Heroica: Glory Amongst the Star - Mission#4: Dude, Where's My Space Speeder?

[karmajay]

"Great job team. I can tell you getting shot is not a fun prospect. I'll have to think up a solution after the mission! Kirwin drives the speeder to the meeting spot.

[Zepher]

OoC: Karma, let me know if you want any of the loot in particular! Especially if it helps with the getting shot at problem .

Merei opens the briefcase well before the party makes it to the meeting spot. “Yissam♥, kindly avert the camera for a moment.”

[CMP]

Yissam♥ nods, swiveling the AV Rig away but mere inches away from shoving her head in the briefcase out of her own personal curiosity.

"What are we thinking, gang? Exotic animal? Smuggled contraband? Tiny adorable model of this speeder?"

[Zepher]

“I have not considered anything besides important papers. You’re options are certainly more joyful, Yissam♥, though less likely and ultimately less practical. Maybe I need to work on my imagination.”

[Dutch Thriceman]

6 hours ago, Zepher said:

“It’s only anti-climactic if you feel the need to see your enemies fall. If you are interested in information-” Merei holds up the briefcase “-the best is yet to come. Kirwin, take us somewhere safe and discreet. Let’s see what everyone wanted to get their hands on so desperately.”

“As for the weapon, I was going to suggest the same thing.” Merei gives the shotgun to Bers and takes the Brew for herself. “I would be interested in those leathers as well, but not if someone else has their eye on them.”

"Well friend Merei, this unit was expecting some long, drawn out duel to the death with the sewnbag. Anyway, thanks, I'll try my best making good use of the shotty in the future."

31 minutes ago, CMP said:

Yissam♥ nods, swiveling the AV Rig away but mere inches away from shoving her head in the briefcase out of her own personal curiosity.

"What are we thinking, gang? Exotic animal? Smuggled contraband? Tiny adorable model of this speeder?"

"I wouldn't mind an Adamite Upgrade Module myself. But a cuty tiny speeder would also be nice."

[Kintobor]

3 hours ago, Zepher said:

OoC: Karma, let me know if you want any of the loot in particular! Especially if it helps with the getting shot at problem .

Merei opens the briefcase well before the party makes it to the meeting spot. “Yissam, kindly avert the camera for a moment.”

Merei Slight of Hand Proficiency Check: (DC: 1,3): 2,4,5. Two Successes

Merei rummages through the speeder's glove compartment, finding an army knife among the other belongings such as a pair of bright red, bordering on pink leather driving gloves, an owner's manual, insurance documents, and an empty package of bite-sized chocolates. Taking a few moments to pick the lock on the briefcase, Merei satisfyingly cracks open the briefcase, scratching the lock in the process.

Inside the padded briefcase are a number of holopads and folders full of paper, each marked "CONFIDENTIAL" in bright red ink, the Haast company logo beneath the warning. Flipping through the documents and holopads, Merei discovers they document "Project Trifecta", a currently proceeding land development, housing, and robotics initiative being overseen by the company CEO, Ylani Haast. The documents include blueprints for housing designs, land surveying reports on Tehanulan, and schematics for various automated systems including cleaning robots, gourmet meal preparing machines, and temperature control systems. The name of Antony's father, Cornelius Bardeu, appears on a number of the drafts, signed with his own signature. Also included in the briefcase is a picture of a smiling Cornelius, Antony, and an unknown Menahi woman (most likely Cornelius's wife and Antony's step-mother) standing in shallow water in beach attire, the ocean behind them.

[karmajay]

"I would not mind the road leathers since this outfit is lax at stopping projectiles! Hopefully we can split the credits as well!"

 

[Zepher]

OoC: Karma, happy for you to have the leathers! It probably means the credits will go elsewhere though - you just got a 200 credit item, so I try to keep things vaguely equal on that front, though it doesn't have to be perfect, obviously. You'll also still get your regular quest reward! CMP, anything jump out at you? You want any of the weapons or should you and I just divide the scraps to sell off?

Merei passes the leathers to Kirwin. "I'll be looking for a way to stay alive myself," she mutters absently under her breath, most of her attention captured by the documents before her. She is pleased to see a happy Menahian family, and feels a twinge of guilt - she doesn't care that she is looking at documents meant to be confidential, but hopes that she will not be getting anyone in trouble for it. The broken latch on the briefcase wasn't particularly good... she points it out to the group. "Any chance anyone is able to mend this?" Before she returns the documents to the briefcase she reads them a little further, thinking back to her childhood on Tehanui's two planets and attempting to discern if Haast's Project Trifecta has the planets' genuine best interests at its heart, or if she (I believe Ylani is female?) was primarily looking out for number one and the company profit. She also looks to see if there are any secret compartments. Finally, she attempts to copy the broad strokes of the plan to her own device.

"We will also need to find a spot to drop off our passenger," Merei notes, sticking a gloved hand out and pointing to Kidd.

[Kintobor]

Merei Culture Check (DC: 1): (1,3,6) One Success

Merei's time on Tehanui and her knowledge of Haast leads her to believe that this is likely one of Ylani's many pet projects outside of the original purview of the company's main interest: namely commercial aerospace vehicles. Ylani has over the past few years put increased interest in pet projects and business ventures outside of the company's traditional market interests, and it's likely this is another such project, especially considering how far apart building development is from aerospace vehicle and speeder production. Ylani's known to abandon projects to obscurity, but a few, like a short lived commercially sold flamethrower, have left a lot to be desired from her personal flights of fancy. This project is likely fuelled by a desire for company interests over Tehanui interests, although it seems Ylani's land developers are taking precautions where other development companies in the past haven't in being mindful of natural coral reefs and fish habitats.

Taking a few moments, Merei copies down the general concepts involved in the documents, storing them away on a personal device.

[CMP]

1 hour ago, Zepher said:

 CMP, anything jump out at you? You want any of the weapons or should you and I just divide the scraps to sell off?

Either weapon is fine with me, I will definitely be selling it. If Bers wants the Energy Cell, I'm fine taking credits.

5 hours ago, Dutch Thriceman said:

"I wouldn't mind an Adamite Upgrade Module myself. But a cuty tiny speeder would also be nice."

"See? This is why I like you, Bers! Exact same wavelength, frequency and all!"

5 hours ago, Zepher said:

“I have not considered anything besides important papers. You’re options are certainly more joyful, Yissam♥, though less likely and ultimately less practical. Maybe I need to work on my imagination.”

"Oh, don't worry your fiery little head about it. It's the hard-working realists like you that leave room for more explosive personalities!"

Whistling to herself as she reads over Merei's shoulder, Yissam♥ grins at her friend.

"Send me a copy of these, wouldn't you? For all the fuss over this stuff, I think the real victim here is whoever's got stock in Haast! If there's one thing people hate, it's getting out of the comfort zone."

She throws her arms around the shoulders of Bers and Kirwin, looking from one to the other.

"Speaking of which, I owe you one, gentlemen! Very easily could've been me eating a bullet or two there. Trust me, chipped stone is a lot harder to fix than swapping out a few wires. I'll have to brush up on my welding for next time; maybe give HYPE a few upgrades..."

Yissam♥ reaches over to the briefcase, laying a finger on the lock and casting Entropic Mending upon it in an effort to fix the lock.

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by CMP

[Kintobor]

14 hours ago, CMP said:

Yissam♥ reaches over to the briefcase, laying a finger on the lock and casting Entropic Mending upon it in an effort to fix the lock.

Casting an incantation, Yissam♥ expends a point of Spirit to fix the scratches on the briefcase's lock, making it appear as if it had never been tampered with.

---

It doesn't take long for Kirwin to pull into the drop off spot for the speeder. The parking lot is shadowed by an overpass above, light trickling into the space from the windows of a large commercial skyscraper, the silhouettes of office workers cutting through the light. Antony flags the heroes down approaching the vehicle with an enthusiastic grin, shocked to see the speeder. Next to him is a Ytaxxi in grease-stained coveralls, carrying a toolbox.

"Holy hell you actually found it!" Antony approaches the Dragoon V4 and moves his hands over the hood of the speeder, noticing the damage dealt to it during the fight as thr Ytaxxi mechanic does the same but with a finer eye for detail, squinting at the burn marks and bullet holes in the side of the vehicle, and grimacing at the shatters and cracks in the windshield. "Looks like someone was beating up on the blue beauty. What happened to it?" Antony asks the heroes, his eyes shifting focus between the heroes and the speeder.

[karmajay]

Kirwin says "Well, you may have omitted a couple of details in regards to the heist that definitely would have changed the difficulty of the retrieval!"

 

[Zepher]

“Kirwin’s absolutely correct. All things considered it looks rather good. It was stolen once and was about to be stolen a second time when we arrived. And everyone seemed to want this.” Merei holds up the briefcase. “I think your father will be extremely pleased to have it back safe and sound. It appears highly valuable - lost through your mistake, retrieved due to your action.”

[CMP]

Yissam♥ sighs with feigned exasperation.

"So picky! And after a high-octane speeder chase, no less! Well, nobody say Yissam♥ doesn't come prepared...."

Clapping her hands together and provoking a spark from her spell core, she lays her hands on the hood of the vehicle and casts Entropic Mending at a powerful, Enabling Reversal to buff out what mechanics she can.

[Kintobor]

9 hours ago, karmajay said:

Kirwin says "Well, you may have omitted a couple of details in regards to the heist that definitely would have changed the difficulty of the retrieval!"

1 hour ago, Zepher said:

“Kirwin’s absolutely correct. All things considered it looks rather good. It was stolen once and was about to be stolen a second time when we arrived. And everyone seemed to want this.” Merei holds up the briefcase. “I think your father will be extremely pleased to have it back safe and sound. It appears highly valuable - lost through your mistake, retrieved due to your action.”

"Omitted details?" Antony confusingly looks to Kirwin and then to Merei as she raises the briefcase into the air. Antony's confusion persists. "Wait, my dad's briefcase was in the back of the speeder this whole time? Oh, jeez. I didn't even realize it was back there. My old man must've left it there on accident, as Graham and I didn't even see it." Antony grabs the briefcase, looking it over. "It's specifically my dad's work briefcase. He occasionally shows me some of the diagrams, but he's signed non-disclosure agreements and can't go too in depth with some of the stuff he works on. He can talk about the various components, but not the project as a whole, if that makes sense. I hope you guys didn't get too roughed trying to get it back I didn't ask you guys to grab it, but thanks for doing so."

21 minutes ago, CMP said:

Yissam♥ sighs with feigned exasperation.

"So picky! And after a high-octane speeder chase, no less! Well, nobody say Yissam♥ doesn't come prepared...."

Clapping her hands together and provoking a spark from her spell core, she lays her hands on the hood of the vehicle and casts Entropic Mending at a powerful, Enabling Reversal to buff out what mechanics she can.

The mechanic steps back as Yissam♥'s casting of Enabling Reversal mends the various scratches of paint, dents, and broken glass in the speeder. The mechanic grumbles, understanding he won't be needed and turns to Antony expectantly. Antony groans.

"Alright, yeah, yeah, you'll get your credits for coming out here. Sheesh." The mechanic throws his arms into the air in a huff and meanders through the lot to a red and white speeder with a winch on it's back. Antony turns to the heroes, fishing out his wallet. "Alright, so, fifty credits for each of you for getting the speeder back, another thirty credits for bringing it back in one piece makes that eighty..." Antony begins counting out physical credits and placing them on the mended hood of the Dragoon V4. He thumbs through his wallet, visibly thinking as he places extra credits on the hood. "How about another forty credits each for ensuring my dad's briefcase wasn't stolen and we agree never to talk about this ever again, okay? One hundred and twenty credits and I'll try and slip your organization's name in at the dinner table with my folks?"

MM Note: I don't believe the loot was ever distributed. If one of you would like to hand it out, I'd appreciate it.

[CMP]

Dusting off her hands, Yissam♥ grins at Antony, collecting her share of credits and giving him a wink.

"Much appreciated! Fair warning: if you're gonna go on another joyride with your boyfriend, try not to leave things in the glovebox. I'd HATE all our hard work to have been for nothing over a bag of chocolates!"

[karmajay]

Kirwin collects their credits. "Thanks mate! If you are ever in need of adventures to dive into action for any reason you know where to find us!"

 

ooc: From previous posts, Kirwin will take the leathers if no one else claims them.

[Zepher]

"That seems more than reasonable. I'm glad this all had a happy ending." Merei accepts the credits as she distributes the rest of the loot.

Merei: Wire-Wrapped Astro-Ball Bat (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon), Aetherbrew, 10 credits
Kirwin: Road Leathers (Standard Kinetic Armour)
Yissam♥: Modified Laser Blaster (Standard Energy Long Range Weapon), 20 credits
Bers: Sawn-off Shotgun (Standard Kinetic Short Range Weapon), Energy Cell
 

 

[Dutch Thriceman]

"Well I think we recovered the speeder discretely and professionally as promised, all is well that ends well friend Anthony."

As Merei is handing over the loot to the party Bers takes the Sawn-off and Energy Cell, storing the Energy Cell in a side slot on his leg and holding the Sawn-off near his lower back as it suddenly snaps on, held into place by a magnetic lock.

[Kintobor]

On 10/18/2021 at 6:00 PM, CMP said:

Dusting off her hands, Yissam♥ grins at Antony, collecting her share of credits and giving him a wink.

"Much appreciated! Fair warning: if you're gonna go on another joyride with your boyfriend, try not to leave things in the glovebox. I'd HATE all our hard work to have been for nothing over a bag of chocolates!"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess I did leave some stuff in here." Antony leans into the speeder and opens the glove compartment, grabbing and then slipping on his driving gloves, adjusting them at the cuff to fit them snugly around his hands. "I was so worried about the speeder I forgot about the stuff I left in here when Graham and I drove around." He laughs sheepishly at his response.

On 10/18/2021 at 7:07 PM, karmajay said:

Kirwin collects their credits. "Thanks mate! If you are ever in need of adventures to dive into action for any reason you know where to find us!"

"I think I'll enjoy the second hand experience and keep it there for now. Thanks, Kirwin, I appreciate the assist." Antony shoots Kirwin a "finger guns" gesture, winking at the adamite as he steps into the speeder.

On 10/18/2021 at 7:18 PM, Zepher said:

"That seems more than reasonable. I'm glad this all had a happy ending." Merei accepts the credits as she distributes the rest of the loot.

"So am I. I'll let my dad know that someone tried to steal his briefcase and, uh, omit a few details, if you catch my drift." Antony brings a finger to his lips as if to keep quiet. "You know, little white lies and nothing else." He fires an award winning smile back at Merei, his teeth practically glistening in the light.

23 hours ago, Dutch Thriceman said:

"Well I think we recovered the speeder discretely and professionally as promised, all is well that ends well friend Anthony."

"Agreed." Antony revs the engine as the lights of the speeder come on, illuminating the shadowy parking lot, the hum of the engine filling the space with energy, a look of ecstatic excitement rushing over Antony as it does so. He looks practically giddy with excitement to have the speeder back. "Well, I can't thank you guys enough. I'll make sure to spread the word that your organization is the tops. Hopefully we can meet again under less stressful circumstances, yeah?" The mechanic's speeder begins to pull out of the parking lot, grabbing Antony's attention. "Well, I guess I better go deal with Izamok and the Mechanic's Guild, sort that whole scenario out. If you're in Cosmopoli again, don't be a stranger!" Antony adjusts the radio until he finds a station he likes, his head bobbing to the rhythm. Waving the party farewell, his speeder follows the mechanic's, and heads off into the night. Their mission complete, the heroes had little left to do in the City That Never Sleeps but make their way back to the terminal, a task made less arduous with the hefty weight of credits in their pockets.

MISSION COMPLETE!

THE HEROES: FINAL STATS

Merei Teo
Age 24 Female, Helioi-Touched Celestial (Born Menahi)
Character Points: 4/14
Vitality: 5/5
Velocity: 2
Strength: 1
Skill: 2
Smarts: 2
Spirit: 3/3
Proficiencies: Occult 1, Religion 1, Coding 1, Insight 1
Known Spells: Healing Light, Solar Flare, Gravity Sink
Credits: 130
Equipment: Teo Family Pocket-Watch (Kinetic Weapon), Utility Belt (Grants +1 Engineering or Medicine Check Success)
Inventory: Essence of Intellect, Wire-Wrapped Astroball Bat (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon), Aetherbrew

Designation: B3R5 - 3rk (Dutch Thriceman)
Age: Unknown, Gender: Mechanical, Race: Adamite
Character Points: 4 / 14
Vitality: 6 / 6
Velocity: 2
Strength: 3
Skill: 2
Smarts: 1
Spirit: 1
Proficiencies: Melee Weapons 2, Intimidation 1, Athletics 1
Known Spells: None
Credits: 130
Equipment: Chain-Greatsword (Standard Kinetic Weapon) Mecha-Plate (Standard Kinetic Armour)
Inventory: Shield Booster, Energy Cell, Sawn-Off Shotgun (Standard Short Range Kinetic Weapon)

Kirwin (karmajay) *DRIVER*
Age: Unknown, Gender: Unknown , Species: Adamite
Character Points: 5/14
Vitality: 5/5
Velocity: 1
Strength: 1
Skill: 1
Smarts: 3
Proficiencies: Coding 1, Culture 1, Engineering 2, Explosives 1, Technology 2 
Credits: 120
Equipment: Drone (Standard Long Range Elemental Weapon), Utility Belt
Inventory: Plasma Potion, Rusty Wrench (Standard Melee Kinetic Weapon), Road Leathers (Standard Kinetic Armour)

Yissam♥ (CMP)
141-year-old feminine Stratitarian
Character Points: 4/14
Vitality: 5/5
Velocity: 1
Strength: 1
Skill: 1
Smarts: 2
Spirit: 3/3
Proficiencies:  Coding 1, Culture 2, Occult 1, Performance 1
Known Spells: Entropic Mending, Spirit Ally, Tongues
Credits: 150
Equipment: Prism Gauntlet (Standard long-range elemental weapon), AV Rig
Inventory: Essence of Intellect, Modified Laser Blaster (Standard Long Range Energy Weapon)

One Point of Experience Gained for Completing the Mission

MM Note: Thank you guys for joining me on Mission 4! I hope you guys had as much fun playing as I did hosting. I'll have more to say in the Mission Master's Lounge, but I had a blast hosting all four of you. Feel free to mingle in the parking lot, or head straight back to the hall, it's up to you. I'll have a prologue up in a bit, but for now, thanks again for playing! -Kintobor

Edited October 20, 2021 by Kintobor

[CMP]

I used my Essence of Glibness when we were trying to get into the condo. You might also want to toss our payment in there too. Thanks for an awesome first mission.  

"Thanks kindly!"

Yissam♥ grins, waving at the departing Antony and pulling her AV Rig close. Already, she's rifling through the various clips filmed during the mission, making notes to censor personal information, the many swear words of RKO, and gratuitous violence. And making a mental note to get back to JanineXoX about crossover potential.

"Now this is the sort of thing that'll put YES IT'S YISSAM♥ in the thirties. What say we get some takeout and catch the late night shuttle back to Ebria, gang? I could murder some Pluvvon noodles right about now."

[Kintobor]

Fixed. I'd hate for you all to not get your credits.

[karmajay]

Kirwin says "Sounds good. I have a feeling I'm going to have to work on some calisthenics if I'm going to be wearing these leathers on the next mission!" 

[Zepher]

OoC: An absolute blast. Nothing but good things to say about my party and my MM. Will post more after Kinto gets to share their thoughts!

“I will be doing the same, Kirwin. It is all well and good to have a diverse set of skills, interests, and knowledge, but I’d also like to be alive to see them through. That being said, you did a nice job piloting that speeder. And Yissam♥ if I haven’t made it perfectly clear yet, I am always happy to enjoy some noodles. Let’s head back.”

[Kintobor]

EPILOGUE

Deep in the bowels of Cosmopoli, two shadowed figures slink through back alleys and dimly lit streets, their footsteps muffled by the sounds of the city. The remaining bikers and Carvrac were long gone, but the mercenaries were in a very vast and dangerous world, and didn't know who was friend from foe at this moment. RKO grumbles, limply kicking a can down the sidewalk.

"I should have worn the &$%#ing seat belt, I'm such a stupid #$%@ing moron. You almost had the briefcase in your hands." RKO mutters to herself, readjusting the large rifle slung over her back, followed by the fabric around her neck. Her voice was still scratchy and static-like, something she seemed almost comfortable with. Gheyns turns over to look at, worryingly.

"Don't beat yourself up too hard. I didn't expect some upstarts to show up and hijack our job. I made the call to save your megablocks. I wasn't going to watch you fall out of that speeder if I could feasibly do something to save you." Gheyns deftly leaps over a large puddle as RKO trudges through it with her reinforced, sturdy boots, clearly in thought over her pale, stitched friends comment. The two meander through an alley, Gheyns peeling back a loose wire fence for RKO to slip through first, following her close behind. "They could've been from any blasted small time mercenary guild. Fairly nondescript, too. A celestial, two adamites, and-"

"That stratitarian mentioned not to cuss in front of her camera." RKO responds, stopping in the alley and turning to her companion. "They had an AV Rig with them, didn't they?" Gheyns stops next to RKO, her eyes fluttering about as she recalls back to the fight, a large toothy grin growing across her face.

"Huh. So they did." Gheyns nods her head, an idea forming in her mind. "Maybe we should do a little digging around and see if we can find that stream, eh?" RKO nods, their body language shifting. It was not apparent to any onlooker, but the masked sniper shared Gheyns' eager grin. The job wasn't salvageable, but at least they had a case to present to their employer.