riverviewlogs | exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

Entry tags:

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: rescue mission!
when: June 15 - August 15
where: The River Structure
warnings: violence and/or torture; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

captivity

One of the major and most highly-valued cultural concepts in Riverview is that of exploration, expansion. Especially now that, with the recent influx of new arrivals, as the portal kicks into high gear for reasons not entirely known, the Inhabited City, already comfortably full, is rapidly becoming overpopulated. With all the refugees from other worlds pouring in from day to day, the city's safe space and resources are being taxed to their breaking point.

Right now, exploration and expansion is key, and each month, the government has decided to focus on a particular objective, in order to unite citizens in expanding, securing, and supplying the city for everyone's benefit.

the story so far

Exploration & Expansion Progress Report ● The Guardians of the Deep ● What Lies Beneath ● Plotting & Questions

After some serious flooding at the banks of the river, the cause was discovered to be the Guardians of the Deep, creatures protecting a circular labyrinthine structure underneath the river. Residents of the city explored and mapped the structure, and dealt with a good portion of the traps and other dangers, until they found a little piece of history in the Central Chamber of the structure, revealing that it was inhabited by the first people to live on the moon.

While this news has been exciting scholars and historians in the city, something a little more pressing has been bothering the average citizen - an ever-increasing number of missing persons. People have simply been disappearing all over the city, and only now are residents starting to realize why...

how it works

● Phases: Each prompt is a different phase of the operation. Characters may partake in whichever part of the operation they choose, whether it is a large and prominent part, or a more of a backseat or support role. Characters may participate in as many phases as they wish.

● Completion: When next month's exploration mingle goes up, the mission featured on this exploration mingle will be considered complete, and game canon, providing the entry has 200+ comments on it.

● Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be...well, the safe return of everyone who was kidnapped. And some sweet hurt/comfort.

● IMPORTANT NOTE: Having observed how the pacing of exploration mingles has been going and how they are tagged, I have noticed that posting one exploration mingle each month has been a little hectic, both plotwise and for me as a mod (writing three mingles a month has been tough!). I have decided to space them out a bit further, and post an exploration mingle once every two months, starting with this one - the next exploration mingle will be posted in August!

phase i: the abducted

People don't simply go missing, they don't disappear into thin air, they have to be somewhere. And while those who are missing people keep frantically searching, those who have been kidnapped are the only ones besides the kidnappers who do know where they are.

Abducted by a group who have taken up residence in the structure under the city after last month's exploration died down, the missing are trapped in the Central Chamber, in fear of the kidnappers. Their abductors are a group of people that is starting to slowly take on cultist tendencies, believing that the remaining spirits of the First People still live in the structure, that it is a temple, and that those First People need offerings of host bodies to inhabit so they can return and bring their wisdom and magic back to the moon. Things are getting a little hairy - there's no agreement among the kidnappers as to how 'intact' the host bodies have to be and whether or not the sacrifice is in the form of alive or dead captives. Even worse, some of the kidnappers are only with the group to enjoy having power over others and using it to hurt them.

Captives are held in the Central Chamber of the structure, with next to no amenities. Blankets, food, water, and other necessities are in short supply, and they are kept huddled together, constantly guarded and either restrained, wearing or in the presence of a power suppressor to keep them subdued. But the captives haven't lost hope - they are working on getting a message out, finding a way to contact the outside world so their loved ones can rescue them...

This prompt is to play out interactions among the captives before they are rescued, and may include violence or other character suffering. It is also to enact plotted plans for the abductees to find connections with the outside world to summon help.

phase ii: distraction and infiltration

Once would-be rescuers become aware of where the captives are being held, they start making plans to rescue them - whether someone they love has been taken, they're just a good person, or they just want to feel like a big damn hero, there are lots of people willing to take the plunge and jump into the rescue. But the cult group has been in control of the structure for a while now, they definitely have the home team advantage. They know the lay of the land and where the traps are, and have used some of them to their own advantage.

It's not going to be as easy as storming the castle.

There are two parts to this phase of the rescue: a distraction and an infiltration. Distractions are planned to draw as many of the kidnappers away from the hostages being held in the Central Chamber as possible, while those who are stealthily infiltrating will try to find another entrance into the chamber so they can surprise and surround the remaining kidnappers.

This prompt is to play out any plans for distraction and infiltration. If you have plotted something out on the plotting post, feel free to post up a header for specific groups for threading rather than an individual character top-level.

phase iii: the brawl and after

Distractions only last so long, unfortunately, and so eventually the whole thing is going to break down into a big fight. Rescuers versus kidnappers, on the kidnappers' home turf, and surrounded by traps left over from the First People, while pieces of stationary tech throw out auras and waves of power suppression. It's going to be a doozy of a fight, so prepare for an epic throwdown!

And once the dust settles, there's going to be a lot of injuries to tend to, a lot of people traumatized and hurt and frightened. A lot of hungry, suffering people will need to be transported out, given medical care, and brought supplies.

This prompt is to play out the final fight between the kidnapping cult and the rescuers, as well as anything in the aftermath of the fight.

phase iv: wildcard

Have an idea for a mission-adjacent plot, or want to make up an unexpected plot twist or problem and solve it with your character? Just write up a starter, and don't forget to give yourself props by submitting it for the Progress Report.

navigation
[Asterion - Environment Art: Ariadne's Forest by Nicolas Mendoza]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That armor stands out, even with all the damage Tony has put it through, and the stillness he's keeping to in the wake of the battle. She'd seen him during the fighting, of course. Tony made himself all but impossible to miss, with all those fireworks he had going on. The destruction had been noteworthy, but ultimately helpful. In the end, she can't complain. They have their results.

She's determined to make sure they won't happen again. She's limping as she approaches, faint but noticeable.]

Tony. [She's blank-faced, not even a hint of emotion coloring her voice or her expression as she comes up to him, something not-quite-human about the deadness of it. Breq's all brusque movements as she gestures for him to join her.]

The tunnels around the main chamber need a final sweep.

[The helmet turns to look at her as she approaches, but there's another moment of nothing before Tony nods once. He moves just a bit stiffly as he makes his way to her side, but Tony's doing well enough. The fact that Breq isn't, quite, is noted but Tony's not really in a place where he feels like calling her on it. If she can keep going, so he can.]

You think there are more of them?

[The question is almost absent as he falls into step with her. He doesn't actually care. The invitation to do something other than just stare is good enough, even if it makes the back of his head itch. Nobody is going to vanish if he isn't looking at him. Tony is well aware of it.

He just has to convince the rest of his brain of it.]

That's what we need to find out.

[He isn't arguing. That's--good. She can work with that. It's much better than wasting time with arguing over whether they should do it or not, which is what she was expecting. Not specifically from Tony, just. In general.

It doesn't matter. She shakes it off, gestures towards one of the tunnels, and starts toward it at a brisk pace, as if walking determinedly enough will eliminate her limp.]

Are the suit's capabilities still intact?

Yeah.

[This was a good idea, it feels like his brain is waking up a little as he gets moving. The stiffness slowly vanishes as he finds a rhythm, but he's still a little quieter than he might normally be.

It's been a long day.]

Everything's fine. What do you need?

Your scans, for any humanoid life forms. [She pauses, then adds;] And backup. Whether they're lost captives, cultists, or both, we'll need to approach with caution.

[She doesn't stop moving, doesn't let herself stop, even though she can feel the ache of her hip intensify with every step. She'll rest it when they're done here.

She pauses, reconsidering. She'd been rude, and hadn't asked--sure, he'd volunteered for the task without protest, but--] Is that acceptable?

Fine.

[He nods once. Honestly, Tony's just happy for the distraction, no matter what shape it comes in. And he and Breq have managed well enough before, though they're both moving a little slower than they were last time. Maybe she can't make herself sit still right now either.]

Do we know there's anyone left or is this just in case?

There's no confirmed absences. [In other words, the second one.

Breq only waits long enough for Tony to give a brief scan and a warning about what might be waiting for them in the hallways, but it doesn't stop her from going ahead. The sweep needs to be done, and the sooner it's done, the sooner everyone in those caverns recovering can well and truly rest.

She's quiet for the first segment of their investigation as they work their way through the tunnels, but eventually she speaks up.]

For not being a soldier, you manage well.

[He does't quite shrug, though he wants to. Tony's been quiet himself as they've gone through, much quieter than the last time he was with Breq, but then this is a very different situation.

Still, he glances at her briefly.]

Don't have to be a soldier to do this kind of thing. And I've done it a lot.

[It's what the armor was made for, after all. Keeping people safe.]

[Breq's gesture in response to that is a little dismissive flick of her fingers.]

No, but it's a rare citizen that isn't one and knows so much about working an operation. Even one that can build tank-suits on [Here, she pauses, fumbles for a moment for words. Mentally curses herself for her tiredness, that's walked her straight into a sentence where she needs to use a pronoun. She takes a guess.] her own.

His.

[It's an absent correction, most of Tony's attention on picking through the rest of it. Trying to figure out exactly what to say.]

I'm on a specialist team, you could say. Not soldiers, but we do a similar kind of work.

[And he can almost say it without wincing. Good thing the faceplate is down.]

[A wrong guess, then. Breq's expression doesn't change, still blank, but she gestures acquiescence.] His own. [At least stumbling over the right pronoun won't break cover for her here, and the faux pas doesn't seem to have phased Tony at all. Maybe he's used to it, with the suit?]

Specialists. [It's dry, but she nods. A suit like that... yes, she could see where it could come in handy.] Interesting that they have you out there in that, and not building more of those.

[That startles a not entirely amused laugh from him. But it's not like he can blame her for having the idea, if she's a career soldier, so Tony takes a breath and makes himself actually try to explain it.]

They've tried. But I've done the weapons thing, and that didn't work out so well for me. This [he raps his knuckles against his chest with a sound of metal on metal] is just me. And I know exactly what I'm doing with it.

['Authoritarian' is her first thought when it comes to that, but then again, she would say the same thing to anyone making her give up the Presgr gun. So instead she nods.]

Being a weapon means knowing where to point yourself.

Edited (rewording) 2018-07-04 01:09 (UTC)

Something like that.

[But something in his tone is a little easier in response. She does actually seem to understand. That's...nice. And unexpected.]

I made it because I needed it. I started using it because it was needed.

[It's an interesting distinction, one that Breq wants to consider, but finds her thoughts looping around on. Maybe she's more tired after the raid than she wanted to admit to herself. She wonders what there is under that armor of his, and doesn't ask.]

Do you regret the choice?

No.

[The answer is immediate. Tony regrets a lot of things, but Iron Man isn't one of them. Even with everything that's come after.

But the question itself makes him throw her a look.]

Did you?

No. [Breq doesn't take much longer than he did to answer. There's a steel to her voice, behind her eyes, in the miniscule tightening of her jaw.]

The past is the past, there's no changing it. [Awn died for Justice of Toren's reticence-- or maybe it was Awn's death that needed to happen to make her act. Sometimes it still hurts too much to wonder. Her hands tighten around the gun she carries, as her stare focuses on some point in the middle distance.]

More important to make my choices and move forward.

Agreed.

[There's a slightly strange tone to his voice as he says it, though it might not be easy to tell through the helmet's vocal filters. A part of Tony is a little surprised by just how much he agrees with that particular sentiment.

However much he might wish he could change things. The past is the past indeed.]

So we keep going.

And live with it.

[Breq bites the inside of her cheek before she can say more, momentarily overwhelmed by the urge to say-- something. She hadn't expected to want to tell anyone here, when everyone was strangers who had no idea and no reason to care who, or what, she was, and what she had done.

Maybe it's the elusive hint that someone here would understand everything she's done and why she did it, why she had to tear down an empire that her bloodied hands helped to build piece by piece. She looks over at Tony and that armor, wonders what it could do in the wrong hands, then looks away.

She can't afford the emotion now. There's cultists to subdue. So she clears her throat and gestures them onwards.]

Let's finish the patrol.

After you.

[It's so much easier than trying to parse out everything going on in his head, after all. Part of him almost wants to run into a remnant or two, even if the rest of him knows that wouldn't mean anything good.

But that's not anything he wants to drop on Breq, who he's fairly sure wouldn't appreciate it. She just has a job to get done, and Tony can help with that. So he will.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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