looked uncertain. "I haven't played poker in a hot minute. I guess I could give it a go... my poker face is pretty good."
Brickfielder would blush with renewed vigor at how... straightforward Violet was being. He then only blushes hotter at the peck, looking down at her and managing a more cocky smirk. "...Fuck me, you're a hell of a mare."
"Oh, I know it." Violet said playfully before turning back to the mess hall to leave Brickfielder hot and bothered in the snow.
Brickfielder really does just stand there and watch her go, wearing that smirk and blush as he takes a deep breath. Then, he puts a hoof to his mouth and clears his throat, and starts casually trotting off through the snow, taking his sweet time heading back towards the barracks.
"You got this Quick Fix. I will cheer for you while not knowing what you're doing at all." Saffron told Quick Fix jokingly, giggling as she nudging him on the side. "Win us some money. I'll buy you donuts. And chocolate bars."
Saffron: "Probably chocolate bars because I didn't check if donuts are being sold."
(GM Note): The gambling pcs and Thunder Pudge diced off for gambling results. Thunder Pudge won out.
For what it was worth Thunder Pudge does not really question the appearance of the unicorn in their midst. He’s obviously curious but possibly too embarrassed to ask given the leash. His embarrassment does not however stop him from raking in your stipend chits and his squad mate’s cigarettes. It must have been his unnerving presence but he seems to edge out everyone else by just a hair every time.
"AWWWW!!" Saffron exclaimed from the background as Pudge crushed the poker game, "No! The chocolate bar money!"
Ember loses a hoof she was sure was a winner making her fume
Saffron: "Awww frack. Okay. Plan failed. I'm still poor."
Quick Fix: "That was perhaps the worst hoof I have ever been dealt."
Saffron sighed LOUDLY while brushing her mane back with both hooves, giving a low groan of frustration. "My dad always did tell me gambling was bad."
Saffron shook her head in agreement. "Thunder Pudge is just too strong for us..." She added, then took Quick Fix back to their bed so she can demand brushies.
After settling in, something would start gnawing Ember’s mind more and more. She'd finally decide to contact her CO. The downtime was giving her too much time to mull over her anxieties.
Ember Flare’s request to speak with Cloudy Forecast would take a couple days to happen. Your CO had odd hours and they seemed to have long stretches of time that she would spend in the communications building. A few days after your arrival back at the base a runner from one of the HQ paper pushers would locate Ember in her recently repainted armor and inform her to meet Cloudy in her office. Like most times Ember would arrive in the office before Cloudy Forecast, giving her a few minutes of silence before the Blue officer arrived. When she would arrive and take her seat at the sparse desk Cloudy would ask her subordinate what the nature of this meeting was for.
Ember would feel anxious going through the busy communication hub to meet Cloudy. "Ma'am I ah, it's a minor concern, but I was thinking about our mission and especially when we crossed paths with Violets squad."
The gangly mare had her forelegs folded on her desk. She looked at Ember with her typical analytical gaze. “I may have an inkling where this is going. But please elaborate on what your concern is.”
"Well I was just hoping she wasn't painting our performance in negative way or.. " Ember seems to get that the jig might be up "...I guess I was worried about the details of our fight against the dragons minions and how they might have been portrayed?"
Cloudy Forecast simply looked at Ember for a moment before she proceeded. “What details in particular? Violet Rain’s report after her immediate injuries were managed was not the most clear picture. Perhaps you would be able to help better present the situation as it happened?”
Ember sweats internally, maybe she should have confronted Violet instead of Cloudy, at least she had a hoof in saving her life...
Ember seems to have some internal struggle before opening her mouth again "it's about the new... aspect of my mutation. She must've mentioned it, I think it might have shocked her mildly"
For a split second Cloudy Forecast looked confused, but she wiped that off quickly. “I admittedly had thought this involved something else. When Violet Rain returned she was in a very bad state. Her report did not make much mention of you in particular. But it is good you have brought this to my attention. Please elaborate on what has changed.”
Ember is taken back by the realization that she had spilled the beans so she could just awkwardly blurt out "I-I can summon a smoke monster with my magic?"
Ember would stand stiffly in the office imagining every other pony in the office leaning at the walls listening in
Cloudy Forecast seemed to need a moment to file that information. “You can, what, exactly? I imagine indoors would be a poor environment to show me exactly what you mean.” She seemed tempted to get up. “Explain in detail what you mean. When did this manifest and how?”
"Ah yes- that might be a fire hazard" bending the truth a bit "It happened shortly after our infiltration mission started. I think I was still recovering from my accident in base and had hard time manifesting my powers."
"So when I pushed I think I... might have pulled out the magic from inside me and it came out as.... a thing?" she waved her hooves vaguely
"I have complete control over it and used it to fight the glass beings" she quickly adds (maybe with minor details missing)
Cloudy takes a moment to process what she was hearing. “I cannot say I have heard of such a thing before myself. But I do not exactly have access to central commands catalogue of stable mutations. Which I admit I only suspect they have at all.” She started. “So you are telling me you have a new power manifestation that takes the form of a separate entity and it is now part of your tactical repertoire? Can you explain the parameters on which it operates? You have full control over it, but what are its capabilities?"
"It feels... connected to the previous ones just a different aspect. It's hard to describe" Ember seems to relax a bit as this wasn't quite the third degree interrogation she feared "I uh can summon it with surprisingly little concentration and if it is destroyed, it seems to simply return inside me and can be summoned again. The downside being that it seems to stick around at least until I rest... or at least I couldn't figure out a way to make a way to make it… Uh I mean yes full control over it. And uhh.. I can move it around and make it attack targets with little concentration?"
Cloudy nodded to what Ember was telling her. “So full control, other than ‘putting away’ as it were. As you suspect I will need to report this to Steel Rain. But I expect I can leverage the situation to your benefit. I will arrange for a demonstration for our commander and allow spectators. If you can manifest your powers in a controlled way and demonstrate them for Steel Rain then I believe that will improve your status as an asset.” She gave Ember a small smirk. “And improve your credibility among the other Greens as something more than just a mutant.”
Ember Flare: "Demonstration? Spectators? ...Of course of course. It would be and honor ma'am. Uh when might that be then?"
Cloudy considered. “Perhaps tomorrow even? Putting on a show for the rest of the troops will improve morale. Things will get quite boring around here as we come under more and more snow.”
Ember retains a facade of calm as she replies "Sure, will do"
Your commanding officer spoke in a softer tone now. “Thank you for confiding in me about this. I understand it can be quite difficult to discuss with anyone regarding your mutation. But know that I will have your best interest in mind on these matters. You can rely on me when it comes to our shared condition.”
Ember salutes "Yes ma'am, will do ma'am"
Ember would walk out of Cloudys office, taking a quiet stroll around the base perimeter. She would eventually stop at more secluded spot and after making sure she was alone, she would slam her entire head completely into a pile of snow and let out a muffled scream of frustration.
By the very next day after their last talk Violet Rain would be asking for Brickfielder to spend some time in her squad’s branch. To talk further, of course. The pair of them would have some limited privacy in Violet’s cell. The place was lightly decorated with trinkets from home. A stuffed animal rabbit on the bed. A recruiting poster set up on the wall in some kind of ironic fashion statement. A fine chain necklace that was possibly silver hanging from a peg on the shelf. She had a chair for Brickfielder set up, and took the bed to sit for herself. “Tell me about your parents.” She would start off with, once the giant had settled in.
Brickfielder, looking his best, holds his head up high as he arrives at the area of Violet's cell, taking in the sights and politely sitting down as he's indicated to do, making sure to sit tall. "...Ah, well." He rubs his mane with a hoof. "They're both Orange, as a matter of fact. My father is even the courier of the sector we live in." He gives her a winning smile. "I like to think they raised me right."
“It’s not an interview. You can relax.” Violet said, taking a lean back against the wall of the barracks herself. One hindleg folded under the other and the loose one kicking lightly off the edge of her cot. “Have a sibling?”
Brickfielder takes a deep breath and exhales, settling back and letting his body loosen up. "Two, actually. My mother had twins. They're both 14 now. Given how busy my parents are, I've... well, put in a lot of work to help raise them. They're fantastic little ponies."
“Twins, huh? Never would have crossed my mind. Sounds like a lot of work if both your parents were busy.” Violet said with a contemplative nod. “I can say freely that my mother is a trophy wife. Before I was born she used to be an assistant civilian mayor to some sector or another. I don’t know how my parents met though. My father is an enigma. He’s so wrapped up in government work that I hardly know him.” She paused to think about it. “I don’t have any siblings myself. So that puts a lot of pressure on me to climb the ranks, you know?”
“What sort of work were you doing before you got signed on for service?” Violet asked in following up. “I was ‘gifted’ a lot of secretarial work myself. But that never sat well with me. Pushing papers around.”
Brickfielder leans forward slightly, nodding. "I can imagine. You seem like you've risen to the pressure though, based on what I know about you." He glances down for a moment. "Basically the same sort of stuff as you. Actually working under my mother at that. But I wanted to get up to Blue. So... I joined up quickly." He smiles at her. "Suppose we both know how mind-numbing that clerical stuff is."
Violet gave another knowing nod, then looked contemplative. Her colour had not fully returned to her, and her swaying leg seemed to be some nervous energy getting out. “I have some theories forming about the pressure we’ve been under. About why our squads have been given such massive tasks out of the gate. Just to ask, do you have any ideas on that yourself?”
Brickfielder blinks at her, and seems to get stuck in contemplation of his own for a bit. "...I... I'm not sure. I assume that Cloudy is in charge of special, clandestine operations. As far as why we in particular would've been placed under her..." He shakes his head. "Not my place to know, I suppose."
“I think it should be though, given what all we went through.” Violet started. She had a hint of indignance. “Our job was not exactly clandestine. Neither was Bramble squad’s mission. So I have a theory that it’s because Cloudy’s a mutant. The squads under her command are being given stupidly dangerous jobs due to her station. Some kind of cruel hazing from the higher ups.”
Brickfielder's brow furrows slightly. "...Hazing just doesn't seem right though. Maybe if they're just hazing Cloudy... but she's surely earned her position. She's shown her usefulness to get there." He leans back. "I didn't want this in the first place, but, if we really have to be putting our lives on the line, I hope at least that it distinguishes us in the future."
Violet looked pretty tired suddenly. But she shook her head to ward it off. She pulled up her restless leg to sit a bit more normally. “You’re probably right. I shouldn’t be casting doubts about the higher ups as well. Sorry to pull you into my thoughts. Already starting to get a bit stir crazy from being benched while my squad recovered.” She gave him a weak smile. “It’s going to be a long, long winter here in base as well I hear. We always had it scheduled for two months back home. But I heard down here it could last anywhere from three to five months of cold and snow. I wonder how all the squads are going to stay sane.”
"It's... definitely going to be hard for some. And it's alright, you don't have to keep your thoughts to yourself. ...So, uh... what were you hoping to get into once you gain your Blue citizenship?"
Violet had to pause at the question. “It’s not really hoping if I sort of already know isn’t it? I’m going to be going into politics. I’m probably going to be fast tracked to indigo within a few years through my dad. From there I'll basically be his understudy. Finally find out what the family business is, you know?” The way she spoke about it casually likely puts a damper on it for Brickfielder. She was mirroring his aspirations, but likely was going to avoid much of the hard work that he would need to put into it to get to the same heights.
Brickfielder gets a slightly... concerned look, but quickly brings his expression back in line. "I want to get into politics as well, actually. I did student government in school." His wings fluff up slightly, trying to build himself up some. "Maybe someday both of us will be working to help lead Cloudsdayle."
“Just need to survive all this.” She made a small sweeping motion. “And then in a few years we’ll race up that hierarchy.” Violet said with confidence. She got an impish grin as she said “You know... If we survive all this and you beat up whatever suiters my mom has likely gotten lined up, you could probably get pretty far just being my special somepony.”
Brickfielder blushes, and finds himself smiling at that grin. "...Well, that'd be quite a nice bonus on top of getting a mare like you."
Violet had a small, genuine laugh. “If I can keep you blushing like that, I think we could get along very well.” She had another wave of exhaustion wash over her. “I should probably take a nap. Even talking is a bit exhausting. But, it was nice. We will have a lot more time for it, it looks like.” She raised her hooves and motioned him to come closer. “Come here and give me a hug before I kick you out.”
Brickfielder smiles wider, and gets up, moving in close and bringing his wings around to pull Violet close to him again, doing his best to surround her. "...You're doing great, Violet."
Violet pulled in Brickfielder as much as he would to her. She got her nose in under his chin and took a deep breath followed by a pleased, heavy sigh. She ended up giving him a playful nip on the neck. She spoke in a low tone, for his ears only. “Once I recover we’ll see about breaking your cot.”
Brickfielder blushes, even if Violet can't see it at the moment, and stammers briefly. "...Well... uh... hopefully I don't, have to pay to replace it." He breaks off the hug once it becomes clear that Violet wants it to end. "Get rest, you've earned it."
Violet uncharacteristically snorts a tiny laugh. “Ahh. You too big stallion. I’ll probably see you at dinner. Hopefully none of the mares in your squad get jealous I’ll be taking up your time?” Once released she laid back in her cot and set about getting comfy.
Brickfielder steps back, and snickers. "I would if I were them... but I think the only one with any interest in me is the mutant. The cyborg keeps to herself and the short one... well, I believe she's got someone else."
“Ah well, no big deal. You beat up my suiters, and I’ll beat up yours.” Violet said from the comfort of her covers. Once again she was practically out like a light when her head hit the pillow.
Brickfielder stays at the entrance into the cell and smiles at her as she settles in. ...It's remarkable how quickly she's able to get to sleep, even to him. After watching her for a few moments longer, he turns and quietly makes his way out, smiling. Her worries do concern him some... but that's above both of their heads for now. Best to worry about each other.
The following day would hold a bit of excitement for the base. A public demonstration was being held. Rumors went around about what was the big news. A new weapon? Improvements to the vehicles? Better kitchenware?? Ember Flare would know what the hubbub was about given her talk with Cloudy Forecast. Whether the rest of the squad knew as well was up to her.
Ember would grow somewhat more anxious as the demonstration seemed to gain more and more attention, finding herself pacing at times and unable to stay still
Sundancer doesn't hold much hope for the demonstration, in fact thinking of what it could be only makes her more dismayed as she thinks back for a precedent to compare this to
The demonstration was set in the early evening, giving Cloudy some time to coach Ember on what was expected of her. It would be a fairly simple exercise. A half dozen dummies would be set up on the grounds and Ember would display her powers to destroy them. If Ember could do it in an entertaining manner, all the better.
Brickfielder wouldn't be thinking much of whatever demonstration is planned; it's a good way to fill time, if nothing else.
Saffron wasn't sure what this was about herself. Though she could probably guess it had to do with Ember, as Saffron stood just aside from the doorway of their barracks and watched the mare pace around... She did ask why Ember looked like she expected to get flogged soon, however.
Ember would stay quiet about the circumstances. At least that way she would be sure not to get any extra attention before the event.
Ember Flare: "Right... just some fireworks. I uh.. think folks are gonna be let down. Some of the rumours going around..."
Cloudy would be encouraging about the situation. Fireworks without a launcher would still be a spectacle.
Quick Fix showed mostly only concern at the news. He hadn't a clue what the demonstration might be about, though he paid attention to Saffron's questioning of Ember.
At the appointed time the base was abuzz. Crowds were standing in clumps around the sides of the main grounds. Ember was set in the center of the grounds next to Steel Rain and Cloudy Forecast. Steel Rain gave her a nice introduction to the crowd. Given her time away from the base over the course of her last mission, she was an unknown to most. Without further ado the officers step back and let her do her thing. All eyes were on her, standing there in the middle of the grounds with hundreds of her fellow greens judging her every movement.
Brickfielder, looking over the heads of anyone ahead of him, frowns slightly while gazing at Ember. "...Hm. So she's the demonstration."
"Something's definitely up." Saffron would conclude after being hoofwaved like that, not pressing the mare about it. Though she would start talking about it to Quick Fix instead. "She always worries me when she's like that, it's like she's about to get beat up for something." She remarked off-handedly, now standing outside in the snow (holding Quick loosely by the leash for posterity), and watching the show with increasing concern.
Ember who had been standing like a statue until found herself to be the center of attention, something she had constantly been avoiding
(GM Note): Ember managed to eak by a Will test to avoid stage fright.
Ember takes a few tentative steps forward towards the dummies, mostly managing to block out the crowd
Ember manages to suppress her urges to run, hide, or otherwise turn invisible when faced with the crowd of her fellow greens. She has a half dozen targets to destroy, so she had best start the demonstration.
Quick Fix shook his head, watching Ember step out in front of the crowd with empathy. "You can't blame her for feeling scared. Mutants are under a lot of pressure here. Not to mention, Ember doesn't strike me as particularly... strong-willed? Er, I-I don't mean it like that... more that she reminds me of myself, if made of sterner stuff."
Brickfielder snorts. "...Well, she's doing fine so far."
Concentrating on the dummies some amount of smoke starts to sputter from her back before she concentrates and brings out Smokey. A thick smoke starts spewing from her back along with sparks of flame before taking a more solid form.
Sundancer: "Ember's going to do great. I don't envy her though."
Quick Fix: "Yeah. Like I said, sterner stuff. I'm sure she'll do great."
For the perceptive among the group Smokey might appear a bit more solid and imposing than before, the magic crackling under the smoke exterior more violently
Saffron does stay quiet seeing as Ember was doing more than fine. Smiling towards the stage and keeping an eye on Ember the whole time, albeit turning an ear towards Quick Fix as he speaks. "Ahh I wouldn't put her so low, she's doing pretty well. I have faith in our comrade."
There are some excited gasps from the crowd as Ember draws out her magic companion. Although more than a few in the crowd seemed distrustful.
Brickfielder narrows his eyes at Smokey's appearance. "...Hm."
Smokey wouldn't be as stiff looking as Ember but wasn't bouncing around as freely as in the forest. With Embers mental command it would unceremoniously charge at the dummies few moments after being summoned
Saffron grinned and nodded as Smokey appeared. "Show 'em how Nimbus treats those shitty fuckin' butterflies." Saffron said encouragingly from where she was, side glancing the others once, then back to Smokey.
(GM Note): The demonstration relied on a couple Psyche Tests from Ember, which she crushed.
Smokey would violently slam into the dummy raising exploding sparks upon impact, before going to the next.
Quick Fix watched Smokey charge intently. He had never gotten to just watch and focus on Ember fighting in combat before; most of his time had been spent sprinting after injured friendlies or calling out warnings and encouragement.
Smokey's damage to the dummy would be substantial and flashy. If not exactly a killing blow or overkill it would look like enough to take down your average pony. Not quite burning a whole through it however. The officers behind Ember would be observing carefully.
This would continue for a while before about halfway through Ember would realize how Smokey going from one static dummy to another would take a while and bore the crowd
Sundancer stomps her hooves supportively, being unfazed by the smoke creature's combat capability, having fought alongside it more often than anyone but Ember
Quick Fix followed Sundancer's example. Stomping hooves... It felt like an ancient concept! But he remembered it all the same.
Saffron gives a round of applause with her hooves, nodding in assured confidence in her abilities. "Nice! Explosion time!?" Saffron gives a little harder stomp of her forehooves as she gives a small wing flap!
Ember would take a wide stance again, concentrating and spewing off smoke again violently and targeting the rest of the dummies hoping to finish the situation quick
Displaying some showponyship to liven the situation Ember concludes the short demonstration by combusting the dummies with her now signature conflagration. They combust in near unison, getting a start from the crowds.
After the fireworks Ember brought Smokey close to her, almost using it as a cover
Saffron rears up on her hind legs and kicks out her legs as the roaring fire of Ember's magic combusts the dummies! "YYYEAAH!" Saffron's voice cracks the silence, "That's our girl! Burn 'em like those butterflies!" She cheered.
Brickfielder smiles slightly at the display.
"W-woah-!" Quick's given a fright, though that soon turns to awe at the synchronised and very complete destruction of the combat dummies. "...wow."
Apparently the demonstration had been properly planned and quickly once it was over a pair of ponies with fire extinguishers went out onto the grounds to douse the target dummies. Steel Rain comes up beside Ember and calls her name for the crowd, causing a cheer to go up.
Sundancer accelerates her polite cheering to match Saffron's enthusiastic cheers
Embers has hard time from keeping her hooves from shaking, the display wasn't all that intensive for her but she does note that she has felt more comfortable fighting magical monsters than simply trying to keep her cool in front of a crowd
Brickfielder raises a hoof into the air and raises his voice with the crowd, giving a cheer with them.
Smokey though gives a small wave at the crowd
Saffron gives a peppy laugh after her cheek, giving Quick Fix next to a clap on the back to bring him back from his awe. "Nothing's better than having your own squad artillery piece. Who needs air support when you have Ember Flare!" Saffron remarked enthusiastically in Quick's direction, grabbing him by the back with a foreleg and giving him a slight shake!
Quick Fix characteristically squeaks when the mare claps him on the back, pulling him from his brief daze - though the shaking just sends him back into another one!When he finally does recover from all that excitement, he offers Ember or Smokey a smile - should either of their gazes cross his own.
The demonstration was over officially with the extinguishing of the dummies. Steel Rain gives a congratulatory shoulder pat to Ember before telling the gathered ponies to return to their duties. Cloudy Forecast indicates to Ember to follow her away from the dispersing crowds.
Brickfielder watches, and just nods slightly. "...Seems Cloudy has her own protégé now. Good for Ember."
With that Ember seems to snap out of it as she had resumed her statue impersonation act and follows Cloudy with Smokey in tow, who is looking now much more relaxed again
Saffron would let go of Quick Fix after a moment. Mostly so she can grab the leash again for those that would look in their direction, sighing with some contentment at the show. "Yep. Wonder what other spooky powers she'll develop now..."
"Hrm. I kinda feel a little awkward. You'd think as the unicorn my magic would be more impressive." He pouts, leaning against Saffron, "even Cloudy... well, her abilities are cool too. All I can do is patch ponies up about as well as Sunny can."
Steel Rain would order the burnt out dummies disposed of before taking his leave back to the H.Q. Cloudy Forecast would privately applaud Ember for the display. "Now that it is over, how do you feel?"
Saffron turned towards Quick as she felt him leaning against her. "I mean your magic is cool, it heals people. I'd say it's pretty cool, y'know? I guess maybe there's a learning curve to it for improving it. You'll get there eventually, right?"
Ember would brush some cold sweat from her forehead "I'm just glad I didn't puke"
Saffron begins to turn around so they can saunter back towards the barracks with him alongside her. "Welp. Nothing left to go but go back to business as usual. I'm still broke, so I'm going to go find a game to play. Maybe there's a ball, or we can play blackjack..."
Ember seems to collect her a bit and become a bit more formal "Uh.. I mean It seemed to go well. Better than I expected."
Quick Fix doesn't let up his pout but relaxes a little. "Hrm. Maybe. It's certainly gotten easier to use over the months. ...not like I've been able to use it much recently.."
Quick Fix: "There could be a game of cards in the barracks. I still have tons of books and music on my PipBoy. Hmn... we could go for a walk?"
Smokey snorts "It's not like I could fail burning some dolls"
Sundancer watches Saffron and Quick's conversation wordlessly until action is proposed "If you're going for a walk count me out."
Ember kicks Smokey with her hindleg in annoyance, which it seems to completely ignore
"Now that it is over you are free to cool off. If you are not able to withdraw your construct for the time being however..." Cloudy paused when Smokey spoke up separately. "I thought you said you had it practically under control?"
Saffron brings up the hoof holding him by the leash and uses it to boop his snout once. "Just wait until the fighting starts again. OR, I could take you to the field hospital to talk to the Chief medical officer there and you can heal ponies' booboos, if that's what you want to do." Saffron remarked, before turning her head in Sundancer's direction, not surprised by her words. "No worries, not everypony appreciates CLASSICAL MUSIC and book clubs." She playfully teased Sundancer with a smirk, "But alright."
"Uh yes. Completely. But there is some autonomous element to it, like uhh it automatically defends me from enemy attacks" Ember seems to demonstrate this by having the monster move back and forth a small distance with small concentration
"Naw. I already talked to Cloudy about it before bed. She told me that because I wasn't a green under Breezy that I wouldn't be allowed to work in the hospital." His muzzle is ever-so-slightly scrunchy. "But, err, Brick, what are your plans? And... Sunny."
Ember Flare: "Just... can't make it go away and.. sometimes it blurts out something stupid. I'm sure I just need a little practice"
Brickfielder seems to not be paying much heed, watching the crowd disperse and glancing back down to Quick. "...Nothing in particular. If you try constantly having a plan under 'hurry up and wait' orders, it starts driving you crazy, I think. Maybe I'll do some exercise."
Cloudy did not seem entirely convinced. But for the time being she was willing to let it pass. She suggested Ember hide out in the empty civilian Barracks for the day if she needed privacy. She would send word that Ember was not to be bothered for the time being. Particularly if the construct could say something inappropriate.
"Oh right... That's fine. You'll be useful by being my talking partner." Saffron shrugged with her wings, still slowly walking across past the mess hall and towards the area behind the barracks near the fencing. Quarter-turning her head to Brickfielder once. "Yeeah... I'm starting to wish I could go outside to practice my skills at least. A firing range would be nice, even. Bleh."
"Oh no it's usually pretty much mute" Ember glances around "I think I'll be fine with it around if that's not a problem?"
Cloudy Forecast considered the request and nodded to Ember. It might be best to continue letting the other greens get familiar with the construct's presence. So she would be free to go about her day. Provided she would prevent any potential fires from starting while inside a building.
"Of course" Ember mildly regrets now how she presented Smokey as a fire hazard
With that Ember would be dismissed to go back to the squad. Cloudy would return to her duties in Communications.
"I'm plenty used to having much time to waste with not all that much to do. Heck, rolling around in the snow can keep me occupied for a while. It's so... soft! And cold! ...and it gets my suit wet." That makes Quick pout. "It could be useful to do some cardiovascular training, though... seems like running is one of my most valuable skills."
Ember would let out big sigh before briskly trotting back to find the rest of her squad
Ember would catch up to others "Oof that was horrible"
Sundancer: "Did she say something embarrassing in front of Cloudy?"
Brickfielder gives Ember a reassuring smile as she finally arrives. "You did very well, Ember. I'm sure Cloudy and Steel were both impressed."
"How do you do cardiovascular training?" Saffron asked Quick, looking over him to see Ember coming back, walking into Quick to put her chin on his back and wave at Ember with her wing. "Yeah, you were awesome Ember! Just like the times we fought."
Ember Flare: "Oh no, just the whole thing. I mean I guess it was a good idea from Cloudy and all but I'm not the best pony to do mutant PR"
"You did good though." Saffron insisted a little bit. "This is how they made me good at public speaking, too. In the off-chance you'd actually want to get good at it."
Brickfielder pauses for a moment, before nodding along with Saffron.
Ember cringes "I think I'll pass"
Quick Fix: "Yeah, it was awesome, Ember. You almost gave me a scare with that last stunt! It came outta nowhere. You couldn't have done better."
Quick Fix regards Saffron next: "working your heart and your lungs. Running and walking are relatively easy and simple methods to achieve that, so long as you exert yourself sufficiently."
"...But it seems like the brass was impressed, so that should be good?" Ember says only now processing Steel Rains congratulations at the end
Brickfielder nods to her again. "Precisely. Getting Steel Rain to notice you is excellent."
"Ahhh so you didn't JUST want to hang out, you wanted to do EXCERCISE. I see." Saffron grumbled at him teasingly, flashing him a playful pout, then looking to Ember. "Yeah, didn't you see? You got a pat on the back from our leader. That's pretty good!! Just need to keep getting better at what you do." She spoke towards Ember as she'd lift her head from Quick and begin turning herself around again. "Me and Quick gonna have a walk with some motivational violin music, if you wanna come along Ember."
Ember Flare: "Uh... alright?"
Saffron: "Cardiovascular excercise, Quick calls it."
Quick Fix: "Whaa-- no, you misunderstand. Walking for pleasure is different to walking for exercise! ...even if they can very easily overlap. ...heck, I wouldn't mind a jog after that. I'm sure you've got some adrenaline to work off, Ember."
"Hey!" Saffron calls back at the suddenly jogging Unicorn, being forced to keep up since she still needs to hold him by the leash!
It would be about three weeks into the winter proper. Your squad has had to keep themselves busy when it was not your turn for snow shoveling duty. Part of which would be equally fun and dangerous as you would be tasked with throwing the collected heaps of snow off the side of a cliff to the sea below. When you have free time to yourselves, which is a lot of the time, how do you spend it?
Quick Fix is somewhat limited in his choice of activities, but for the most part he attempts to engage Saffron with various distractions - games, music, reading, exercise... rolling in the snow like foals on a winter weekend. He pulls each member of the squad into his time-wasting where he can, too - possibly only succeeding by the sheer factor of boredom.
Brickfielder may have gotten too used to the constant work of maintaining a settlement when helping with Phoenix; in between exercising, letters, meals, and general loitering, he'd start taking to scrutinizing the camp more closely, constantly thinking about ways things could be improved in terms of it being a living space. Not sharing them, mainly, but he would spend more time than most staring at things while jogging or idly trotting.
Sundancer doesn't find her usual reading material and solitary activities as stimulating after building a town and having the run of a vault. She lets herself get dragged into as many social situations as are offered to her, and only snaps at squadmates once or twice while she's adjusting to being somewhat social again
Ember might try and train with Smokey every now and then, but wouldn't really get much ahead in that matter. Still she'd be glad she could kinda summon it out in the open. She might also try attending a few more card games with Thunder Pudges squad
Saffron spends the bulk, if not all of her time with Quick Fix. She takes him to do the same chores as she does, such as shovelling snow since his TK kind of helps, she takes him along to do the daily jogging--in full kit--since it is 'cardiovascular' exercise. When they weren't exercising to keep in shape she was reading books off his Pipboy's library, and checking out different songs. She always tried to stay in a more secluded corner of the FOB to avoid the attention of the other soldiers, keeping out of sight. Saffron trusted Quick Fix so much she even let him see his latest letter from his dad, the one that told him to be wary of making the same mistake he did. But this is a secret! So hush-hush. Occasionally organizing a card game tournament between the squad, or doing shenanigans like broom jousting on wheeled chairs... Her income was still kind of being siphoned a little.
Ember would find that her public display has polarized much of the other squads. Some of them were displaying true xenophobia and avoiding her as best they could. Others would be giving her quite a lot of attention whenever Smokey was on display, asking her odd and somewhat personal questions about her mutations. She might have to seek higher authority after someone asked her to strip and display her physical deformity for them to see.
Appropriate disciplinary actions would be taken for Ember's new zealous fan club member.
Ember would also write back to her mother, keeping a similar tone to the letter and being careful to get past the censors. In short she'd be glad to hear from them, tell that she was doing actually quite well and doing well with her teammates. She also hints at possibly visiting once the missions give her time
Brickfielder would also be doing plenty of letter-writing to communicate with home, on top of keeping more of an eye on Ember; it's not like the increased negative attention is hard to notice.
Quick Fix wishes he had somepony to write to.
The incident would make her a bit uncomfortable, but in general she'd be kinda glad at the development, especially that those that disliked her, also seemed a little afraid of her as well
Brickfielder, also, makes sure to set aside any activities whenever Violet wishes to talk to him. He knows what's important.
At the start of the fourth week into the winter your squad would be called to Cloudy’s office suddenly. A runner going around to collect you all to a meeting.
Brickfielder dutifully reports to Cloudy's office upon being fetched by the runner.
Saffron brings Quick Fix along for the ride as they are summoned to the headquarters suddenly. She slows down at the entrance so they can quickly double-check themselves to see if they were proper by her standards, and then march in along with the others to see what awaited them now.
Quick Fix hasn't changed uniform for his entire stay, thus showing up to the meeting in his usual canvas suit getup. He could use a change of style.
Cloudy Forecast would be looking fairly serious when your group came to her office. Over the winter it seemed the place had become even more cluttered. Despite the abundance of seats it would be difficult for the six of you to have enough space to properly set up without needing to have one or two left standing. “Nimbus squad. I have received new orders for you from central command. This will include taking Quick Fix on the excursion.”
Ember cocks an eyebrow at the comment about quick fix
Sundancer looks at her squadmates quizzically
Saffron gives Quick Fix one look as a slow, tense exhale crawls out of her nostrils while standing at-ease next to Quick Fix, who she allowed to sit instead of herself. Though her eyes widened a little bit as the notion of orders coming straight from central command.
Brickfielder takes no issue with remaining standing, letting others sit instead. "...It will, ma'am?"
Quick Fix provides Cloudy a somewhat questioning look, though he doesn't speak up. He'd rather be helping his friends than stuck with Cloudy at base.
Cloudy would give a small nod and continue with an explanation. “Central command has stated this winter will not impede your next mission, to start within a few days. There is a second vault on this island, of which the location is known. You will be sent to enter the vault and use your previously gained knowledge alongside Quick Fix’s personal experience to locate the overseer’s personal terminal. From there you will transfer any secreted information stored within to a data storage device that will be provided for the mission.”
Ember Flare: "is there something special about this one? Quicks vault did have the robots and some other tech but since the reactor went out I doubt a whole lot of it was useable"
Sundancer grins, thoroughly surprised by their mission "Ah, a challenge worthy of our skills."
Saffron shifts her eyes with a minor discomfort for a second. Then starts to focus a little more. "Is this an active vault, ma'am? Sealed and inhabited?" Saffron asked pointedly, furrowing her brow slightly.
Quick Fix: "It could be the same... though... one of you told me that not all of the Vaults were strictly designed to protect their inhabitants. We could be dealing with something completely different."
“I do not have information pertaining to the situation of the vault. I can assure you that all vault-tech sites are unique however. I can openly say the lack of information provided from central command regarding the initial vault scoutings is discouraging. I do not know what you can expect to encounter within.” Cloudy would state.
Quick Fix: "If it's not empty, then... I'm sure, as a Vault dweller, I can attempt to negotiate. It's just information."
Sundancer shuffles her hooves excitedly "This means we can get our Pip Boys back."
Saffron gives a sure nod in response to that answer. The look in her eyes was still resolute regardless. Waiting for the others to get their remarks out of the way before asking her next question. "What about our mission gear?" She asked Cloudy.
Cloudy would continue. "For equipment you will be authorized with items you feel best useful to the mission. I will expect a requisition form by tomorrow morning with what all you will expect to use. In addition you will be provided with two mission critical items. One is the previously mentioned data collection device. The other is a beacon remote that I have been informed is keyed to this particular vault and will open the entrance blast door."
Ember glances at Sundancer "And with from previous experience we kinda know what to expect with the security in the previous vault and all"
Saffron furrowed her brow in interest at the mention of the last mission critical device, eyes narrowing slightly... But she doesn't ask anything if she did have questions. "Very well. I already know what I'll need." Saffron remarked softly, nodding once to Ember and flashing the two other mares a smirk, before looking to Cloudy. "Do we have any intel on the area outside the vault? Magic circles, U.I.I activity?..."
Brickfielder just silently listens, remaining at attention and digesting the information. Everyone else's eagerness to ask questions is already filling in his curiosity about the mission well enough.
"No expected U.I.I. interference with this mission. While the initial scouting report appears to be years old, I do not believe that will change the circumstances." Cloudy would note. "The vault entrance will be easy to locate with coordinates."
Quick Fix has a similar idea to Brickfielder. He doesn't need any extra equipment and he has no questions.
Sundancer: "Glad we don't need to carve open the front door with a blowtorch. I don't know where we'd ever get enough fuel."
Saffron nods slightly again in acknowledgement, and once in Sundancer's direction too. "That's all from me, ma'am." Saffron stated simply.
Ember Flare: "...is there a catch or something to this?"
Quick Fix: "Those doors were built to withstand a direct spark detonation. I don't think there's a blowtorch that exists that could burn through 'em."
Saffron's eyes turn in Ember's direction at that question specifically, arching her brow slightly.
"I will expect your equipment report in the morning. you will have two days to prepare for this mission" Cloudy would start. She would have a bit of a concerned look when answering Ember's question. "There is always some catch when it comes to Vault-tec sites. I do not know what it would be in this case however."
Brickfielder nods, keeping his head level. "We'll make sure to provide you with relevant requisition forms tomorrow morning, ma'am."
Quick Fix: "We took on one Vault. I'm sure we can deal with this one as well... with minimal damage to any living residents, I hope." Quick nodded, then frowned. "Oh... ma'am, have you asked for that leash-less collar yet?"
Saffron pursed her lip slightly, her face becoming a little grimmer at being reminded of how little info they have. "Nothing some field scouting can't fix..." Saffron remarks lowkey, then withdraws her gaze into a moment of thought... "... Hey Sundancer? Do you think you could somehow improve Ember's suit even more than it already is?" She asked in the direction of the cyborg a bit out of the blue.
"Hm? I suppose I could add servos to upgrade it to a variant of power armor. It's so specialized it would be hard to justify using valuable resources on."
Considering Quick Fix, Cloudy spoke "For now the collar and leash is for base identification. I do not know the status of my request for alternative gear. While you are not on base I do not see any reason for you to wear it. Unless you have become accustomed to it?"
"Hnh." Saffron frowned. "Guess there's no chance we could try to put forward a request for the materials necessary?" She asked in Cloudy Forecast's direction.
Quick Fix coughs at that, shaking his head, "n-no! No. Absolutely not. It would be a relief to take the thing off. That's an idea, though. No reason Sunny couldn't just put together some identification."
With your questions sorted you were dismissed to prepare yourselves for your upcoming mission. Tomorrow you would be provided with your mission critical gear and the location of the vault. You had some planning to do in the meantime.
Saffron would take her leave while beckoning Quick to come along. They had things to discuss--such as his requirement to carry radio gear, on his outfit which doesn't have much of such. "You're either going to have to carry extra gear, or switch outfit and carry a medical kit on yourself. Either way; radio." She tells him, with a pat on the side. Getting him back to fetch some paper and start taking care of requisitions forms herself.
Quick Fix: "What about modifying my PipBoy? These things are kind of modular. Sundancer could probably put together a mic and transmitter, and I could just talk through it."
(GM Note): Cut out a few pages of OOC regarding getting equipment in order.
With the paperwork filled out many of your will be equipped with a mix of your old mission equipment and your CLODS standard issue. Your infrared's camping supplies would be met along with the requisition. You were to head out the following morning so Cloudy Forecast gave you a briefing and restated your goal that evening. You were to approach the vault following the coordinates she provides. then you were to use the provided key linked to the vault to open the blast door. From there you would use your prior vault knowledge to gain access to the overseer's terminal and download its contents to the provided data box. From there you would exfiltrate the vault and return to lighthouse. You were not expected to have radio communication while in the vault, so you would be on your own for this mission.
Brickfielder is perfectly comfortable getting back into the familiar armor and weaponry of a CLODS operative, although he's happy to have the added addition of his dragon bone sword strapped to his side as well.
A couple of days away from the FOB the vault would not be difficult to find, given your instructions. In fact, from what Ember could tell intuitively and your pipboys could confirm was that the vault you were locating was practically dug into the same mountain as Quick Fix’s vault, if from the other side. The entrance was not as hidden as Quick’s vault had been, being built right against the side of a natural gully. It was fairly overgrown with dead weeds. Hopefully the door could still slide open with the years of gunk build up.The blast door was marked with a very visible engraving of the number “27”
Sundancer: "They don't seem to have sent out scouting parties in a while. Maybe there's nopony home."
Quick Fix: "Well... this seems a little less subtle than twenty-eight."He glances at Sundancer, "maybe, or maybe the door has never been opened."
Saffron was almost happy to be out and about again, trotting out in the snow despite the dreadful weather. She personally saw to it that his collar was removed once they were a ways from the base, putting it in his own saddlebags, before sticking closer to him and keeping a wing on him to shield him from the wind as Ember led on. Once they get there, she'd step from Quick's side, approaching the doorway herself. Turning towards Sundancer and gesturing to the vault door. "Sundancer. Set up the beacon, get this door open."
Saffron: "We're not knocking. So, be ready for what's behind the door."
Sundancer slings her rifle in front of her chest before removing the beacon, checking for her squadmate's readiness and pressing it
Ember summons Smokey and draws her weapons as well
Brickfielder keeps his rifle ready under a wing, eyes forward and serious. "It'd be surprising for something so obvious to never be bothered."
Saffron took position a few steps beside Sundancer with her ol' Magnum pistol loaded with AP rounds pointed towards the door, and her shield readied to provide cover in front of Quick Fix, if he hadn't gone to hide behind Brickfielder.
Quick Fix gets behind Saffron, frowning. "These things are hard to open without a key. Also, if there's ponies, check your fire."
The groaning and grinding noises the vault door would make as it slides back indicated the lack of use or upkeep. In fact the door only managed to open about halfway before it seemed to break down and get stuck. Not the most promising start to the expedition. The partly opened entrance awaited you.
Saffron began to holster her pistol as the door jams. Her lips wries up with some irritation as she reached into one of her pouches to draw a flashlight, and start approaching the entrance, holding the shield up defensively as he sheds light indoors and begins to scout ahead.
Brickfielder falls in behind Saffron, keeping his eyes peeled. And being ready to speak up if he needs to.
Ember Flare: "Alright then... in we go?"
Sundancer follows Saffron wordlessly, the metallic grinding of the door setting her nerves alight
Quick Fix lights his own horn, providing more passive illumination as they enter. "That's not supposed to happen..."
The first thing that greeted you was the smell of carbon. From the blackening of the main room before the airlocks it looked like a fire had broken out here. The lights were dead along with much of the machinery, leaving you needing flashlights. Your opening of the door seemed to be the first wave of clean air this area has had in years. The airlock itself was damaged by fire and could be forced open with a bit of horse power.
Brickfielder scans over the room with narrowed eyes, waving a wing in front of his muzzle briefly. "Not a good sign for whoever used to live here." He slings his rifle and moves to get his hooves on the airlock.
"Hmh, hopefully the air is safe inside" Ember remarks as she crunches her nose and steps in
Sundancer: "Hopefully the computer isn't fried."
Saffron nods slightly in agreement with Brickfielder. Then pipes up. "... Clear." As she starts to make her way inside, peering around with her flashlight and examining the damage. "I'd feel safer if we had gas masks for sure..." She remarked, gesturing the others inside with her wing, "Get inside, check everything. We're going further in soon."
Quick Fix feels his frown morph into a disturbed grimace. It feels eerily similar to entering the effective tomb that his own vault became. "Hopefully there's enough oxygen to keep us going down here."
Saffron: "Iiii'm going to set my hopes low and say we might need to repair the terminal..."
Saffron then turned around, placing the flashlight on the shoulder slot and then jogging over to Brickfielder to help him push the door open a bit more.
Brickfielder and Saffron would have only a bit of trouble getting the door open together. It would eventually give way to them.
One the far side of the airlocks you were greeted by a new unpleasant scent: Rot. The air inside the vault was damp and thick with the scent of spoilage. Mushrooms were growing in patches through cracks in the metal flooring. The mushrooms clung to burst pipes, sipping ancient spillage. The internals of the vault were dark and decrepit, rusted and ruined.
Brickfielder's face screws up after he finishes pushing the airlocking, trying to shield his nose as he looks around. "Dammit, should we let this thing air out or something?"
"...ugh. We shouldn't be breathing that stuff in. Fungal infections are no good." Quick similarly wrinkles his nose. "...Ember, do you think you could fry some of the mushies?"
Sundancer: "I can go first if needed. I'd like to see the mushrooms grow on me."
Ember Flare: "Eugh, wouldn't oppose to that"
Sundancer: "It's possible that the fire was started intentionally to clean the infestation, so we should be careful."
Ember Flare: "maybe best not, we might set something on fire"
Brickfielder backs off, and glances to Sundancer. "If you'd like. If only we'd known to get masks with filters or something..."
Saffron put her sleeves infront of her face briefly, as she starts pulling up the facemask reflexively. "Yeah, I'd let it air out a moment." Saffron agreed. "Central Command probably didn't even bother trying to get inside to check it for us." Saffron mused.
Quick Fix: "At the very least we should be wearing cloths over our muzzles. Sunny, do you have any spare material?"
Sundancer feigns a deep breath, as if taking a dive and without another word steps into the fungus covered hallway
"Are these radioactive?" Saffron brings up the pipboy and gets a little closer to the mushrooms...
Quick Fix frowns as he sees said robot trotting off. He fetches some cloth from his medical kit and ties it around his muzzle to act as a makeshift dust mask.
The air inside the vault proper seemed breathable, if rank. The mushrooms themselves do not emit any noteworthy radiation. The vault itself has no significant increase in background radiation, unlike the prior vault you were in.
Quick Fix braves the rotting air next, keeping his horn lit and his nose scrunched.
Saffron nods to herself then takes a step back from the mushrooms. "No background radiation. The place stinks but it's not unbreathable." The mare turn back towards the other a bit more. "Let's get moving. I'm expecting tight hallways so, me and Sundancer in front, Brickfielder in the middle, Quick and Ember behind. If possible."
Sundancer keeps walking uninterrupted, a few lengths ahead of Saffron, checking corners for the group
Saffron starts to stride to join Sundancer, keeping her shield braced while keeping the other hoof free for walking. She was fast enough to quick-draw if it came down to it. And her shield might provide cover for Brickfielder and the others behind.
Brickfielder frowns, but brings his rifle to bear again, getting into line.
Ember follows as does smokey who had been giving the shrooms some pokes in the background
It will be hard to navigate some areas as the ceiling or wall had collapsed, blocked due to a cave in. The power appeared to have gone out given the lack of any lighting. You would need to use the manual levers to open some of the closed pneumatic doors. Half an hour of exploration into the darkness would reveal the place looked like an empty tomb. You would discover rooms left to time and decay, but no signs of inhabitants. It was like the vault had been abandoned. To Quick Fix the vault looked like everyone simply stopped working one day and let the place fall apart.
Brickfielder keeps comments to a minimum, getting at least somewhat used to the awful air as the exploration continues.
"Feels like walking in a mausoleum..." Saffron remarked quietly, wary of the echo her voice would have here. "Quick? Where do you think is the overseer's office from here?" She'd ask out of sheer curiosity, as they kept walking in search of the overseer's office
"This place... it's like... it operated just fine for a time until everyone... vanished. Where did they go? What happened to them?" Quick's voice was relatively calm, but there was an edge to it that indicated perhaps this hit a little too close to home.
Ember Flare: "I wonder how we'll get to the data if the whole place is completely powered down. Do we need to find some kinda hard drive?"
Sundancer: "There's so many tunnels collapsed it's hard to tell. The layout doesn't look too different, but our path was blocked. The terminal should have all the information in its storage banks. Good thing too, since any storage device would be overrun by now. Portable ones that is."
Quick Fix: "Mmm. It's pretty much the same layout of my Vault. If I'm remembering correctly, we should be close - it overlooks the meeting hall."
It would be about an hour of backtracking and several levels of picking your way through the dark when you would feel a shudder in the air. Like a great bellows had drawn air further into the vault. Your pipboys would chirp with a new signal pickup. It was a vault internal broadcast.
Saffron stops dead in her tracks at the sound as the shudder in the air actually startled her a little bit, her fur coat standing on end... She darts an eye towards Sundancer, then down to her pipboy. She lifts her foreleg and goes to the radio settings to tune into the broadcast and listen in, leaning her ear close as she keeps the volume very low.
Brickfielder narrows his eyes and keeps a lookout, while mimicking Saffron, muttering inaudibly under his breath...
Quick Fix became increasingly more frustrated as it seemed every locked door and collapsed passage was blocking their advance on the Overseer's office. When his PipBoy pinged, Quick was the first - almost automatically - to switch to his radio and play it at a moderate volume.
Quick Fix: "Wh-what the buck was that?"
Ember Flare: "How didn't we pick that up before?"
Quick Fix: "Shh. Listen first."
Opening the frequency would pick up a disturbing sound. Like multiple voices speaking over each other without rhythm to tone or volume. An entire host trying to get their say in at once. But the message started to dawn on you as you listened. It was a shrill cry of a shriek that said it loudly enough to make out at first. "Meat." Then another said it clearly. Then realization set in. The voices were all saying "Meat" over and over.
Saffron: "By the president what the fuck is this...."
There was rattling in the wall. Bursting forth from airways, open pipes, and even from behind loose panels came fleshy, meaty appendages. They were tendrils of exposed muscle and sinew, teeth and sharp bone fragments. They whipped through the air in search of warm, bloody meat.
Quick Fix: "EEEEEEEK!"
Brickfielder narrows his eyes, bringing the PipBoy away to stare at it, before bringing it back near his ear... before his eyes widen, and he quickly lowers his foreleg, bringing his rifle forward right as the panels fly off. "Fuck! Eyes up!"
Sundancer is almost relaxed by the words coming through the speakers and watches the tentacles pushing through the walls with detached interest bordering on shock
Ember scoots away from the walls and the emerging tentacles eyes wide and mouth open but not screaming
Quick Fix is far less composed, backing into Brick and Saffron and whimpering some form of 'this isn't happening'.
Saffron stumbles as the broadcast followed by the tentacles take her COMPLETELY by surprise, a panel blowing from right above her landing on her side and causing her to stumble as she frantically tried to reach for her Ripper--but she is a BIT too slow!
(GM Note): The PC engaged in a close quarters fight in a short hallway. The fight was managed quickly and with little more than scrapes for damage. Excluding Sundancer who had her chassis damaged and was no longer Air Tight. Ember Flare, Saffron, and Sundancer spent much of the fight ensnared. Quick Fix was too evasive to be harmed, and Brickfielder managed to do some damage with his sword.
After the tendrils were dealt with you had a moment to consider your next move. Things had rapidly gone out of control. You could abandon your mission and retreat or you could advance and discover the source of all this.
Quick Fix: "Buckbuckbuckbuckbuck. Luna almighty. W-we need to leave. We need to send in p-ponies with flamethrowers."
Brickfielder keeps his sword drawn, and pivots on the spot, double-checking. "...Fuck... how close is the overseer's office?"
Ember frantically looks around and pats down her body just in case something is still clinging to her "Eugh no, why?"
Saffron gave a nod to Sundancer as her next shot freed her from the tentacles, prompting her to whip around with her ripper and high-swing it into the tentacle next to her. Smokey's assistance by mere proximity with it's heat seems to give her the opening she needs alongside her well-placed swing. WRRRCCCKLKL-AK, eventually sawing through the thing, killing it. She breathes a sigh of relief. "President damned freakshow in here..." She spits on the tentacle, then looks down the hallway.
Saffron: "I'm going to check for signal to radio back to Cloudy... Then I might sneak ahead to see if there's anything else. We need to go slower."
Saffron puts a hoof up to her earpiece, looking to Brickfielder once. "We're still just at the top layer..." She grumbled at him, then looked to Quick once. "Nimbus-1 to Lighthouse, do you hear this?"
(GM Note) Saffron’s player was confused. They were several levels down.
Brickfielder: "Flamethrowers would be good, I think... dammit. It'd be preferable if we could avoid tight spaces but that's not going to happen in this death trap."
Quick Fix gives Brickfielder a wild look for a moment - but the big stallion reminds him of something. About thirty-two seconds later, he's already feeling calmer - but slow breathing can't make the adrenaline in your system just disappear. "Sh-should be further in. We've had to r-route around so many passages, e-everything's bucked in here..."
Ember Flare: "Maybe we can just quickly get in and get out quicker, we're already so deep"
(GM Note): There was an OOC discussion of how to apply first aid to the PC that needed it. Then the session ran to time.
Your squad was in the bowels of a Vault under threat from an unknown enemy. You have just fended off an attack with only some harm done to your cyborg. You could press onward into the unknown or turn back and retreat.
Ember looks expectantly at Saffron
Brickfielder pops his neck and glances down the hall in the direction they had been heading.
Saffron had receded off to a side of the hallway with a hoof on her radio gear, her eyes pointed downward at the horrible mesh of muscle, flesh, and teeth that was the "dead" tentacle right near them. He tapped the headset a few times to check if any signal was getting through to HQ. "Nimbus to Lighthouse, Nimbus to Lighthouse... Am I getting through?" She asked, as she gestured the others with her hoof for '360 security'
Brickfielder watches Saffron, and just remains on guard with his sword drawn.
Saffron’s radio was either not being picked up, or the reply was not coming through. It was as Cloudy Forecast had warned prior. You did not seem to have enough signal strength under the mountain to reach the base.
Quick Fix slumps next to Saffron as his heart slowly calms, shuddering. "This place... it's... it's like something out of a horror h-holo. What did this to a-all those ponies?"
Sundancer frowns at Saffron's attempts to call HQ, and tentatively cleans herself with some hydrogen peroxide "Vault Tec if I had to guess."
Brickfielder: "Doesn't matter now since they're all dead. We're not in charge of fixing this place, just getting to that terminal."
Saffron frowned and began to lower her hoof from her headset. She looks off for a while as she thinks, then her eyes drift towards Sundancer specifically--towards her slightly dented armor. "You good, Sundancer? We either backtrack all the way up to fill in Cloudy or we keep going. Slowly."
Sundancer nods "The sooner we find the terminal the faster we'll find answers."
Quick Fix: "I can keep navigating. We woulda been there hours ago if there weren't so many collapsed halls."
Saffron gives an agreeing little nod. She flicks up her shield and begins to take point again. "Eyes up everypony, watch for vents. This could happen again. I'll move up a bit more to have eyes on, but otherwise, get back into the marching order."
Sundancer shakes her head "The injury isn't serious, just some cracked seals. Radiation isn't a concern, and I'll bear the biohazard with the rest of the squad."
Quick Fix stands, dusting himself off and letting one last shiver run down his spine. "I hate this place, but we're better off doing what we came here to do first before we leave."
Sundancer: "Only seems fair."
Brickfielder falls back into rank, nodding.
Ember Flare: "the faster we get in the faster we'll be out of this place right"
Brickfielder: "That's the hope..."
Saffron eyeballs Quick Fix as he seems to have decided to stand in front of her. "Quick you should probably go behind Sunny and Brick..." She tactfully reminds him.
Quick Fix: "And who's navigating, then? Do you know this place?"
Saffron: "You can navigate from behind me at least, I have ears."
Quick Fix sighs. "Alright. You lead, then."
Saffron nods. Double checking behind herself for the others, then wordlessly moves onward. Keeping a slower, more diligent and attentive pace.
Heading deeper into the vault you would move quickly but cautiously. More of those things could appear at any moment. Approaching a crossed hallway would cause some pause as you decided which way to go, given the collapses. During the pause several tendrils break free from behind paneling and pipes around you to attack. It was as if it were some kind of coordinated ambush given the increased numbers.
(GM Note): The PCs engaged in an ambush by tentacles. They were quickly grabbed individually and pulled into different directions. The otherwise tense encounter was ended by Ember setting most of the tentacles on fire.
Saffron flashed Ember a smirk as she got a front row seat to the pyrotechnics, as all the tentacles went up in flames. As Sundancer shoots one down, Saffron rounds the corner with her shield and ripper readied, getting slightly past Brickfielder as she swings the ripper broadly into the weakened, scorched and smoldering body of the tentacles and slices it apart with a WRRRKLKL, letting Brick free.
With quickened pace you all look around frantically for more targets. But for now it seems to be clear.
Brickfielder pants, eyes wide, as he struggles up after kicking the tendril off of him. "...Fuck, fuck... I'm fine..." He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. "...Good thing I'm too big to fit into one of these vents or something..."
Ember pants a little, feeling a bit sore from wrassling the tentacles "Okay, maybe a small breather wouldn't be that bad"
"...agh... everyone's injured. Sunny, see if you can close me up; I-I'll handle everypony else."Quick lets his heart settle a little, practicing the 'ol box breathing.
Sundancer: "Works for me."
Brick’s comment clearly evoked some scenarios Ember hadn't even considered "aaagh! I really wish you hadn't mentioned that!"
Saffron frowned at his state briefly, quickly shutting off the ripper and clipping it to her harness as she put a hoof on Brickfielder's side almost and pats him once, nodding him back towards the others. "Let's take shelter in one of the rooms." Saffron remarked quickly, "How long is it gonna take to fix us all up Quick?"
Sundancer with little hesitation opens Quick's saddlebags with the medical supplies and dresses his wounds with the contents
Brickfielder inches away from Saffron's touch after she gets a pat in.
Working fast Quick and Sundancer pull out medical supplies and start binding scrapes and disinfecting as needed
Quick Fix: "Shouldn't take more than... oof... a couple minutes. Might be nice to have a little sit down though. Look, I saw a room up here. Should be safe."
"Alright..." Saffron followed Quick to the room, beckoning the others along. "Might need to rework the marching order a bit..."
The side rooms were all devoid of life, save yourselves. Quick would recognize them as vault apartments, although lacking private washrooms. So this place was not exactly like his vault in configuration. The rooms were dilapidated from water damage and time. You could find small trinkets from prior residents. left over old world clothes, he odd book.
Ember doesn't show much interest in going through the filthy decayed rooms
"No bathrooms," Saffron remarked firstly after a moment spent in the room. "Bed, but not much else... Place feels like a prison cell. Uhhh but maybe I'm missing something..."
Quick Fix: "We had en suite bathrooms back at the Vault. This feels more like... I don't know, like a barracks?"
Quick Fix commits heal-y as they explore, making sure everyone's all patched up and feeling good.
Brickfielder narrows his eyes while looking over the one room, and doesn't spend much of his time doing so, backing out into the hallway. "Can't loiter here too long."
For the most part you find keepsakes that could be of some limited use or value. A fine chain necklace made of gold. A book on some kind of old world current events. Unpacked luggage and suitcases with a pouch of old world bits. It dawns on Brick and Saffron that the rooms looked barely lived in. Like they had been abandoned the same day they had been moved into.
Sundancer: "Hm. Maybe the spread of filth was intentional. Maybe they didn't want little pipes and drains leading to each room. I'm not brave enough to look for their communal showers if they have them."
Brickfielder: "Whatever happened in here wasn't recent, that's for sure. But the rooms aren't suffering from overgrowth any."
Brickfielder furrows his brow. "...I'm concerned about what might be in the atrium."
Saffron narrowed her eyes as she found some valuables. Her having had her pay severely docked for the sake of her team she takes the bits, and the necklace and stashes it in her saddlebags for future peddling, but the book was more interesting. She reads the front cover, blowing on it to dust it off then reads the first two pages. "What did Cloudy say about vaults? That they had a specific purpose?... I don't like where this is going..."
Quick Fix: "That they were quirky, or something. I don't understand... my Vault seemed totally normal. And this one has a very similar layout. What could have happened... for things to have gone so wrong?I don't think a basic societal collapse causes the residents to clump into a Vault-sized mass of flesh."
Saffron nods slowly. Looking down at her wound dressing for her bruises, then up at Quick Fix. Listening to him for a brief while. "As much as I want to sit here and discuss... We gotta keep moving. Quick, take point with me. You can lead on SILENTLY, we'll try to... Stay sneaky, somehow. I'm thinking now Ember and Sundancer in the middle and Brickfielder at the back, so we have room to retreat if we have to."
Saffron steps back outside, holding up her shield as if something were around the corner waiting for her. Then starts ambling down the crossroads to regroup.
Quick Fix: "You can follow my lead. We won't have to talk if I pull you along with me."
Saffron: "Hhh fine... Go ahead. Don't make me watch you get grabbed into a ventilation shaft, though."
Brickfielder shakes his head some and refocuses, muttering something under his breath.
Quick Fix consults his memory and his map for the right direction. "Please do not make me think about that."
Ember Flare: "The main problem is that those things can surround us at any time. And the clearly tried to separate us from each other"
Saffron frowned and nodded to Ember. "I know... Not much I can do aside from keeping us in a tight formation. We have to try and find a way to spot them first."
Sundancer: "We have to be extra careful going into junctions like that. The atrium is likely to be a nightmare as well."
Brickfielder: "What concerns me is just... the rooms seem like nobody had time to live in them. The atrium's meant to be a gathering place. If there's a spot where most of the ponies in here died..."
Saffron: "You think we'll find something big waiting for us at the atrium?..."
Quick Fix: "The overseer's office is above the atrium, so hopefully we won't have to enter. Hopefully."
Brickfielder: "Hopefully just a bunch of bones picked dry long ago. That's the best case..."
Sundancer: "The atrium is where the overseer's office is. Ember, when we get there, you should probably preemptively burn the whole room."
"...lets not get too ahead of ourselves with this" Ember says, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is going
Quick Fix regards Brick uncomfortably. "What... you mean... this place fell apart... two hundred years ago?"
Brickfielder gives Quick a sunken-eyed glance. "People don't leave luggage half-unpacked in a room they actually had time to live in."
Your approach to the auditorium would be free of further attack. Perhaps the prior attacks had been the resources of whatever was assailing you. The auditorium waited for you on the far side of a double wide doorway, according to Quick Fix. The air seemed to be shifting back and forth, softly. You could ready yourselves for what you expected to find.
Quick Fix frowns. "I've been keeping a map of the place. The only way left to get to the office is through the atrium. Are you guys... ready?"
Sundancer draws her CLODS pistol, unpracticed with it compared to her other weapons, but valuable for keeping grabbing grapplers away
Ember checks her gun and nods
Saffron stopped in front of the wide doors of the auditorium right behind Quick Fix. Her eyes darting between him and the door, her primary feathers sticking out and shifting as the air shifts anomalously, making her brow furrow and her pistol come out, wielded in her hoof. She double checks what ammo was loaded by cocking the gun slightly--which was explosive, giving a nod to Quick Fix and aiming her gun while hiding behind her shield.
Brickfielder considers pulling up his rifle, but keeps his sword up, figuring he'll be running protection in this situation.
You enter the auditorium that would lead to the overseers office. The air is thick with the scent of rot and moisture. You would take barely a few steps inside before you found the source. A colossal mass of flesh occupied the center of the hall. The mass was a skinless heaping of organs, hooved bones, bloody orifices, and roiling circulation. It clung to the roof and a catwalk that stretched the back wall. The panels into the overseer's office were shattered as some of the mass sloughed out of sight into the office. Scattered across the floor were the long broken remnants of chairs, shattered glass, and some still whole soda bottles. As you entered the chamber more tendrils budded their way outwards. Large boils of glowing goo bubbled to the surface of the flesh mound, seeming to be near bursting. From beyond the room the damned choir rose up once again. "MEAT. MEAT. MEAT."
(GM Note): The PCs engaged a flesh monstrosity dubbed “The Choir.” They contended to start the fight by attacking the tentacles along the edge of the area, being unaware that the creature would attack them by spewing acid in a wide area. All of the party members save Ember spent the majority of the fight blinded by the acid. Between Ember’s armor piercing bullets and Saffron’s explosive shots the creature was able to be taken down before anyone became severely injured. All pcs had to exhaust damage reduction gifts and were extremely low on resources by the end of the combat.
Saffron's trigger was depressed and she struggled to hold down the recoil of the heavy pistol as it fired full auto. BLAMBLAMBLAM. Her taking the time to aim, and the assistance from Smokey's proximity seem to be the turning point as each and every single explosive bullet connects and sinks into the already opened wounds of the amalgam, blowing it up, further and further, deeper and deeper into its center, until with a nasty, horrible tearing noise it begins to blow apart at the seams, shrapnel exploding out of it's weakened skin, as it begins to deflate, and deflate, until it falls over ... dead?
As the mass of flesh comes to an end the continual “MEAT” it had been jabbering is replaced with a thousand incoherent screams. Enough to drown out the explosion that kills the monstrosity. The scream quickly winds out into a shrill pitch, and then nothing. You were left in this horrible room of acid and dead flesh, to pick yourselves back up and put yourselves together.
Quick Fix slumps against the corner of the wall as he hears the thing die, rubbing fruitlessly at his blinded eyes. What a disaster. "We... should h-have... brought the hazmat suits." He says, in the relative quiet of the battle's aftermath.
Brickfielder stumbles and collapses against the door he'd managed to get to, panting and looking up at the hideous mass as it finally gives in, groaning and shaking his head some. "...Fuck..."
Saffron's smoking gun shivers in her grip as she is running entirely on adrenaline. Every breath makes her weep as the stench brings her closer to nausea. She coughs once, and swallows wetly. "I'm going to puke." She mutters hoarsely, looking down and stepping back from the acid all over the floor, pushing her flank into Quick by accident.
"Ack--" The colt scrunches, though the bandage over his snoot appears to have kept him at least somewhat shielded from the horrid stench permeating the atrium. "Please don't sit on me."
Smokeys tattered form slowly pulls itself back together "Nice shot, took your sweet time to take it tho! Almost thought I was gonna have to fight the whole thing myself"
Quick Fix: "And don't puke on me either."
Sundancer feels a sense of completion and accomplishment as the adrenaline of combat fades to the reality of a room thick with flesh and acid, smiling despite herself as another threat is buried under firepower
"For fucks sakes, Ember. I was literally blind." Saffron grumbled in her general direction, as she stepped off from Quick and started striding ahead, partially over some acid, jumping to the other side as her wing hung limp. A wince stuck to her face. Unhurt, but drenched in sweat, pus-filled acid, and burn marks. She also stows her pistol which was now out of ammo. "I hope this was damn worth it..."
Quick Fix: "We need to wait for all that acid to... burn out. Saffron and I are trapped in the corner."
The acid on the floor starts to smoke as it eats into the flooring.
Sundancer lacks the capacity to spit, so hangs her mouth open to get some of the goo that's lodged itself there out "We thould thee the overtheer's room thoon"
Saffron turned to look towards Quick Fix to wait for him. "C'mon Fix-y. Jump." She tells him, her playful tone weighed down by her constantly restraining her own bile.
Quick Fix hops like a deft little rabbit. "Let's get the buck out of here. I can barely walk. My hooves are burnt.."
Saffron rushes off to the corner. Managing to make it just a meter or two past brick before she throws up towards the wall.
Ember Flare: "Uh... We should move fast I don't like the ticking sound one bit"
Saffron: "PFFtch--..."
The acid has done a horrible number on all of Sundancer's systems. Her internal structure is barely keeping together from the damage. It will take a long time to fully fix everything that's been burnt.
Saffron spits and pants as she staggers forward, trying to go towards their objective while the room makes her progressively more sickened. Picking up the pace into a jog as she puts the mouth-piece back on.
Thankfully for the cyborg the acid's potency quickly wanes. her joints will be off as the lubricant is eaten, but she does not seem to be at risk of falling apart further.
Quick Fix shoots Saffron a concerned glance, but otherwise pays attention to the door ahead.
Entering the overseer's office would reveal an equal or worse sight than just the mass of flesh in the auditorium. The flesh that occupied the far side of the room was heaps of barely faced skulls. Hundreds of them piled up around the back of the room and around the desk. All connected to the mass of flesh that leaked into the room like puffs at the cap of a horrific alien dandelion. Mercifully they had stopped speaking or moving.
"What kinda--" She swallowed hard and winced as she ALMOST threw up again at the sight, "--shit is this?..." She walks onward nonetheless, looking for that damned terminal.
Quick Fix finally takes the opportunity to lose his lunch, thankfully away from the rest of the party. He groans and wipes his muzzle with yet more wet-wipes. "Cloudy told me the wasteland would be bad. But... th-this... this is beyond that. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget this horror."
Sundancer: "Stuff like this must be why the rest of the wasteland is so uninhabitable. This island is lucky it only had to deal with the Glass and mountain. The door stayed locked."
Brickfielder tries not to stare at the mass of faces... which isn't too hard given he hasn't fully gotten his vision back quite yet.
Quick Fix offers the big boy some wipes, considering he clearly seems to be blinking away some kind of fetid goop.
Quick Fix: "Do you think it was known that this resided here?"
Sundancer: "It's also why Cloudsdayle tends to take a dim view on other ponies as well as would-be gods."
Ember Flare: "How would anyone know?"
Quick Fix: "I heard about scouts..."
The machinery in the office was still functional as much as hundred year old advanced technology could be. Server banks lined the walls where the faces did not obscure. The overseer's desk had a terminal mounted inside the frame, which you could access. Provided you wanted the mound of faces to be looming right behind you.
Sundancer shrugs "I would hope they'd send more ponies if they knew, but if anyone has a record of Vault experiments, it's us."
Quick Fix interfaces with the terminal, pulling his experience with Vault technology.
Sundancer: "This one seems to have gotten out of hoof."
Quick Fix: "No kidding."
"Gee, if I'd seen this before the idea of mutants was presented to me I'd stay well clear of the likes of Ember." Saffron's voice slurrs slightly as she moves ahead with a bit of an odd, weak gait to her, still silently weeping from the smell. Or maybe she was just crying period. Her voice doesn't quiver however. She tries to chuckle to lighten (her) mood, but just coughs and hacks a spittle of bile still in her mouth.
Saffron: "Luckily I didn't..."
"For fucks sakes where's this terminal... Everything's blurry." She grumbled at first, squinting towards all the servers as she gets closer. Then she sees it, "There it is." She sighed, stepping closer, turning her eyes to Sundancer as she wipes her face and cheeks.
Saffron: "Can--can you do the honors, Sunny?"
Quick's attempt to log into the terminal would hit a wall. The computer was the overseer's and seemed to need special access. He could attempt to hack into the system or let sundancer use the machine you were provided.
Sundancer attempts to blow a raspberry at the skulls as she passes but her tongue is eaten away and the sound comes out without any visual indicator of what she's doing
Quick Fix shakes his head, frowning. "I'm no hacker. Sunny, you have that... thing? Try it out."
Ember looks shocked "You think *this* Is anything even near like me? It's certainly not some... naturally formed mutation!"
Ember Flare: "It must be some.... some sort of... experiment thing or something. A bioweapon!"
Sundancer plugs her pip boy's data jack into the Overseer terminal and frowns as it starts to work "If things turned to tartarus this quickly I wonder how much information we're even going to get."
Quick Fix: "Mutations of your caliber could never be natural. It would be a result of increased background radiation... my genome is probably less damaged than all of yours, actually. A layout would tell you where all the juicy tech is."
Brickfielder gives Quick an odd look, as he leans against the wall and regathers himself.
Sundancer: "If I had to speculate, I'd say that even Ember's mutation is the result of something like this getting airborne. We're just lucky it was the giving ponies super magic powers mutation and not the turning them into walls of flesh virus."
Quick Fix: "It's not a virus, that's for sure. My best guess is magical mutation, in both cases."
Saffron laughed stiffly. "I'm joking." She told Ember bluntly, "Stupid joke obviously..." She looked down at herself with a self-deprecating glare, winking her eyes shut as she exhaled slowly and with mild discomfort. "If this is supposed to be a bioweapon then... Damn, I don't even have the words to describe this."
Sundancer: "I don't know, something about the slime and lack of plumbing set my mind on disease."
Saffron: "Wonder why command needs this, to be honest."
Quick Fix: "What kind of hellish disease turns ponies in a giant clump of meat?"
Quick Fix: "That'd be a first in all of history."
Sundancer links the machine through her pipboy into the overseer's terminal. The servers start up on the far side of the room as the machine seems to brute force its way through the security system. She can read what it's doing on her screen but it is going extremely quickly. Soon enough the system was breached and it seemed to just siphon the information out of the system. The text seems encrypted as it passes through her screen.
Quick Fix: "...wait... what if they want to weaponise it?"
Brickfielder: "Cloudsdayle has no use for something this... freakish..."
Quick Fix: "Can you say that for sure?"
It was more down to her technical learning than her observational skills to catch what was being consumed by the datajacker. She catches plain text among the encrypted items. Instructions for the overseer to arrange a 'party' for the new arrivals. To give a speech that is to be toasted at by the provided experimental mixture. The mixture is code named 'Sparkle Cola FEVer." The results of the mixture were to be documented. That would explain the glass bottles that littered the auditorium.
Sundancer
"Knowledge is power. There's a chance this could have a medical use."
Brickfielder looks down at Quick, narrowing his eyes past the still-wet mane. "More certainty than you."
Sundancer: "Speaking of, I want you all to look for full bottles of soda you might find lying around."
Quick Fix: "I don't know. You seem pretty... biased."
Sundancer: "They said killer cyborg technology couldn't be used for good either, I'm sure."
Quick Fix: "I don't think that's... comparable."
Brickfielder turns to properly face Quick, eyes still a bit wild from combat. "And you seem like you're still having trouble learning to keep your mouth shut."
Sundancer: "Just hurry up and find some soda. The stuff has been spiked with the mutagenic agent, central is going to want a sample."
Ember Flare: "Alright then... be careful with the stuff"
Now that you know to look for them, you find more empty glass bottles kicking around on the floor you overlooked.
Quick Fix gulps a little, looking between Brickfielder and the computer. "Why else would they want us to collect information on it if not to use it? I'm just making a logical conclusion."
Saffron goes fairly silent after Sundancer's words. When told to look for bottles of Cola Saffron arches her brow slightly questioningly, until said brow falls a bit more as it is explained. She turned around and began to look around for fuller bottles of Cola. "Probably none here, but maybe there is a kitchen or a fridge room somewhere..."
Sundancer sighs forlornly "Good to the last drop."
Sundancer: "Shut up, there's no guarantee they knew what was here, and there's no way we're second guessing the mission."
Brickfielder's lips twitch slightly as he sneers down at Quick, before looking past him at the floor beyond.
Quick Fix shakes his head. "Not second-guessing. Just... making... hypotheses. Doctors are scientists in part, after all..." He sighs, then trots out into the atrium to attempt to spot any full bottles, with little success.
With a lot of searching your squad can locate an unopened glass bottle among all of the empties and destruction. Despite being open the insides of the glass tube were dried to dark brown crystals. Not so much a soda but it was a sealed sample.
Ember Flare: "it's most likely gone completely bad after all this time... Well at least it makes me more comfortable having it with us"
Saffron sweeped around the room methodically with her flashlight. She makes motions to direct the others to check with her in a pattern, upturning the metaphorical rocks and checking the nooks of the room for any samples. Eventually Saffron pipes up with the magic words: "Found it." And then bends over to pick up the filled, unopened bottle. She looked at it and those strange crystals. "Doesn't look very appetizing. Wonder if the crystals are just a result of time passing..." She murmured. Then puts it in her saddlebags, making sure to store it safely in a way in a side pocket. "Let's get out of this hellhole..."
Brickfielder: "Couldn't agree more..."
Quick Fix: "Yeah. Let's get the hell out."
Saffron leads the way out. Walking with a purpose and backtracking allllll the way up towards the surface. "Despite everything, it's nice to know we're good enough to get through stuff like this. I think I have to sit down and uh, think about this later..."
Leaving the vault would be simpler than getting in. You could backtrack through the now safe hallways. You take some time where the air is cleaner to patch yourselves and do what you can about the acid. But your equipment will seemingly need the most care after having been doused. Something for Sundancer to manage once she had put herself back together at home. When you reach the surface you could smell the fresh, winter air as if it were for the first time. You have no way to seal the vault back up. But that was not really your concern at the moment.
"Aaaaaah... that's... fresh. Gooooshhh..." Quick takes a moment to roll in the snow, slipping the bandage off oh his snoot and taking big gulps of frozen winter air.
Sundancer looks at her crushed wings sadly "I'm going to sit down when I get back too, but the self reflection I'll be doing is polishing myself to a mirror shine."
Quick Fix: "I just hope every time isn't like this."
Saffron takes a deeeeeeeeeep whiff of that fresh air. Then sighs out heavily, coughing a few times after smelling herself. Then as everypony else comes out, she puts a hoof to her headset to communicate their success. "Nimbus to Lighthouse, Nimbus to Lighthouse. Mission Accomplished, data retrieved. We are RTB, over."
Your return trip to Lighthouse would be delayed a little to let wings recover from acid burns. You would need to camp out for the day to let Sundancer start putting herself back together as well. You all would need to do some preliminary cleaning of your gear to prevent further residue corrosion.
When you arrive at the base things would take a different turn than you might expect. A team of hazmat suits wearing ponies from the medical team were there to escort you to the field hospital for immediate disinfection. This included Quick Fix being brought along. You would be stripped of your gear. Which was to be sent to the armory and cleaned. The soda sample was governed especially carefully by the medical teams. Then you were set to wash up in showers. Once cleaned you were bedded in what amounted to a barracks ward within the field hospital. From there you were told you would need to be isolated together for a while.
Brickfielder, though haggard, would patiently go along with the protocols taken upon arriving at the camp, dutifully going along with what's expected before finally, with a groan, collapsing into one of the cots designated for his team.
Saffron was likewise too weary to complain. Although the whole process was a hassle she was smart enough to recognize it's a necessity, so she cooperated without question. She welcomed the showering with gusto. She didn't have enough soap for this. After everything, she would likewise lay down on the cot and rest her chin on the pillows, facing the walls. She didn't have much to say now.
Ember Flare: "Here's to hoping you guys don't suddenly start sprouting tentacles."
Saffron's eyes moved in Ember's general direction with a furrow in her brow. "Do not even say that. I'm going to have nightmares about this shit..." She whined, then buried her face in the pillow briefly.
Brickfielder slowly raises his head to Ember; even a hot shower didn't make his mane puff up as much as it normally would. "Thinking about us becoming infrareds too or something?"
"We're not the ones with big 'ol holes in our back." Quick squints at Brickfielder as he speaks. "Hey, maybe it would give you a change of perspective."
Ember Flare: "Nah more that I'd prefer to walk out of the containment on my own hooves. Not that keen to become *that* close to you guys"
Brickfielder looks up at the ceiling. "Sentiment's shared... I'd rather not dwell on thinking about, all that..."
While it looked like it had been managed professionally by the medical staff Quick notes some small actions the medical greens take that could compromise the point of quarantining your squad. The situation was hastily handled and should have been done better to be sure. If you get sick and it spreads it will be the greens under Breezy Night whose fault it was.
It turns out that the medical situation was warranted. You all come down with fevers shortly after your arrival at base. It seems either the fungal spores or rancid air in the vault caught in your system. For Brickfielder the symptoms clear up within a couple days. But for Quick, Saffron, and Ember you seem to have a long recovery time ahead this winter due to an onset of pneumonia.
Quick Fix feels that worry in the back of his mind creeping back as he wakes up one morning with a temperature and a thickness in his lungs. He reports to the others, likely finding Saffron and Ender looking about as worse for wear. "We're infected with *something.* I saw the ponies in the hospital working, they have no idea what they're doing with the quarantine. One of them probably has it already."
Brickfielder seems all too eager to finally get out after his quarantine time ended, trying to get back to regular base life rather than waiting around the barrack ward all the time.
More than once Quick would overhear the Greens discussing the possibility of just putting the infrared down instead of treating "it" medically. They were "not veterinarians" after all.
Embers sense of humour about the situation would vane quickly after most ponies condition took a turn for worse
Quick Fix knows that he at least has Cloudy's protection from being 'put down' or anything similar. Still, the sentiment has him feeling even more anxious than the mystery disease.
Brickfielder, though recovered, would still make sure to, safely, visit the squad regularly, seeming to take interest in seeing Ember and Saffron recovering sooner rather than later.
Ember Flare: "I'm sure it's the best they could manage... it's a field hospital after all"
Quick Fix: "No, it was all in practice, not in equipment. It looked like they cared more about getting that sample than making sure we were properly quarantined."
"I'm sure there's a good reason" Ember remarks before having a coughing fit, not having much energy to argue
It seems from what treatment is necessary that the fungal spores were to blame for your group's condition. Quick Fix, Ember, and Saffron will have a couple weeks ahead of them before they can recover fully. It seems it does not spread farther than your group at least. Maybe the cold air kills any pathogens despite the somewhat mismanaged quarantine. In this case two wrongs might make a right.
Saffron coughed heavily and could not be made to get out of bed now. Her breathing was heavy and a bit wet, and she really, really hated her life as she pretty much refused to move aside from turning and changing positions in bed. She was even quieter now that she was in a constant state of silent suffering. She'd cast one look towards Quick when he admits 'the ponies of the hospital don't know what they're doing.' She pushes out a statement quietly. "I'd report it... If... I had... A fuckin'--*cough*-hn--radio."
Quick Fix spends the first day or two attempting to care for Ember and Saffron as best he can, but as his condition worsens it becomes necessary for Sundancer to treat all of the bedridden ponies. They have a very shitty two weeks ahead of them.
Sundancer would need to go under days long cleaning and repair procedures to make sure she was not carrying anything that could spread as well. Thermal Updraft was called in to give the Cyberpony assistance, given nearly all of her systems were damaged and there was only so much she could do with self maintenance. It would be a bit of a harrowing conversation given that, from reputation, half of The officer’s mechanical knowledge was in sapping and demolitions.
Sundancer groans with protest as she's separated from the group whose cleaning procedures are too lax only to be cleaned in her opinion too thoroughly, but she doesn't have much she can do to resist an order like that
Brickfielder would have a 'lonely' few days with the rest of his squad in traction or dismantled. It however proved a somewhat opportune time to be alone with Violet Rain. She could keep the large stallion’s mind off the horrors he had visited. It would be a couple days until Sundancer was cleared to be around the base. Her new parts had to be built with materials on hoof at the base, which meant her appearance was not a bit disjointed. She would operate as normal but no care had been taken by Thermal regarding her colouration or prior aesthetics.
Brickfielder would take as much comfort as he could out of his more personal time with Violet, happy to receive contact from someone warm and loving instead of... well, lingering on how those tentacles felt.
Though he was bedridden, Quick used the time stuck in quarantine to talk to and chastely hold hooves with Saffron when he could. It was a sucky experience, but he could at least experience it with his lover.
Recovery for Ember, Quick, and Saffron would be laborious. But slowly, bit by bit, their strength would start to return. The fluids would clear out, the inflammation would reduce, and the fever symptoms would fade. After two weeks in the field hospital the three of them would get released from the field hospital.
Saffron huffed to herself. Looking around the place regularly for something to do or read, even in her miserable state. She didn't have her pipboy since they took that away. But just as she felt she was going to lose her mind from the headache, the difficulty breathing, and the constant sweating paired with the boredom, Quick came to her rescue. She would definitely appreciate his closeness, and given they were both infected anyways she held his hoof back and chatted about not much. About Ice cream, food, about games she played once upon a time, about her escapades as a neighborhood watch pony...
Sundancer surprises herself with how much isolation from her squad and routine messes with her head, alternating between pacing around the base, trying to get as much range time as she can and lying in bed reading.
Quick Fix realises just how naked he feels as soon as they are discharged from the field hospital. He hardly noticed after two weeks stuck in bed and having absolutely nothing to do but lay and chat with Saffron and Ember, but walking out into the snow without his suit and Pip-Boy feels... wrong. He questions Breezy Night about it before he leaves.
Ember Flare: "Hooh.. Couldn't believe it could be that much worse than the actual mission. Feels so nice to breathe"
Saffron would've felt like she had been reborn once she started feeling better. Being able to breathe properly was a boon she cherished very much! She would have to take Quick Fix by the leash again, as herself and Ember would walk out. "I feel like we deserve some alcohol after this." Saffron remarked off-handedly once they were back out in the snow. "Or at least something fizzy and nice..."
Saffron begins to pace off towards their barracks. "Now where did our cool android and neighborhood giant get off to." Saffron said, as she starts to immediately set off to look for them, seeking them out in the barracks first.
Breezy Night would not have an inclination to answer Quick Fix's questions. Shooing him off back to 'his master's care.' He would of course be required to wear his collar and leash when released from the hospital. If he inquired with Cloudy Forecast about the state of his equipment, she would need to speak with Silver Lining about having them returned.
Quick Fix frowns, shuddering as Saffron leads him out into the cold. He rubs his shoulders and shakes his head. "I-I... I feel naked. I need my stuff back. Who's the quartermaster? Maybe we should see him?"
Brickfielder swoops down after the crew leaves the hospital, landing near them and joining to trot alongside, addressing Saffron. "You took your sweet time getting back out of there."
Ember Flare: "Fun times all around... They tell you anything about the mission?"
Saffron puffed out her feathers as the cold wind hit her. She was not as cold, given she was small and fluffy, but she did shiver. Looking up to Brickfielder with a beaming smile, welcoming him with a: "'EYYY there is our Skyscraper!" And got closer to stop near them, pouting at him once. "Yeah well it's not my fault we got some Deep Fried Lung disease out of our mission." She just muttered, then turned to Quick. "The quartermaster is that stingy snake oil merchant we talked to by the armoury. Silver Lining's their name."
Sundancer would be found by Saffron standing outside the barracks kicking snow idly as Brick joined the group
Brickfielder shakes his head to Ember. "Of course not. If they had something to share, it'd probably be with all of us, I figure. If I had to guess, it's above us now anyways."
Ember would wave at sundancer, glance at her new outer shell "Ho trying some new fashion then?"
"Yeah, it's not really our fault we went down with the 'ol popcorn-lung. I even wore a bandage over my mouth while we were in there... stupid thing got in regardless." He sighs, visibly shivering. "My suit is with him if they didn't burn it. I need it back. It has my kit."
Saffron peered her head around Quick, lifting a wing to wave Sundancer over. "The squad is back together! Not even Bioweapons can keep Nimbus down, am I right?" She joked to welcome the cyberpony back in the fold. Though she does look her over as she notices the difference in parts. "Damn, Sunday, they did a number on you."
Sundancer winces "I look more like a wasteland robot than ever, don't I?"
"Nnnnn-mm..." Saffron narrowed her eyes. "No? No. You just need a new paint job, that's all."
Quick Fix squints at her. "Ooo... hey, you look metal. Think of it like... like battle-scars. You're well-experienced!"
Ember Flare: "Heh it does give a layer of authenticity"
Sundancer looks up at the sky and huffs "Maybe a new coat of paint would be nice."
Quick Fix nudges Saffron. "Seriously. I-I'm freezin' out here.
Brickfielder: "We all got our own looks back in Phoenix. You're just late to the party, is all. I doubt we can requisition paint easily, though."
"I can't w--" Saffron is nudged, prompting her to look over to him. And frown slightly. She draped a wing over his back and looked between Sundancer and Ember. "Hey, uh, take--take Quick Fix in the barracks so he doesn't freeze over. I'll go and try and take back his vault suit, before Silver Lining decides it's his..." Saffron casts a look to Quick again, "Go get warm. I'll get it for you."
Ember Flare: "Better hope they didn't just incinerate everything we had"
Brickfielder glances between the others, and gives Saffron a raised eyebrow.
Saffron: "Fuck I hope not. Sundancer's stealth suit was so good..:"
Quick Fix blinks at Saffron, also glancing between Ember and Sunny. "...are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I mean, he might not give back the Pip-Boy unless I prove it's mine. It's biocoded to me. It won't work unless it's on my hoof."
Saffron holds out the leash towards... She looked between the two mares, pursing her lip, then held it out towards Ember for her to temporarily take. But then Quick Fix speaking makes her think twice and she looks at him again. Her eyes narrow and she darts her eyes, then sighs heavily. "... Alright." Saffron muttered, and began to turn around, expecting him to follow. "You're all free to get comfy, unless you want to talk with Silver Lining again." She tells the others with a bit more of a serious voice when she addresses them. "This won't take very long. I hope."
When Saffron headed to the arsenal and spoke with the clerks in the shop she would learn that, unfortunately, all non-standard issue outfits you had been using on your last mission had been decommissioned. She could requisition the pip-boy since those had been more durable. But the clothing and armor had suffered too much acid damage. Quick would need to be given some other clothing. It is suggested that Saffron go through Cloudy to see what she could get done for ‘her pet.’
Quick Fix seems deflated when he learns his precious Vault suit was destroyed after taking so much damage from the acid attacks. It's kept him going throughout his entire journey above the surface, but... well... all things come to an end. He suggests to Saffron that they next visit Cloudy to determine what to do next.
A hefty "Oh for the President's sake." would escape Saffron's lips once she learned that their gear had been 'decommissioned'. It made sense, but she liked her armour and her gun! She starts trying to ask if there was a civilian uniform or some coat. Like that "Outdoors" Outfit she remembered seeing back before they went off on their first mission.
There was only so much to be done. When Cloudy was eventually spoken to regarding she would put in a requisition for a Medic outfit to be delivered to her. It would need to be tailored to Quick Fix, given he lacked wings. It would also need black security markings to distinguish him. Those would be a project for Sundancer if she were inclined to help out.
Sundancer enjoys the opportunity to get her hooves working again and to create a professional but subtly demeaning outfit for Quick.
Ember Flare: "Any idea if they're gonna put us on another mission again or are we set to wait out the winter again?"
Ember Flare: "Err... nevermind heard nothing I guess?"
Quick Fix hoofs in his Pip-Boy under the pretense of replacing the padding - and maybe patching the casing if there's exposed parts.
Brickfielder: "I've not received any indication that we're doing anything besides hurrying up and waiting."
Quick Fix trots back with Saffron to the others once all is said and done, having everything squared away - even if he feels a bit cold outside, not to mention exposed. At least he'll be missing the collar soon. "W-well, guess I have to suffer for just a bit longer."
Saffron was still upset at the loss of the stealth armour. She remarked off-handedly, under her breath, that she wanted a replacement from Sundancer, before they were on her way back with Quick Fix towards the barracks to get back in the warmth, keeping her wing draped over him to try to keep him warm. "At least we got something cool, and we get it from Sundancer. That's a huge plus." Saffron nodded in agreement with Quick.
"Can't wait to get another stealth suit." Saffron remarked. "And another heavy pistol." She added, as she went.
Saffron: "GOSH I loved that pistol..."
Winter would slowly grind onward in an inevitable fashion. You had several months to recover from your last vault expedition. Psychological aid would be available if you wanted to make appointments with Breezy Night and her students. But otherwise your objective in that time was to keep busy and avoid unwanted attention by the brass. You had daily exercises to perform, three square meals to eat, cleaning duties for your cell and barracks, and various other upkeep tasks. All of the time not spent in the above was free time, which was kept marginal by your superiors so you would not be too bored. Playing cards was how many of your peers spent their time, betting smokes, snack foods, or clean up duty slots. There would be several hitches throughout the winter. Occasionally supplies of some sort would or another would run out and it would take weeks for more to arrive. Once a pipe burst and you had to shower with cold water for a couple days. Meals would be bland and samey, requiring you to spend some stipends on something to mix it up. Everything would start to be just that more irritating as the days slowly roll by.
Five long, cold, and solemn months would come and pass at a crawl. Five months with orders to hold fast. Five months stuck within the fences of the F.O.B. It would be easy to think the winter would never end. For those inclined to think about it, it would be odd to consider that infrareds would need to deal with this every year. Eventually things started to warm again and the hills north of the F.O.B. would begin to show a bit of green. It was by this time the civilian Reds would return to the base to start performing their lumber operations. Some of them you might recognize from the prior year. It was odd to consider you had been on the surface for nearly a year now. This spring thaw would turn to full summer soon in time.
With the spring it came time for campaigning properly. Word started to spread that combat with the infrareds would begin this season. Hearsay let you know that squads were starting to receive orders about upcoming assault and future occupation actions. Forces were being psyched up to take action against infrareds. To take action against the enemy. Even talk about use of assault armors for the most frontline squads. True power armor was going to be fielded.
It seemed nearly every squad was being prepped. Nearly every squad except those under Cloudy Forecast and those under Silver Lining. Silver Linings squads being mainly administrative made sense to be kept behind for base defense. But you were unsure where your place in all this was.
Brickfielder's general mood over the weeks and months would've become more and more strained; less playing cards, more time seeking solace with Violet, or favoring alone time in the barracks. As the weather changes and the promise of campaign and combat comes, though, he has more energy again, even if the distant look in his eyes hadn't totally gone away.
Ember would start feeling pretty cooped up eventually, doing almost nothing for days and started to get dull real fast. She had managed to get rid off some of her social anxieties but on the other hand was starting to get real fidgety
It was time, a week after the thaw, for forces to move north. You would witness a mass movement of troops from the F.O.B. in the early spring. Carrier vertibirds were brought in to ferry multiple squads at a time. It would be quite a change to see the entire base active at once. Steel Rain kept everything moving from the grounds. Once things were finished in the base dome twenty odd vertibirds would be in the air, heading north in formation. Your squad was one of a dozen left behind in the F.O.B. to hold down the fort or otherwise be security for the Reds who continued their forestry toil. You, Brambles, and Seafoam would be left behind for now with the other squads.
Brickfielder makes sure he has a good vantage point to watch the vertibirds take off, keeping his head high while watching them go.
Saffron, for her part, was still Saffron for all those months. She was peppy and could make her own fun, from playing tic-tac-toe, to dance offs, to stupid things like eventually filling a bucket with pegasus feathers and throwing them all over Quick Fix to make him RED. "There, look! You're a red! Wooo!" would be the quote of that day. When she wasn't losing badly at poker and winning at blackjack, she was mostly busy keeping watch over Quick and making him help clean things, when he wasn't to be with Cloudy Forecast. She was starting to really like the winter; she really liked prancing in the snow. Come the final weeks pre-deployment, Saffron would start to lose her enthusiasm, and instead became slightly more pissed off at the fact she would not be fighting for her country like she wanted. This all hit a peak when she was watching the vertibirds depart, with her staring from a distance with poorly veiled frustration.
Quick Fix eventually managed to literally unleash himself from Saffron, but still most of his time was spent with the red mare even if he still had to sleep with Cloudy. Five months was a long, long time to have nothing to do but hang around a base of borderline hostile ponies, running out of books to read and getting sick of your own music. ...still, it probably hit Quick the least out of everypony. He had spent almost two decades staring at the same walls.
Saffron almost grinded her teeth, and kicked the snow. "Bullshit." She would say as she then stayed put. Maybe Cloudy would put them somewhere useful, ish. They had to protect the Reds after all.
Brickfielder glances down at Saffron when she mutters, and looks back up to the vertibirds while they shrink into the sky. "...You actually wanted to go, huh?"
"Hey... you know, the Vault ponies... they might still be stuck in the city... maybe it's for the best that we aren't... there." Quick reminds Saffron, looking up at the vertibirds with a worried frown.
Sundancer: "Doing frontline combat isn't my thing either, but it's hard to not feel left out."
Ember Flare: "We're bound to get something to do. It's never been this busy here. ...but true, I doubt it would be all that great doing grunt stuff"
Cloudy Forecast would call your squad together the following day after the main forces had left to tell you of your next mission. In plain and no uncertain terms your squad was to assassinate the leader of Trottingham's rebel forces, Robin Hood. The rebel faction had done their part in distracting and weakening Trottingham forces during the winter and was to be removed.
"My dad did. I wanted to go like he did. It's--ALMOST the entire point of me being here." Saffron replied with a spiteful voice. Then sighed. "Alright, alright! At least--AT LEAST I'm in good company. But still." Saffron would say. That would close the topic on her end, looking to the others once, then up at the sky again. And finally down to Quick as he makes a point. She still was upset, and sighed as they'd go back to the barracks. Her mood would inevitably brighten up again once they found out their mission.
Quick Fix is made completely wide-eyed when Cloudy gives them their new... 'task'. Just like so many months ago, it seems Nimbus has been given the dirty work. "*Assassinate?* We're - we're just going to... murder him?"
Ember Flare: "Oh you actually have protested against that? The guy pretty much planned the glass monster attacks"
Saffron side glances Quick Fix once as he questions this JUICY bit of work they'd been given. "I sure want to." She replied quietly.
Quick Fix rubs a foreleg with the other. "I... well... yes, he... he did... but that's-... I'm a doctor, not a killer."
Brickfielder silently nods his affirmation with Saffron.
Ember silently rolls her eyes at Quicks comment "Yeah it'll be fun"
Sundancer doesn't hide the sarcasm in her voice "Don't worry, we don't expect any marksponyship from you."
Cloudy Forecast would be a bit blank faced about all this. "If you would prefer to stay behind, I'm sure there can be other uses for you while Nimbus is away." She noted to Quick.
"...assassination..." He murmurs, trailing off and staring down at his hooves. Quick's gaze is drawn up by Cloudy's words, and he frowns rather strongly. "He is responsible for my mother's death. I... I should at least be there for it."
Ember Flare: "Have you heard anything new from the forest side? Or how their spat with the city has gone?"
Saffron barely suppresses a smirk as she nodded once to Sundancer in agreement to all of those words. Then fixed Quick with a glance, furrowing her brow at his hesitation. Until his last statement, which prompted her to smile in approval. She says nothing, and looks to Cloudy again, to listen for if she had more for them.
Cloudy nodded. "Trottingham sent forces during the winter, which never returned. To my analysis the Earthen Cloaks were weakened after their base of operations was set aflame. I cannot be certain, but it was implied they moved into the settlement you had built."
Sundancer shakes her head "Should have burned that one, too."
Brickfielder: "Tch... even better to deal with them, then."
Ember Flare: "Damn squatters... Well we know the area well at least"
Saffron pursed her lip. Casting one look to Sundancer. "Yeah. Hindsight is 20-20." She remarked, then back to Cloudy. "What mission gear do we have available? Standard kit? Any explosives?"
Ember Flare: "No new activity from the glass monsters?"
Quick Fix narrows his eyes. "That was *our* town. How dare they waltz in and claim it?"
Cloudy thought for a moment. "Nothing of current note. Operations to remove the glass U.I.I. circles has proven an effective deterrent against their presence in an area. I expect efforts will continue in that regard once Trottingham is held"
"As for equipment," Cloudy continued. "If you feel you require something then add it to your requisition form and I will sign off on it. You should know what would be necessary to remove your target."
Ember Flare: "Hmm any ideas? Frankly I think the glass things will pose the most threat. The earthen cloaks themselves seemed extremely primitive, though I wouldn't put some kinda forest ambush past them..."
Brickfielder: "I'd assume all the best stuff was taken north on those vertibirds anyways."
Saffron nodded once. Then looked to Sundancer. "How do you feel about a field mortar, Sundancer? I'd have to get eyes on the place to see if anything's changed, but I reckon we can make them push out to us, rather than us having to assault a fortified position." Saffron said, crossing her forelegs. "Ideally they'll try to come out to us and come attack us, and we'd be in a defensive position to meet them. They will at least be weakened."
"I do not believe this operation had field mortars. They likely were not deemed necessary given the lack of entrenched locations this operation would face." Cloudy said simply. "The only explosives I am aware of would be grenades."
"Fine. Grenades. We're outnumbered anyways." Saffron nodded her head upward once. "Grenades would at least give us an edge."
Sundancer: "Besides, we need to confirm the kill."
Ember Flare: "It's been quite a while since we last visited them, so they might have relaxed their security already and it was pretty easy to sneak in and out last time"
Sundancer: "Grenades should be fine."
Quick Fix glances between them all, keeping his suggestions to himself. The whole affair has him looking quite nervous and perturbed.
Brickfielder: "I'm sure confirming the kill won't be a problem. Especially if I get close to him."
Ember Flare: "Could do an approach from the sea? or set up an escape there if necessary? Thunder pudge seemed to have established pretty solid rapport with those... sea things? We'll obviously need some of those dragon bone weapons... But otherwise I think I'm personally good"
Brickfielder: "I already have my sword. I don't have anything new that comes to mind."
"I am not sure how well we could factor the underwater U.I.I.s into your use. They are still largely classified entities and from what I can say, I doubt they would be inclined to offer assistance." Cloudy said, obviously knowing more than she could state.
Saffron lifts her brow slightly at the mention of the 'sea things' again. "An approach from the sea?..." Saffron muttered, looking over to Ember. "We wouldn't have much cover." Saffron remarked, then looked to Cloudy Forecast once to hear her, then looking back to Ember. "We could try to stick close to the water so we have at least one flank secure where they can't come from, but otherwise we'll probably have to cover our bases and just see them coming. We could try to assassinate their sentries, me and you Ember. Then we could lightning assault the place from the open side."
Saffron: "There isn't too much space in Phoenix. Some well-placed grenades from a launcher could hit a lot of people."
Ember Flare: "Well the sea idea was mostly because it's so close to shore... maybe not so practical in reality"
(GM Note): The players spent a bit of time OOC confirming equipment for the mission.
Cloudy will sign off on the squad requesting explosives and heavy arms for this mission. She seems to understand that sometimes overkill is the best way to kill.
Saffron was more than okay with taking part in an assault on the town they themselves had built. She had at least the outline of a plan. If they approached from the coast, but stayed in the trees, they could still cover at least one side from attacks. Saffron was fairly confident she and Ember could scout ahead to this purpose. The rest was up to what position they managed to acquire. She should still know a spot, given she was the designated lookout for the place for the longest time...
Your mission was clear enough. It would take a few days to travel across the island, but it would be a breath of fresh air to get out of the base once again. You had some time to consider what would be ahead. Quick would certainly have a lot to think about as he was carried through the air. The springtime forest was muddy and wet from the snow melt. The rivlets were overflowing their banks.Everything smelled damp and the rotting winter foliage was giving unpleasant reminders of your trip to vault 27. It would be a long few days of travel over the mountains.
Arriving three days later at the cave to Vault 28 as a landmark you would be able to set up for reconnaissance. Your primary agents in this case being Saffron and Ember.
Saffron already knew the lay of the land, so she goes and tries to find a good space for the others to stay that was hidden, in the cave to the vault. The problem now was that she wasn't wearing her favourite suit. "I'm going to expect them to be all over the trees, keeping watch. Last time we managed to sneak through them, but ... I get the feeling I could do better here. I know my way around here." Saffron would turn to Ember again. "Let's go? Better we start spotting their lookouts, so we know who to kill first."
Ember nods, or just plot a safe way for others to approach phoenix
Saffron smirks. "Yep." Then Saffron looked back over the shoulder, and tapped the side of her helmet to point to her comms. "If anything happens, be ready." He told them with a more serious tone, "Don't relax too much." She added as her head turned and she nodded Ember along, and she started to trot off, to begin spotting the lookouts of the Earthern Cloaks to see what outlying defenses they had.
Saffron and Ember break away from your camp to go see what there was to see regarding the Earthen Cloaks and their defenses. It quickly turns out that the usual perimeter guard that had been established around their previous home had withdrawn to sentries on the roof of a few buildings in Phoenix. Phoenix itself seemed much like you had left it, except a couple of buildings had been taken down and wooden gates had been built on each of the entrances. It did not seem like the Earthen Cloaks had many members now. But you would need to keep back given the cleared treeline and would be unable to count due to the palisade. The open space between the fort and the edge of the woods around it would be to your disadvantage on approaching the settlement.
Ember Flare: "Hmh it would have to be pretty much a clear assault if we just wanted to go in there"
Saffron posted herself beside Ember as they took position behind some brush and the trees that were left. She took note of all the sentries on the rooftops, clacking her teeth a few times as she took in the whole place again. Nodding slowly to Ember. "I'm almost proud of how we built this place. There basically no cover for us to use, aside from smoke grenades, and your own smoke." Saffron whispered, and huffed. "... Maybe there's a way to sneak closer before we attack."
Saffron: "If you and I attacked from up close, you could injure them with fire and I could shoot them. It would buy the others time to close in unmolested, for a while. The walls--we can fly over them."
Ember Flare: "...maybe, get back to others? Pretty much impossible to confirm he is in there"
Saffron looked to Ember once. "I was thinking we just radio to them, then stay put. He might come out eventually if we keep watch?"
Ember Flare: "Ah alright"
Saffron nodded once, then lifted a hoof to her earpiece to call up the rest of her squad. "Saffron here. We're looking at the place right now; they've got lookouts on the rooftops, and there's a big open space with no cover for me to use to sneak closer." Saffron whispered into the radio. "I'm thinking me and Ember stay here and keep watch until it gets dark, if you all want to get closer you can, but don't be close to the treeline at all."
Saffron pauses briefly, looking towards the settlement again as she talked. "I was thinking me and Ember can move closer from the cover of darkness, probably. You all could wait, while we stir up the hornet's nest, and then use that as an opportunity to close the distance? Over."
Sundancer: "Waiting until darkness sounds good to me, but the infrareds know the woods better than we do. The ground team should stay back."
Saffron: "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Stay back, but be ready to surge forward. 30 or so meters from the treeline should be enough, plenty of cover here."
"So uhh..." Ember looks at the walled off town with barely a pony in sight "How exactly would this work?"
Saffron side glances towards Ember once, tucking her wings against her armour a bit more. "Very carefully." She tells her, not dropping off comms. "There are only like two ponies on the rooftops to see us. There's probably not a lot of them left. If we sneak forward, put down--or at least engage those lookouts, the others would have time to sprint forward, or fly forward, without getting hit, while we start pouring fire down on them. They'd have to come out of the fort at that point."
(GM Note): Ember and Saffron make attack rolls for an opening salvo against sentries in Phoenix.
The opening salvo hit its mark for the most part. You use the element of surprise to land a couple shots on the sentries. Saffron's target is struck with laser fire and goes tumbling off the roof. Ember's target takes the bullet directly on but manages to keep on his hoofs. Cries of pain will alert the camp as much as the sounds of your shots do.
"Man, we *really* made this place well-fortified, huh..." Quick mutters, hiding out with the other two squad members.
Saffron's gatling laser whirrs as her shots BZZTZTZTZTZ towards the two lookouts. Most of her shots go wide, but she hits ENOUGH to matter. She casts a glance back towards the others and flicks up a wing and thrusts it forward to gesture them to 'advance!'
(GM Note): The session ended in the middle of a combat between the PCs and the Earthen Cloaks. Which will be covered next session.
