09:44 <banana> Rolf's friends in military intelligence will hand over the trucks and gear you need to look like a convincing legitimate convoy - enough of them owe him for that. But they'll only do it at night, when it's less embarassing. 09:46 <banana> The plan is simple: make the handover with the help of Willie and Bob, do some basic camoflague as you wait for the sun to rise, then head to the central city and retrieve Lieutenant Dealer of his burdens. 09:47 <banana> It's very early in the day (or very late at night) when you reach the rewilded swamps of Trafford Park. 09:47 <hrolf> Rolf is smoking a ciggie next to a truck. He blows a smoke ring into the freezing early morning air and believes himself to be looking extremely cool and dashing in the moment. 09:48 <VoxPVoxD> Willie was going to smoke but seeing Rolf do it put her off. She stands there checking her phone. 09:48 <banana> The south side of the old ship canal is now forest in parts, but it all used to be warehouses - there are still good roads and large, hidden loading zones. To the east, the Old Trafford itself lights up the horizon; nothing else in the mini-urban center is big enough to see through the woods. 09:49 <tom> "Looks good," Bob grunts as he hauls himself out the back of the truckbed, in full uniform. 09:50 <banana> There's noise and light coming your way. At least five vehicles, big ones. 09:50 <hrolf> Rolf nods at Willie. "So's we get the story right, like. We're takin this to the yanks for detoxing and eventual scrapping." 09:50 <tom> He can come back and retrieve his truck later. Not super important. He fixes his cap. 09:52 <banana> Three should be - and are - the armoured trucks you've requested; it becomes apparent that the others are just unmarked black 4WDs. Men inside, and presumably there will be more as they leave. Rolf's expecting Stitch and Gabba here tonight, but they'll have a few others with them. MPs rarely go anywhere alone. 09:53 <tom> He's visibly unarmed as the convoy pulls up. "Christ, Rolf. How'd you pull this?" 09:54 <hrolf> Rolf puts a finger to the side of his nose and winks conspiratorially. "Don't ask, don't tell, 'ey? I also got a deal to pass along all the files and data and fings along to your yank 'uman office hequivalent, if it soothes your conscience." 09:55 <banana> The lead SUV has one guy in an Army uniform and another who looks too fat to wear one. They both pile out and advance on you... joyously? 09:55 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's dressed in a very nondescript black peacoat. "Right. A decomission of assets no longer in keeping with broad strategic goals." 09:55 <banana> Non-soldier: "Hughes, you old bastard. I can't believe you're fecking standing." 09:56 <tom> "It does." Is what Bob says. Inside, he's deeply concerned that the ham-man apparently is in with British Intelligence. 09:56 <banana> Willie feels something.. funny from the next car. She's starting to smell blood. 09:56 <VoxPVoxD> Hhhhh. 09:57 <tom> The Valkyrie man folds his hands behind his back and watches the convoy roll up through his aviators. 09:57 <hrolf> Rolf holds out a hand and grips the man's hand tightly. "Surprised meself, given some of the scum I end up runnin into. Beats Ulster though." 10:00 <banana> Gabba: "As did we, boyo. As did we." He glances at Bob and Willie, hanging back. "Nicetameetya, don't tell us why you want any of this shit." 10:00 <banana> The guy in the uniform - Rolf's old mate Stitch, who's still enlisted, sounds a little drier when he says "And don't tell anyone where you got it." 10:00 <tom> The American just laughs. 10:01 <banana> Shit, that's not just blood Willie scents. 10:01 <VoxPVoxD> What can that possibly mean. 10:01 <hrolf> Rolf: "I've forgotten already. In fact - I don't even know 'oo you are, or 'ow good you are at chasin down provo leprechauns!" He makes a big exaggerated wink. 10:02 <banana> Of course she can see them getting out of the next car now so this is a bit redundant, but the Dragon-mediated ability she's developed, to detect Kindred by their proximity to hell - yes, one of the MILINT guys is either a vampire or a powerful ghoul. But he's also family. 10:02 <VoxPVoxD> ... 10:02 <banana> It turns out Wellington blood is quite distinct. 10:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie actually hisses, just a bit. 10:03 <VoxPVoxD> It might be the cold. 10:04 <banana> On the other side of the Ship Canal, hours later - by this time the heist crew should be well on their way to the Human Office - Aster and Badawi get treated to breakfast. 10:04 <tom> He quirks a brow, turning his head. 10:04 <hrolf> Rolf eyes slide over to her, and he frowns slightly before shaking his head. "Anyway, what've you lot been upto? Anyone know why they scrapped the office?" 10:04 <Crion> Aster's in one of his nicer suits. They're getting rather nice, these days. 10:04 <Crion> This one's navy. 10:06 <banana> They're highly regarded guests at MENSA Merseyside. Tracey and several other nerdy young people want to hear all about Badawi's runin with the hated Athletic, and they're prepared to provide any amount of coffee refills and jam tarts in exchange for the story. 10:06 <banana> Bogdan, apparently, isn't here yet. He doesn't get up so early in the mornings anymore, but he's on his way. 10:07 <Crion> Mmmm. 10:07 <Crion> Aster will politely keep out of the way of the grand telling and retelling of the tale on Benni. He's still considering torching the man's warehouses. 10:07 <Crion> But it's not his story to tell! 10:08 <Quaker> Badawi is in her jeans, a denim jacket, and sunglasses. She stopped by a Pakistani-owned bakery to pick up some croissants and chicken patties (pastry puffs with a spiced chicken filling), which she slides towards her hosts. 10:09 <tom> Bob steps up to greet the men stepping out of their vehicles with a nod and a handshake. Goes through the motions. 10:09 <Quaker> “Where do you get your jam?” 10:09 <banana> Tracey Palico is Georgiou's.. nephew or apprentice or something; the other two star-children here, new to Badawi at least, are named Adam and Michael. 10:10 <VoxPVoxD> The MILINT man with the funny blood is thin but not tall. He's wearing a long black coat over a smart black suit. No mist comes from his mouth when he speaks. It's he who answers Rolf's question. "Just wasn't fit for purpose, I'm afraid. Its duties are being subsumed by leaner departments." Very posh accent. Quite a specific and familiar one. "It's not like it was with you legends in 10:10 <VoxPVoxD> the old days, sorry to say." 10:11 <banana> Michael's a cherub-faced man who looks around thirty. Both Aster and Badawi can feel him watching them, all the time, as if observing with all senses straining. But he's friendly: "We have a herb garden - like a monastery, you know - but the preserves we get from that are more of a gift thing. Not industrial-quantity." 10:11 <banana> "Thankfully, we also have a local Sainsbury's." 10:13 <banana> Stitch: "We'll make new legends, Captain. Global Britain... apparently." 10:13 <hrolf> Something about the man's words, face and accent hits a few annoyance generating neurons in Rolf's brain, but he just smiles thinly. "Global, aye. Empire's coming back, hey?" 10:14 <banana> The three armoured trucks have shut down and their drivers emerge, tossing around sets of keys. Rolf only knows one of them, but they're all of a type.. sound men, quiet, knows that the work sometimes involves meeting mysterious civilians in a reclaimed forest to hand over expensive equipment. 10:14 <hrolf> The man being the soldier, not Stitch. 10:15 <Quaker> “Cutting up all the fruit and stirring the pot as it boils is a very fond memory. Nothing quite like the taste of preserves you made yourself.” 10:15 <Quaker> “What do you want to know about Atletico? Or the Agent?” 10:15 <tom> He grabs a set of keys. The thin man can see a twitchy American in dumb glasses and a U.S. Army cap striding up to shake his hand. 10:15 <hrolf> Rolf: "Well, fanks for everyfing...we'll get this gear back to you in a jiffy." To Stitch: "Let me know If you're down for a pint while you're in town." 10:16 <VoxPVoxD> The Captain: "The rules-based international order is a torch that has passed from hand to hand around the West for centuries. The sun never set, Specialist Hughes. Not really." 10:16 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's sort of ducking behind one of the cars a bit. She watches Bob stride up with alarm. 10:16 <Crion> Aster will try enough of their hosts' food to remain polite before nibbling mainly on the patties Badawi brought. 10:16 <tom> "Corporal William Goreman. Operation Fort. Task Force: Valkyrie. You're doing us a solid." 10:17 <banana> Gabba: "Too right, mate." (Sergeant) Stitch nods... and watches with interest the interaction between this mysterious captain and Hughes' people. 10:18 <VoxPVoxD> The Captain is unfazed. He returns the handshake. "Likewise, Corporal. Captain Wellesley." 10:19 <banana> The MENSA building's dining room is nice and airy, open to southern light over the canal. Michael: "I agree, actually. Making something tasty with your hands -" he spreads his. "It's something we forget about around here, but it keeps you grounded." 10:19 <tom> He salutes the British officer. 10:19 <tom> That's the protocol. 10:20 <hrolf> Shake hands, then salute? Weird protocol. Rolf: "Pleasure doing business wif you, captain. We'll be on our way then...leave the gear 'ere when we're done?" 10:20 <banana> Tracey: "Um, all we know is that Benni's pissed off.. he was sending people around to ask questions last week, wanted you all hunted down then it suddenly stopped yesterday." 10:20 <banana> "What did you do? I hope it was something freaking, embarassing..." 10:20 <tom> He didn't know he was an officer until- well, whatever. He doesn't tip his hand by tapping the frame of his glasses to shut off the blinking warning filling his peripherals. 10:21 <tom> It figures. 10:22 <Crion> Aster: "If you don't mind my asking, is that figurative or literal? The grounding. Is it a coping strategy for...star unpleasantness?" 10:22 <banana> Stitch: "Yeah, bring it all back same time tomorrow and we're good." He smiles. "It's nice to pay you back for the Wire Boys, Hughes." 10:22 <VoxPVoxD> Captain Wellesley: "That'll do. Are you set up to take delivery? I count one... driver... short." 10:22 <Quaker> Badawi spreads jam over a roll. “We didn’t do anything. An acquaintance might have temporarily disrupted his communications. Or the Agent might have killed him, after I told it Reveille still loves him.” 10:22 <tom> The Corporal nods and turns to get into the lead truck. "You let us worry about staffing." 10:24 <VoxPVoxD> His speech slows to a stop as his eyes settle on Willie. "Ah. No. I counted wrong." 10:24 <Crion> To Tracey's question: "Assuming it wasn't the Agent, our solution regarding Benni is temporary. But hopefully we can conclude our business and simply never speak with him again." 10:24 <tom> He stops, one foot already in the open door to watch, impassive. 10:25 <hrolf> Rolf: "No worries mate. Bad job wasn't it? Fahckin mick ghouls ate like 'alf the RUC in that one neighbourhood...never saw so much blood and bones." 10:25 <banana> Tracey: "If that man would just g-go away, this whole city would be a nicer place. People don't realise how many.. pies of crime he's got fingers in." 10:25 <Quaker> Or he can press it and die in the immediate future. He’s marked for some moment in the long drift of time. Badawi doesn’t say that out loud. 10:26 <Quaker> “What is he involved in other than tass and heroin?” 10:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie forces herself to meet his eyes. "Good evening, Captain." 10:26 <tom> Now the soldier frowns. 10:26 <banana> Adam, spreading something on a croissant, checks his phone. You don't know much about this guy, but he's presumably one of them; he recounts: "Bogdan will be here in five. Sorry to be so useless without the older generation. We're killing various things." 10:27 <hrolf> A few neurons in Rolf's brain finally make the connection. It takes all his willpower not to let out a loud. "Ohhhhhh...." 10:27 <VoxPVoxD> Captain Wellesley, forgetting himself just a bit, keeps the ball rolling. "This is a long way for secondment," 10:27 <banana> Tracey: "M-most of what the Outfit does is actual mafia stuff. Protection rackets, for other criminals... they keep the peace by force. It lets the whole underworld be bigger, more violent, more crime than there otherwise would be. And they get a cut." 10:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's all hands in the Civil Service, I'm afraid. You know how it can be." 10:30 <Quaker> “Who in Manchester government is his sponsor?” In the real world, organized crime exists at the sufferance of the state. 10:30 <VoxPVoxD> Captain: "Still, from pensioners and mental defectives to... this." He gestures at the gear. 10:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's not that different." 10:30 <VoxPVoxD> After a beat: "In the sense of paperwork." 10:31 <banana> Stitch is going to quietly organise the equipment handover. Gabba asks Rolf and Bob: "What are we looking at here?" He says it quietly, but it's probable both Wellesleys can hear it anyway. 10:31 <hrolf> Rolf, muttering under his breath: "Family reunion. Is 'e as much of a fahcking **** as the sister?" 10:32 <banana> Michael: "We believe he's got brain-hands on several Opposition councillors. Some of them are just fellow bastards, perhaps they get a cut, some may be coerced." 10:33 <banana> "Coerce is a technical term - Indigo Children who abuse their polestar can implant thoughts and force action. Benni's got at least two pretty strong mentallists on his side." 10:33 <tom> He doesn't answer the man apparently called "Gabba". Willie can see his expression start to curdle. She knows that look- he's weighing whether he should say something. Never a good sign. 10:34 <Quaker> Badawi: “Mm.” 10:34 <Quaker> “You know, just speaking technically-“ 10:34 <tom> Instead, he adjusts his green cap and climbs into the humvee to start up the engine. 10:34 <Quaker> “What’s to stop someone from just waiting across the street with a rifle and blowing his head off when he steps outside?” 10:35 <Quaker> “Precognition or something?” 10:35 <banana> Gabba to Rolf: "Not being in the Service nor the H'office anymore, I can't rightly speak as to ****y. But the captain here knows important people." 10:36 <VoxPVoxD> Captain Wellesley's face takes on something like concern. "Far be it from me to question your patriotism or sense of duty, Lady Wellesley. But all the same. I'd advise you to choose your assignments more carefully. This is dangerous stuff." 10:36 <hrolf> Rolf gives the man an appraising glance. "That so? What was all that shite about global britain?" 10:37 <VoxPVoxD> Willie, curtly: "Thank you, Captain. I'll take your advice under advisement." 10:37 <VoxPVoxD> The Captain: "Minnie..." 10:37 <VoxPVoxD> Minnie: "Do call me Willie. Klaus." 10:37 <VoxPVoxD> Willie turns to Rolf. "Are we clear to go?" 10:38 <hrolf> Rolf grunts after lugging the final crate into the back of the crate. "All set to head out marm." He doffs a cap respectfully to both the poshos. 10:38 <banana> Tracey starts to say something, but Michael's louder. "First of all, it's murder. It's also an escalation, would draw attention to us - or whoever it is you suppose holds a rifle - and create a cycle of revenge." 10:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Splendid." To her youngest brother: "Thank you for your service. We'll see all this reaches its proper resting place." 10:39 <Crion> Aster: "And those are tangible, mechanical things to you?" 10:39 <Crion> "Or are you speaking...moralistically." 10:39 <banana> The MENSA Merseyside street door opens and closes, and a few moments later Bogdan Georgiou is in the room. He's hawk-nosed, dressed in a splendid overcoat, and carrying several plastic shopping bags. 10:40 <Quaker> “Escalation from who? Isn’t Benni the most powerful one?” 10:40 <banana> Adam: "We want to be better than them. Having special gifts isn't an excuse to do mob shit." 10:40 <VoxPVoxD> Captain Wellesley: "Good evening, then." 10:40 <Crion> Aster: "Ah." 10:40 <Quaker> Badawi laughs, politely. 10:40 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's very glad she can be in the cab of a truck alone right now. 10:41 <Quaker> “Good morning, Mr. Georgiou.” 10:41 <banana> Technically, the trucks all have field radios that you could tune to a shared channel. 10:41 <VoxPVoxD> That's fine. That means they come with mutable mics. 10:41 <Quaker> “Tracey and Michael were just asking about how Benni threatened me with imprisonment and torture the other day.” 10:41 <tom> Bob lets her off the hook for now. But he does spare a glance back through the mirror at her in the cab once or twice before they haul out. 10:42 <tom> He thumbs the outside of the door with his palm and turns on the headlights. 10:42 <Crion> Aster: "He thinks he's quite the character." 10:42 <VoxPVoxD> Well, it's nothing weird. Bob's seen Willie cry before. 10:42 <banana> Georgiou: "The son of a bitch. I'm glad you've scared him off, but he will do more, to softer targets." 10:43 <tom> He can't bear to watch. 10:43 <banana> "I'm happy to discuss this proposed intervention of yours. I would be happier still if we'd been able to aim at the collaborators and thugs under that man's banner." 10:43 <Crion> Aster: "Yes, well. Once we're done with our actual job we'll have more time for extracurriculars with that jumped-up gunthug." 10:44 <Crion> "...I suppose it's just thug over here, with your laws." 10:44 <Quaker> “I met Epsilon Eridani, as well. Or its Agent.” 10:44 <banana> Georgiou: "This is true. Interesting! Tracey, come with us. We'll use the nonfiction library." 10:44 <banana> Michael: "Guess we'll clean up." Adam doesn't comment, just smiles. 10:44 <hrolf> Rolf ponders turning on the radio to check with Willie, but thinks better of it. Best to stay off comms as much as possible for the duration of the Job anyway. 10:45 <VoxPVoxD> Willie drives uneventfully. She doesn't say much on the comms but she is there for logistics et cetera. 10:45 <Quaker> As they walk: “Is Georgiou Romanian?” 10:46 <VoxPVoxD> Why him? Why, of all of them, did it have to be him? 10:46 <VoxPVoxD> She was really hoping it was Charlie. 10:46 <tom> Bob takes the lead vehicle down the road. It isn't a long drive. 10:46 <tom> This had better be worth it. 10:47 <banana> Bogdan: "Macedonian. I was born in England, which is a long and boring tale. I think we're half and half, in that regard?" 10:49 <banana> Tracey sets out a couple of chairs and starts handing Aster tomes from the shelves. "The Life and Death of Stars", "Special Eyes, Special Babies", "Higgs field fluctuation synthesis: a monograph"... 10:50 <Quaker> Is…he using the royal ‘we’? 10:51 <Crion> Aster will stack them neatly rather than attempt to peruse-and-walk. 10:51 <banana> A while later, with the sun finally deigning to rise, the three hunters have their armoured trucks together in a nondescript parking lot just this side of St. Peter's Square. Do they have any final preparations to make or things on which to catch each other up? What, in fact, is the plan from here? 10:51 <Quaker> Anyway, she takes the opportunity to relate to the starchildren her experience with Epsilon Eridani. 10:52 <Quaker> “And that’s where we stand, now. You wouldn’t happen to know what we can tie to the end of a spear and wound it with, would you?” 10:52 <banana> They listen, both quite intent. Tracey says: "For a c-creature like that to be meddling in our lives.. we should help." 10:53 <tom> The corporal's a silhouette against the glare of his parked humvee's headlights. He's already pulled to a stop and lit a cigarette by the time the other two are stepping out of their vehicles onto the cold asphalt of the lot. 10:53 <banana> Bogdan: "Yes, yes, of course. Or rather, not instantly, but we'll help figure it out. If Cosmos is to be so arbitrary, let's use its gifts against it, eh?" 10:53 <Crion> Aster: "It is a creature with a mind, so my modules should affect it just fine. They work on discorporealized spirits and other paraphenomena, after all." 10:54 <tom> He unfurls a stack of papers and hands them out to the others. They look like military requisition forms. Official-looking. 10:54 <Crion> "But yes, our main other avenue of attack intends to be electricity." 10:54 <banana> Bogdan: "Yes. All these manifestations have mind, all but the agents difficult to distinguish to a human mind. Agents are... larger, but still the same stuff. So, for your specific creature." 10:54 <tom> "Richard helped," he adds. "The guy knows bureaucracy." 10:54 <hrolf> Rolf jumps down from his lorry and motions the other two over: "Right. So we 'ead in there, 'and 'em our official documents like, and get them to load up our lorries." 10:55 <tom> Bob turns to Willie. Quietly: "Did you know?" 10:55 <banana> Bogdan: "I haven't seen one made of water before. They are essentially avatars, portions of stars fissioned in the same way that an elemental might detach part of itself to become flesh." 10:55 <hrolf> Rolf: "Questions, concerns, moral quandraries?" To Willie: "Funny coincidence, your brother being there and all." 10:55 <banana> "With that in mind... they're very difficult to hurt, but you have at least two avenues of attack." 10:56 <VoxPVoxD> Willie, ecumenically: "Fuck off. Where's the drop?" 10:56 <Quaker> Badawi flips through some of the books in the library while listening, looking for interesting illustrations. 10:56 <tom> He takes a long pull on his cigarette. 10:56 <hrolf> Rolf snorts. Women. "No need to get tetchy. Drop's at Bob's I fink." 10:57 <hrolf> Rolf: "Let's 'ead in?" He rubs his hands for warmth, and ambles off towards what used to be the human office. 10:58 <tom> "Just around the corner. We'll pick it up, speed off. We'll store the stuff at my place while I outfit the greybox for an armory." 10:58 <tom> He crushes the cigarette underfoot. 10:58 <tom> "Let's go." 10:58 <VoxPVoxD> Armoured cars in Eccles? Well, whatever. Not her problem, is it? 10:59 <tom> The farm, obviously! 10:59 <VoxPVoxD> Oh right. 10:59 <banana> Bogdan: "The creature retains its stellar nature, for one thing. It is vulnerable to poisoning by heavy elements, which interrupt the cycle of fusion. It is massive, unable to fully contain gravitational forces. It won't even have good balance, if you can subject it to swings and roundabouts." 11:01 <Crion> Aster has fallen mostly quiet, except for the sound of pages turning as he absolutely flies through the material. Hopefully neither of the boys is foolish enough to reach into his personal space during this process as they're likely to catch an elbow. 11:01 <Quaker> Badawi: “What’s a heavy element?” 11:01 <hrolf> As they walk into the Office (formerly), any changes from last time? If the old desk guy's still there, Rolf will wave at him en route to meet their contact. 11:02 <tom> His hands are steady as he strides into the building alongside the others, cold vapor offgassing with each breath like a hangover leaving a drunkard. 11:02 <banana> Bogdan: "Anything above mercury on the periodic table, excepting transuranics. If you can inject a quantity of lead, bismuth or radium into its - her? - body, that will suppress much of its power." 11:03 <banana> "There are other venues of attack... however, stars are not easy to damage at our scale." 11:03 <banana> Tracey: "You can't kill it. Not really. But you can destroy the piece of itself it's sent here, or make it flee." 11:04 <Crion> Aster's mouth is moving, but he's not vocalizing anything. 11:04 <banana> Bogdan: "Yes, and that isn't even the only set of vulnerabilities the thing has! It's strikingly weak in some ways, but on another level, incredibly strong." 11:04 <Crion> He is, however, deploying a significant number of tasselled bookmarks, withdrawn from a jacket pocket. 11:05 <Quaker> Badawi is on her phone. Can you buy bismuth online? In ingots or something? 11:05 <Quaker> “How much lead do you mean by a quantity?” 11:05 <Quaker> “Like…one bullet’s worth?” 11:06 <banana> Bogdan shakes his head. "Lead just isn't that heavy. You'd need more like.. ten percent of its volume." 11:06 <banana> Tracey: "What about something further up the scale? Fr- francium?" 11:07 <banana> Bogdan: "Any significant amount of francium would probably obliterate the water-star, and the city block you were in." 11:07 <banana> "Lead, bismuth and radium are the ones which won't kill you faster than her." 11:08 <Crion> Aster will leave it to Badawi to remind their hosts they're going to be fighting in a city reservoir. 11:08 <Quaker> “Lead’s poisonous. And Radium is radioactive, isn’t it? We can’t go leaving industrial amounts of toxic material in the Gorton reservoir.” 11:08 <banana> The Human Office's receptionist is absent. Pity - that guy would've helped lend you legitimacy. There are noises further inside the building, though. 11:09 <Crion> This is why he will not be raising the specters of thallium and polonium. 11:09 <Quaker> “What about Bismuth? Any nasty side effects on the long-term?” 11:09 <banana> This is the first time Willie's been in here... but not the first time she's seen a nearly abandoned Civil Service office. Everything's being cleaned out as the department shuts down. 11:09 <banana> ..."Cleaned" might not be the term.. there are scrapes and dents around. And down that hallway- blood? 11:09 <hrolf> Huh. 11:09 <VoxPVoxD> There's something a bit wistful about seeing an office not being used anymore, but it's belied by the fact that this is apparently a level from one of Bob's video games. 11:10 <banana> Georgiou: "I believe it's quite safe if you don't ingest large quantities of the stuff." 11:11 <banana> "Now, your alternative approach is to go after Epsilon Eridani via the aspect it's taken on. A creature of water. I'm wondering to myself whether the electricity is counterproductive... did it have any organs within its structure?" 11:11 <Quaker> “Alright. Let’s say we fashioned some spearheads out of bismuth and put them on javelins, and threw them at it.” 11:12 <tom> Bob kneels on the tile floor and swabs a bit of blood onto his fingertip. Listens. Is there anyone here? 11:12 <banana> Bogdan: "I believe that would injure it severely. ...You'd need some way to propel them with enough force." 11:12 <Crion> What about the front of a car. 11:12 <hrolf> Rolf's face reddens. He kneels down next to Bob. "Is that-?" 11:13 <banana> Further inside, beyond the offices.. Bob can hear shouting and cries. No gunfire, but it still sounds like low-tech combat. 11:13 <tom> His voice is hard: "I need a weapon." 11:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "There are ghosts here." 11:13 <banana> Maybe you aren't the only people who realised the potential in this armoury. 11:13 <Quaker> “I don’t remember seeing any organs. It was pretty much exactly like a pillar of water. Even when it moved, it just flowed over obstacles and then reformed.” 11:13 <VoxPVoxD> She's moving towards the noise. 11:14 <banana> Willie passes a set of offices and field agent quarters which have been turned into an impromptu barracks. There's military gear in there, maybe Bob could find something... beyond, there's a back hallway with a strange shimmering set of doors. 11:14 <VoxPVoxD> "Gear in here," Willie whispers, pointing. 11:14 <tom> "Stop. I'll take point." 11:14 <VoxPVoxD> Shimmering...? 11:15 <banana> Bogdan: "Hmm." He places one hand to his temple, brushing away silver hair. 11:15 <tom> He gets up. He's moving mechanically, eyes dull. 11:15 <hrolf> Rolf gives the gear a once over. He's handled ghost hunting gear before...are there spirit goggles and ethereal bullets to use? 11:15 <banana> Tracey: "Mr. Georgiou is summoning assistance. Well, m-more like equipment." 11:15 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's not touching the door, but she is examining it. What are we looking at? 11:16 <Quaker> “Uh-huh.” 11:16 <banana> Unfortunately what you're looking at out here is normal Army gear... useful for killing people, though, or avoiding death. 11:17 <banana> Above the door, oaken but strangely glinting, is an embossed sign: [ ETHERIC WASH. Remove all interdimensional substances from clothing or bowels before entering. ] 11:17 <tom> Bob practically kicks open the door into the barracks. "There will be Etheric rounds inside the armory. We need to move." He comes out moments later with a FAL, slapping the magazine into its slot in the bottom of the rifle. 11:18 <tom> "There are people getting killed in there." 11:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Rolf, are you ready?" 11:18 <banana> Michael opens the library door, holding a large carafe in two arms. The urn is full of water. Bogdan nods to him: "Thank you." 11:18 <hrolf> Rolf draws his gun. "Yeah, much as you can be." 11:19 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Alright." 11:19 <VoxPVoxD> She nods to Bob. 11:19 <tom> "I'm pointman. Rolf, keep an eye on your ass." 11:19 <banana> Georgiou, to Badawi and the occupied Aster: "I would like to conduct an experiment." 11:19 <tom> Alright, let's get through this fucking scanner then. 11:19 <Crion> Aster finishes the last three books at the same time and removes a handkerchief to dab his nose. The Codex module doesn't always cause bloody noses like Talon does, but occasionally. "Mmmm. Please." 11:19 <hrolf> Rolf twists around to cast a quizzical look at his arse. "Huh? Nuffink there." 11:20 <Crion> "As to how to deliver the bismuth javelins at speed: fashion an attachment to a vehicle." 11:20 <VoxPVoxD> "He means watch your six." 11:20 <hrolf> Rolf snaps into Operator mode. "Affirmative. Let's scope the AO." 11:20 <banana> Tracey: "That ought to do it. Haha. I like the idea of ramming the agent back into the lake..." 11:21 <banana> The door to the scanner room flies open. It's filled with visible waves of white plasm, pouring from broken and sparking nozzles on the ceiling; beyond is something like a one-sided firefight. 11:22 <tom> Bob is breathing hard in the guttering lights of the broken scanner. 11:23 <banana> The armoury is there, most of its equipment now neatly packed into an immense quantity of crates and trolleys. You think there are about a dozen British soldiers in the room - it's hard to tell because most of them are up the back, huddled behind upturned pallets and a forklift they're using for cover. 11:24 <banana> Two Army guys are much closer to you. One's holding a sub-machine gun, firing bursts toward the pallet shields - wood cracks and splinters. 11:25 <tom> At their comrades? 11:25 <banana> The other swings around. Physically, it's Lieutenant Dealer, but pouring from his eyes is blue-white light. He's got one of the racist swords in hand, and postures toward the three hunters swiping it mindlessly back and forth. 11:25 <banana> The possessed soldier tries to advance... but the waves of the etheric wash keep him back. 11:27 <hrolf> Rolf gasps and calls out: "El tee Dealer! We're friends, don't-" 11:27 <banana> He doesn't seem to recognise you at all... 11:30 <tom> Bob bares his teeth and raises his rifle. 11:34 <banana> The soldiers at the back can't really see you through the white mist, but they know someone's come in. "Watch out! Dealer and Nest aren't themselves!" 11:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Stay down!" 11:38 <tom> Bob snarls, his boots crunching over broken glass as he shoots the first man right through the arm, throwing up a spray of blood and sending his gun cartwheeling through the air. He rounds on the Lieutenant, shouting: "OH BOY ROLFIE GOOD THING WE DIDN'T WARN THEM, HUH!" The next spray of rounds rips through the man's arm and smashes up the hilt of his antique sword, flashing as it spins 11:38 <tom> to clatter on the floor. 11:40 <tom> He's turning to shout something more when his weapon clicks, its magazine empty. "FUCK!" 11:42 <hrolf> Rolf, crouching next to Bob: "If you try to put this on me and not the *****'s that closed the Office down, me next bullet's going into your fahcking head! Don't push me AGAIN..." The last word turns into a shout as he rushes past the ethereal filter towards the possessed army men. 11:45 <hrolf> Rolf launches himself at Dealer, landing on the man with all the weight and fury of a gammon scorned. They collapse to the floor together. 11:49 <banana> The two glow-eyed soldiers move jerkily, bleeding freely without trying to staunch their wounds. Arms dangle limp; it's hard to resist Rolf's charge. The other bends down to scrabble for the gun he's dropped. 11:50 <banana> No longer under fire, some of the other soldiers begin to warily emerge. They see their possessed men dropping weapons, Rolf Hughes coming out of the cleansing mist, other noises - they'll advance, and shortly be able to help out. 11:55 <banana> The possessed pirate, ignoring the squad advancing behind him, does manage to scoop up the SMG - but then fires wildly, left-handed, the ghost not having actually received firearms training. 11:55 <banana> *possessed private 11:55 <banana> Aster and Badawi are comfortable unaware of this. 11:55 <banana> *comfortably 11:56 <banana> "Do you have a way to represent an electric attack?" queries Bogdan. "Perhaps if we run a cable from the wall socket..." 11:56 <Crion> Indeed. "That's a large amount of...water?" 11:56 <Quaker> “Do you have any tea?” 11:56 <Quaker> This is to the younger assistants. 11:56 <Crion> Aster: "Sadly the equipment in question is in the process of being gathered." 11:56 <Crion> "Surely you have a toaster." 11:57 <banana> Bogdan raises his arms. "Not enough tea for this volume of liquid. Yes, Michael, bring a toaster." He makes curt gestures as the water twists and boils out of the urn, forming itself into a small but solid humanoid shape. It floats there, a credible miniature imitation of Epsilon Eridani - though without the hairdo. 11:58 <banana> "Tracey. Hold the figure while I rig it for thought." 11:58 <tom> Bob ducks under the hail of pistol rounds, his ears ringing from the gunshots. He scrabbles over bloodied glass. 11:58 <Quaker> “And give it spiked hair.” 12:00 <banana> Tracey: "Okay." She sinks into her chair, concentrating and squinting. The watery figure - about 20 litres of the stuff - wobbles a little, then resolidifies, the top of its featureless head spiking up into a mohawk. 12:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie breaks into a dead sprint for the untackled soldier. The plasm wash dissolves in something like smoke as she collides with the armed man. She's not big enough to bowl him over, but he does stagger back a step as Willie grabs his face in both hands and starts babbling in a language none of them know. Her voice gets deeper and smokier as she goes. She advances a step; the soldier 12:01 <VoxPVoxD> staggers backward. Dealer writhes in Rolf's grip. The sounds coming from the possessed men are unearthly. 12:01 <banana> Bogdan: "The microstructure of water is influenced by our emotions. The liquid becomes reflective in turn, emotion produced independently. This is not a living being, but it has the capability to sustain one. Your agent will be doing a considerably more robust version." 12:02 <VoxPVoxD> It looks like she's going to snap the poor man's neck before she holds him forehead-to-forehead and there's a staticky *pop*. Smoke trickles out of the soldier's ears, gently, and the spell is lifted. 12:03 <banana> It's hard to see exactly what changes, but Bogdan's pacing about, and the quality of the water does.. alter somehow. Aster has a sense of peoples' minds, too; the Process gives him a little tickle, infrastructure that allows the targetting of modules. He's getting the feeling that this fake-caleban is now something which could be subjected to Talon. 12:03 <banana> *neice 12:03 <banana> *niece 12:04 <Crion> Excellent, excellent. No reason to actually give himself the headache of testing it, especially if it could backlash to Bogdan or one of the children. 12:05 <VoxPVoxD> "Keep them close." 12:05 <tom> "WILLIE!" Bob hurls his weapon at the floor and then himself at the possessed soldier, planting his boot firmly on the man's chest as the two go down hard on the broken tiles. 12:05 <banana> The soldiers writhe, scream a little. Rolf and Bob hold them where they are. More soldiers advance to join you, but with extreme trepidation and clearly not knowing what the fuck is going on. 12:06 <banana> The weak ghosts which inhabited their bodies come out through the eyes and mouth, streaming into nothingness - caught between Willie's warding and the etheric wash. The air warms suddenly. 12:06 <VoxPVoxD> "Vade retro!" 12:06 <Quaker> Badawi checks her watch. She’s gotta pick some people up from the airport in a few hours. 12:07 <tom> When the man comes to, his arm's been ruined by 7.62 NATO and the screaming American holding him to the floor. Admittedly not a fun way to end your shift. 12:07 <Quaker> “So, we throw the toaster at it…?” 12:07 <banana> Michael's back - with kitchen appliances, a couple of power cables, and defibrillator pads from a first-aid kit. Georgiou: "Let us see whether a strong shock can disrupt the the homeopathic structure of the compressed fluid." 12:07 <Crion> Aster makes sure he's well far back. 12:08 <banana> Tracey has her eyes closed. The floating figure has shrunk a little, the water growing denser and developing some sort of internal lines of bubbles. It raises an arm and makes a clenched-fist gesture. 12:09 <Quaker> “Plug the toaster in, Michael.” She takes the toaster and tests its weight in her hand. 12:09 <Quaker> She’ll move to about ten feet away from the water-figure. 12:10 <tom> Bob blinks back stress-tears as he rolls off the stricken soldier onto the glass. "Fuck. FUCK! MEDIC!" 12:10 <Quaker> “Hey, am I grounded?” She’s wearing normal sneakers. 12:11 <banana> When the possessed soldiers are done spasming, their squadmates move in - making much more orthodox use of first-aid gear. They'll actually try and herd the hunters away a little if nobody objects, but they're pretty sure you're the good guys. 12:11 <banana> One of the Army men folds his arms and tries to look at all composed. "Specialist Hughes, Corporal Goreman... ma'am. Senior Sergeant Faulkner." 12:12 <tom> The Corporal: "What did you do." 12:12 <hrolf> Rolf nods. "Sarge. Wot 'appened 'ere?" 12:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's about to call for a medic when she sees the first aid kits coming. She backs away without objection. 12:12 <tom> How badly hurt are the two men I just shot? 12:13 <banana> Faulkner: "Fucked if I know. We were boxing up your equipment and came across this battery, with the terminals all corroded. Dump- he's our mechanic- said it had to be thrown away." 12:13 <banana> It looks like they're actually kind of.. miraculously unhurt, for shot guys. Bullets went clean through flesh, barely any muscle tearing, easily-patched wounds. 12:14 <tom> "Hoooof." 12:15 <tom> Bob's heart is still pounding, the only sound that goes above the ringing in his ears. He swallows hard. 12:15 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes, your colleagues were possessed by a ghost." 12:15 <VoxPVoxD> "It has been driven out." 12:16 <banana> Badawi, shoes off, not on carpet, is judged 'safe-ish'. Two of the starchildren stand around watching with interest (Tracey is still seated); you both feel Michael 'reach out' mentally. It's a deliberately self-explanatory contact, not something you would have perceived on your own - he's offering to dump sensory impressions into your minds. 12:16 <banana> Out loud: "I can show you the experimental results live." 12:17 <Crion> Aster will accept. 12:17 <Quaker> “Uh...sure?” 12:17 <tom> He gets up off the floor and lets himself be corralled by the soldiers. Oh Christ, if they make us go into their headquarters... 12:17 <Quaker> “Alright. Stand back.” She lifts the toaster. 12:17 <banana> Michael nods. You both get a mental image - it's like being told not to think of a pink elephant. An intrusive thought in full colour and stereo. 12:18 <tom> He inhales hard. Are the soldiers like, pointing guns at us? 12:18 <banana> Badawi and Aster can both 'see' what Bogdan's doing through Michael's 'eyes', the simulacrum of consciousness he's maintaining within the water-mannequin. It's thinking, or he's thinking through it, artificially - a machine for mind, made of submolecular fluid patterns. 12:19 <Quaker> “Hyah!” She leans back and then lobs her arm forward, and spirals the plugged-in toaster into the thing’s chest. 12:19 <banana> Faulkner: "Okay, ma'am. On one level, that matches everything we've just seen and experienced. But just to clarify, what is this bullshit?" 12:20 <hrolf> Rolf: "'ighly experimental weapons tech, lad. We're 'ere to dispose of it before it 'urts anyone else." 12:20 <banana> One of the possessed guys has been shocked basically into unconsciousness by the gunfire, Rolf's impact and the exorcism. The other, Dealer, is weakly awake but not really capable of speech right now. 12:20 <banana> Sergeant Faulkner: "You have- we have- a ghost battery? They came out of the terminals!" 12:21 <hrolf> Rolf nods. "'Ghost' is an...harchaic term for some 'ighly experimental energy tech. Scrambles your brain. Drives you mad. Makes you turn on your mates. Not intended for wide use...and you can see why." 12:21 <tom> "Oh fuck offalready, Hughes." Bob makes a face, calming himself: 12:22 <banana> Badawi's aim is true and she gets entirely clear of the terminals. The sacrificial toaster splashes into the aquamannequin dead centre- and stops there, crackling and turning black. Bogdan: "We'll have to tender explanations to the power company." 12:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "We're here to take this dangerous equipment and bring it to a secure facility, so things like this can't happen anymore." 12:22 <hrolf> Rolf, gently, to Bob: "'e needs to know, lad. If it's the one one was found on a NATO base in Germany, planted by Soviet agents in 83." 12:22 <tom> "Hrhgh." 12:22 <banana> He's frowning with concentration. The livestream in your heads shows that the structure of the water is indeed being torn apart - waves of electrical energy are shattering its submolecular whatevers. The illusion of mind wavers, nearly vanishes. 12:22 <tom> He's right about one thing: "Your men are not trained in the safe operation of this equipment." 12:23 <banana> Bogdan holds it there for a while, seconds stretching on, then staggers- "Ugh. I can't keep up mains power." He raises his hands suddenly, smoke coming off the palms a little, and the floating water-guy is just a floating water-guy again. 12:23 <tom> "The Lieutenant isn't to blame for the friendly fire incident here. Do you have any other wounded?" 12:23 <banana> *keep up with 12:24 <Quaker> “Alright!” 12:24 <Quaker> “Electricity works?” 12:24 <Crion> Aster: "The results seem to speak for themselves." 12:24 <Quaker> “It seemed to be pretty torn up inside.” 12:24 <banana> Tracey opens her eyes a little, reaches down to the power switch by her chair and turns it off. "I can't believe that worked. Isn't it- worried about lightning strikes?" 12:25 <banana> Bogdan: "People aren't likely to run three-phase cabling into a reservoir. We have access to unusual information." He pulls up his coat a little. 12:25 <Quaker> “Hey, you guys know physics, right?” 12:25 <tom> He brushes bits of broken glass off his knees and sighs. "You need to get your men out of here, get the Lieutenant to a hospital, debrief. We can handle decontamination." 12:27 <tom> The ringing finally starts to subside. 12:27 <banana> Lieutenant Dealer mumbles something - blamelessly. Faulkner still seems to be in charge, though. He issues a couple of orders - stretchers, people to move things, people to take notes. "Incredible that something like this could exist. And incredibly dangerous... I'm glad you're taking it off our arses, which you've saved, but: have you got the transfer paperwork?" 12:27 <banana> "I'd love to get out of here. It's just that this stuff is obviously a big deal." 12:27 <VoxPVoxD> ...have we? 12:27 <tom> Bob reaches into his coat pocket and shakily presses the crumpled papers against Faulkner's chest. 12:28 <hrolf> Rolf hands his over. "'ere you go. I strongly suggest leaving quickly before...you know..." he drops his voice to a whisper. "'avana syndrome." 12:30 <banana> Tracey's guiding the water back into its container, flowing through the air. Bogdan keeps wringing out his hands and emitting little lightning bolts, whic evidently don't bother him as much as you'd think. Michael is still live-thinking an alternate view of the whole scene into Aster and Badawi's heads - strange alternate senses, perception of the five present minds, the links between them, 12:30 <banana> odd expanding auras... it's a weird scene. 12:31 <banana> Bogdan: "We have multiple staff physicists. I only dabble, but Tracey is a student and Mr. Kalmyris credentialed." 12:33 <banana> You don't know who Kalmyris is, but he's not present. What's the required physics? 12:33 <Crion> Aster: "Question. If I were to test the Talon module on this...how bad would the feedback be?" 12:33 <Crion> "I can feel the mind there. But I'd rather not risk tangible harm." 12:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "You'll find the requisitions, the chain-of-ownership documentation, as well as the memoranda required by subsections 4, 7, and 11 of the relevant Act of Parliament." 12:34 <VoxPVoxD> A little light treason. 12:35 <banana> Bogdan: "It's an interesting question. Your modules, Mr. Aster, are not the stuff of the stars.. so what would the interaction be? In my view, it depends on whether the attack physically goes after brain matter - in which case you'd disorder the water - or whether it disorders the psyche, which was mine." 12:35 <Quaker> “Okay.” Badawi picks up a yardstick from a bookshelf and gestures with it. “So, if I’m standing in the bed of a pickup truck that’s going 50 km/h” - she squats slightly and cocks the yardstick over her shoulder - “and I throw a bismuth-tipped javelin at a target as we go past, that’d give the javelin extra velocity or something?” 12:36 <Quaker> This is to Tracey. 12:36 <banana> Tracey stands up and stretches, looking somewhat worn out. "Oh, yes. That's how they get whales." 12:36 <Quaker> “You mean like harpoons?” 12:36 <Quaker> She looks at the yardstick with renewed interest. 12:38 <banana> Tracey: "Bismuth becomes a superconductor at ultra-low temperatures. Maybe the ultimate weapon would be a frozen metal rod with a cable running back to a generator..." 12:38 <Crion> Aster: "The difference is interesting...but mainly academic to me." 12:39 <banana> Michael hefts the water-filled urn to take it away, possibly just to dump it in the canal. 12:39 <Quaker> Holy shit. A lightning harpoon…thrown from a chariot? 12:39 <Quaker> Well, at least Bob won’t need convinving to help rig it up. 12:40 <banana> Bogdan: "You're preparing reasonably for this fight. I should still point out that physically fighting stellar avatars - what the dragonminds call calebans - is... you'll be subject to immense physical and mental power." 12:42 <tom> Bob wipes his mouth and curses quietly. He balls his hands into fists, white-knuckled, until the shaking stops. He glares at Hughes, but says nothing. 12:42 <Crion> Aster: "We are accustomed to such things." 12:42 <Quaker> “What do they actually do to people?” 12:42 <Quaker> “I caught sight of some kind of…eye-beam.” 12:43 <banana> The soldiers pack up. They're grateful that the three of you, who they believe to be American-aligned spooks of some kind, came in and saved the situation, took care of the experimental tech, etc... but they're quite wary about it. Faulkner accepts the paperwork, looking over it a little and finding everything on order. 12:43 <banana> *in order 12:43 <hrolf> Rolf gives Bob a hard stare. 12:43 <banana> As Lieutenant Dealer's stretcher is being borne out of the room he sits up a little to salute. "...you have the watch." 12:43 <tom> Bob salutes, never taking his eyes off Rolfie. 12:45 <banana> Georgiou: "Solar-pumped laser. It affects you pretty much as any other laser would. Recall that agents also have immense mass - they can hit you with the force of something far above their apparent size." 12:46 <VoxPVoxD> Once they're gone: "Right. The ghost is still here. You should unpack some etherics and help me sweep." 12:46 <banana> "As for the Gifts.. that varies. Astrologically, and based on your description of the strategy meeting, I believe Epsilon Eridani to be primarily Indigo-aligned..." He shrugs. 12:47 <Quaker> “How do you disrupt a laser?” 12:47 <tom> Bob, coldly: "I already have mine installed." He taps his visor, and there's a keening, high-pitched whine from the headset. 12:47 <banana> Tracey: "Very strong mirrors!" 12:47 <tom> He goes to pick up some ghost paint from the pile of gear. 12:47 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Right. Good work. We got out of that with a minimum of bloodshed." 12:48 <Quaker> Badawi writes all this down. Freeze…bismuth…mirrors…on…truck… 12:48 <hrolf> Rolf rummages around in some of the crates, nearly falling in and locates some etheric goggles and ghost tracer rounds.."Got it!" He opens up his gun and slots the bullets in. 12:48 <Quaker> “Which one is Indigo, again?” 12:48 <tom> Bob whistles and gesture for Hughes to throw him a magazine of glowing indigo ammunition. 12:49 <hrolf> Rolf bends down with a grunt and rolls them along the floor towards Bob. Don't want to throw that around in case it explodes in your face. 12:50 <tom> He takes up the magazine- huh, he even got the right caliber- and locks it into the rifle. 12:50 <banana> Georgiou: "An indigo child, like Mary Morgan... or Michael Acqours. The aura of Cosmos, in the indigo case, descends from Rasalhague, and is opposed by Deneb. They possess the power to access or affect minds... one far more strongly than the other." 12:51 <tom> He turns away and stalks off through the complex, sweeping the darkened rooms with his visor, which has taken on an unearthly blue-black contrast under the etheric filter. 12:51 <Quaker> “Isn’t Rasalhague from Battlemech?” 12:51 <banana> "A responsibly-trained Gifted will be a skilled healer and and facilitator of communication. Perhaps an interrogator, should such things be necessary. Rogues without such training - Mary Morgan, again - tend to projective empathy, and that's what I'd assume of her watery mirror." 12:52 <Quaker> “Huh.” 12:52 <Quaker> “Okay. There’s still one thing that’s been bothering me.” 12:52 <Quaker> “Aster, you were at the autopsy of those tripod pilots, right?” 12:53 <Crion> Aster: "That I was." 12:53 <Quaker> “What do you think about those things? Were they actually aliens, under everything?” 12:54 <Crion> Aster: "No. They were...assembled." 12:54 <Crion> "The good news is we don't believe that actual human beings were hacked apart or reduced to constituent organs to make them." 12:55 <banana> Bogdan: "That doesn't make them un-alien. Everything's created, somewhere." 12:55 <banana> "Whether by deterministic processes or a malevolent prime mover." 12:55 <Quaker> “Okay. But, not enslaved humans or anything?” 12:56 <Crion> Aster: "My supposition at this point is lab-grown." 12:56 <Crion> "The same way you'd clone an organ, let's say. Not full clone subjects." 12:56 <Quaker> “They seemed pretty reluctant to work with the Agent. Some of them, anyway.” 12:57 <Quaker> “Like they were fed up with it.” 12:59 <Crion> After a moment's silence. "We will need the best off-road vehicle we can find. Possibly more robust than a Range Rover. Certainly moreso than the luxury accomodation of one. We will need to stay moving at all times. It will be slow, with quite a wind-up, but that gives us time to evade. And of course, we must resist any mind control." 12:59 <Crion> "Literal harpooning seems, in this light, to be an excellent idea." 13:00 <Crion> "There's also jetskis." 13:00 <banana> Georgiou: "If that's the plan.. find some way to protect your driver, particularly, from coercion." 13:00 <banana> He snorts. "If I was asked to protect Mary the rockstar, I'd make her do that part." 13:00 <Quaker> “I’d take the car over the jetski. It seemed to have pretty total control over the water itself.” 13:00 <Crion> "I think I myself would be the most qualified to resist coercion. I'm unsure about the driving portion." 13:01 <Quaker> “We’ve got an expert driver. If we can figure out how to make a tinfoil hat for him.” 13:01 <banana> Tracey: "The aliens I've met did seem to have their own agency. I think they know they're kinda fake, too... they can be pretty melancholy." 13:01 <Quaker> “Wait, do those actually work?” 13:02 <banana> Bogdan: "No." 13:02 <Quaker> “Hm.” 13:02 <Quaker> “What does?” 13:03 <banana> "That the ungifted can access?" His usual confident mien drops for a moment. "Hm." 13:04 <banana> "Uh. I believe vampires, elves and so on have magical defenses against such things..." 13:05 <banana> Three hunters of the Nameless House roam the deserted government building. It's not going to remain empty for long - the Crown still owns this place, and it's right on the square, along with other administrative facilities. Someone will notice. But you've got time to move the gear out to your waiting vans, and first... 13:05 <Quaker> Badawi texts the Winter King: <hello just wondering do you have any sort of transferable/wearable protection against mind control. just wondering, for work. will pay in song, favors, money, etc> 13:06 <Quaker> “Could Mary Morgan…project a mental defense? Onto a driver?” 13:08 <hrolf> Rolf sees one hovering close by. He taps Bob on the shoulder, then slightly inclines his head in the direction without saying a word. 13:08 <hrolf> What does it look like? 13:09 <banana> The back areas of the building, as well as being a treasure-trove of once-classified equipment, house the cowering spirits. They've been trying to work up the resonance to haunt the men's toilets, but as-is they only manifest when Willie's brought into the room and forces them up against a tiled wall. 13:09 <banana> These things... came from an etheric battery, presumably. Do you intend to force them back into it, or is there some other plan? 13:10 <banana> The spirits, physically projected as wispy silhouttes against a bathroom wall, look like gnomes or something. Short people, adult but stocky, with enormous ears. 13:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Wait, those batteries are powered by faerie ghosts?" 13:10 <tom> He just sighs and shoulders his weapon. 13:11 <hrolf> Rolf: "'ow can you tell?" 13:11 <VoxPVoxD> "They came out of the battery! The soldiers said so." 13:11 <VoxPVoxD> "Fucking hell." To the gnomes: "Can you understand me?" 13:11 <hrolf> Rolf: "Right, but 'ow do you know they're fairies?" 13:11 <banana> Bogdan: "With the correct training." 13:11 <banana> Starling: <I wondered when the shoe would drop. We have a couple of people who can shield others against that kind of thing, particularly if it originates in Faerie.> 13:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "...I suppose I don't." 13:12 <banana> The ghost-shadows.. don't seem very intelligent. They gibber and twist against the wall like Plato's famous allegory. 13:12 <VoxPVoxD> Did Rolf just call her racist? Correctly? 13:12 <VoxPVoxD> She needs to do soulsearching. But first, there's these souls they searched for. 13:13 <hrolf> Rolf throws his hands up in the air. "'oo cares? We need to get the gear and go. Let's finish up 'ere." He pulls his gun and aims. 13:13 <Crion> Aster: "I presume that if we brought her here for such training it would start a full-on civil war with the Athletic outfit." 13:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Stop." 13:14 <VoxPVoxD> To Rolf: "Keep your gun on them, but don't shoot. Bob, check the battery." 13:14 <hrolf> Rolf puts his gun down and gives Willie a puzzled look. "'ave any other ideas?" 13:14 <Quaker> “Not that we wouldn’t enjoy helping you win that civil war.” 13:14 <banana> Bogdan: "Maybe, maybe not. If you could get that woman to voluntarily return to school, it would be an amazing feat." 13:15 <Quaker> “I think that ship has sailed. She’s really not interested in listening to any kind of authority. We can barely get her to take her own people’s security seriously.” 13:15 <Crion> He sighs. "Well. It's at least worth seeing if she's figured out how herself in the interim." 13:16 <banana> Bob's good at taking things apart. 13:16 <tom> Bob, not taking his weapon off the ghosts: "The batteries are going to be with the Mjolnirs." 13:16 <tom> He sighs. "The Mjolnir is powered by ghosts." 13:16 <Quaker> To Hatch Starling: <Okay, that helps. its definitely not from faerie. its from an alien (kind of) star being. if anybody you know is up for an adventure let them know we need a psychic shield?) 13:16 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "These things are harmless. If they are from the battery, then the battery will contain the means to let them pass on without further violence." 13:17 <tom> "Yeah." 13:17 <Quaker> AB: <We can discuss it at the concert too :) > 13:17 <hrolf> Rolf: "Won't shootin em do the same fing? Let em move on?" 13:17 <banana> Once you retrieve one... The exterior is like a car battery, lead-acid, but the plastic top's been burst as if by a gas-expansion explosion. Inside is a veneer of the chemical cell that should be present, containing a great deal of toxic residue.. but unscrew and fiddle and de-cap it, and there's no liquid inside. Just a rush of air and... this is kind of fucked up. 13:17 <banana> They're like siamese acorns? A doubled-up acorn, two kernels but one partially merged outer shell, grown together. Looks quite old and hardened. 13:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It'll leave behind negative resonance that will attract more problems later. Also, why kill something when you can just let it go?" 13:18 <Quaker> To Aster: “Have you got her number?” 13:18 <VoxPVoxD> Like pigeons on the estate. 13:18 <VoxPVoxD> Klaus used to shoot. 13:19 <hrolf> "Negative resonance." Rolf lets the roll around on his tongue. "Well, wotever. Let's get this done sharpish, yeah?" 13:19 <tom> Bob forces the shell off with a screwdriver and pops free the casing. He tosses the uncapped battery to Willie. 13:19 <Crion> Aster: "Mary's? Of course." 13:20 <Quaker> “See if she’ll pick up.” 13:20 <VoxPVoxD> What are we looking at, here? 13:20 <banana> Nuts. 13:20 <Quaker> She turns to face Tracey. “Wait, did you say you met aliens? Earlier?” 13:20 <Crion> He dials from contacts. 13:21 <banana> Tracey: "I did. They helped me escape from Wythenshawe." 13:21 <VoxPVoxD> Metal or like acorns? 13:22 <Quaker> “They helped you? Were they like the ones I described?” 13:23 <VoxPVoxD> She shakes it about a bit. "Fucking hell." 13:24 <hrolf> Rolf: "You'd know." 13:24 <banana> Tracey: "Yes, like the plant-tentacle guys. Wythenshawe is where Benni is from, and most of the second and third waves... there are four separate estates, so it's a horrible place for people but also has these lovely green spaces. For some reason, Cosmos likes to talk to me through parks." 13:25 <banana> It takes Aster a while to get through - Reveille's frequently busy. Eventually: "Sup, A.A." 13:25 <tom> Bob, dead-eyed: "You have to destroy the nut, Willie." 13:25 <Quaker> “Huh.” 13:26 <hrolf> Rolf opens his mouth, looks at Willie, and then shuts it. 13:26 <Quaker> “Where do they live? If they’re not actually waiting in orbit.” 13:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie keeps a straight face. 13:26 <tom> Bob collapses onto a crate of ammo and just busts a gut laughing. "Oh christ, I have brain damage." 13:26 <Crion> Aster: "Hello, Mary. Agostina would like to speak with you. We're consulting on the imminent resolution of your issue right now. I'll put her on." 13:27 <hrolf> Rolf's not going to disagree. 13:27 <VoxPVoxD> She tips the thing over enough to be able to pluck the acorn from within with her fingertips. It catches fire. The smell is at once woody and chemical. 13:28 <VoxPVoxD> Her fingertips glow orange. She keeps an eye on the ghosts. 13:28 <banana> Aster hears a brief "Ah, Christ-" as he hands the phone over. Badawi gets: "'Ello then." 13:28 <tom> "Hahhh..." He suppresses the last of the giggling. Christ, why can't it all be like this? Why does it have to be so fucking hard. 13:28 <Quaker> Badawi takes the phone and puts it on speaker, and makes a shushing noise to the Mensans. “Hi, Mary. Got a question for you.” 13:28 <tom> Phrasing. God damn, dude. 13:28 <banana> The ghosts do not catch fire. They turn wobbly around the edges, and move slowly, then begin to slide up the wall. 13:29 <banana> Fading as they go.. they ascend through the roof. It's snowing up there, so hopefully they don't mind. 13:29 <Quaker> “We’ve got a pretty good idea of how we’re going to take on the Agent. Thing is, we need to make sure our driver is protected from mind control while he’s driving. Do you have any experience with that sort of thing? Projecting an anti-mind control field onto somebody?” 13:29 <banana> Mary: "Yes. Unfortunately." 13:29 <banana> "There was- yes." 13:30 <hrolf> Rolf cranes his neck as he watches them go. "Well, 'allelujah. Just need some 'arps playin to really warm your 'eart 'ere." He looks back down and claps his hands. "Alright, lets start packing. Chop chop." 13:30 <Quaker> “Uh-huh. Okay, well, no pressure, but would you feel comfortable doing that in the field again?” 13:31 <Quaker> “If you can’t, no worry. We’ll find another way.” 13:32 <tom> "We got lucky nobody died tonight. It's not funny," he reminds himself, audibly, shuffling over to take up the first crate with a quiet 'oof'. 13:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It wasn't luck. It was skill and fast action." 13:32 <VoxPVoxD> "You both did very well." 13:34 <tom> "That's the job." Bob slaps a crateful of ODIN reticles into the back of the first humvee. 13:35 <banana> Mary: "Er.. willing, yeah, I'll do it. If I can. I held off Chex when we were getting out of Wythenshawe-" This is the second time in five minutes. Then again, Badawi's talking to connected people about connected things. "If you're talking about my star stalker... I'll try." 13:36 <Quaker> “Would you be more comfortable if you had some help? We have some friends who might be interested. Not exactly a one-for-one match, but you wouldn’t be alone.” 13:38 <banana> Mary: "Aggie, this whole thing is me asking for help. I'll take whatever you're selling." 13:39 <Quaker> “Alright, we’ll see what help we can get. Thanks, Mary. Talk to you later.” She hangs up and hands the phone back to Aster. 13:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie can move boxes around with the best of them. While Rolf's occupied, she does work up the nerve to take Bob aside. "Hey." 13:39 <Quaker> “Why is everyone escaping Wythenshawe? What is it, some kind of psychic prison?” 13:42 <banana> The MENSA meeting's basically over at this point - Bogdan has clearly lost some interest - but Tracey Palico doesn't mind hanging around chatting to hunters. The whole thing fascinates her, as long as she doesn't have to go somewhere dangerous. "It's just a bunch of housing projects where the typical expected career is like, Burglar, or Highwayman." 13:42 <tom> Bob cringes, but only a little. He sets down another box of- what did he call them- V.D.S.B.s?- in the back of the humvee and stretches theatrically. "Yeah. Good idea. Time for a break." 13:43 <banana> Tracey: "It's also the place where most Gifted have been born and grew up over these decades. That's why we're mostly... problematic." 13:43 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Look. I'm sorry if I was rude before. But I hate this. Please talk to me." 13:44 <Quaker> “So, do you mean escaping it figuratively?” 13:46 <banana> Tracey: "Ph-physically moving away, getting out of the social orbit. I don't know what anyone else means." She's watching Badawi speculatively now that most of the others have gone. 13:46 <banana> "You've got some kind of power too, right?" 13:46 <tom> There's a stack of pallets on the asphalt in the loading bay next to the truck. Bob sits, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. "Oh, word." He reaches for the breast pocket on his uniform with a trembling hand and produces the now almost-emptied carton of cigarettes. 13:47 <tom> "Of course you didn't know. What the fuck was I thinking, sayin' that shit." 13:47 <tom> "Jesus, Willie, I'm so sorry." 13:47 <Quaker> Badawi takes some gum out of her pocket and pops a chiclet in her mouth, and offers one to Tracey. “Man. We’ve really got to kill Benni sometime. Yeah, I can do things. Not really in the sense that you’ve got. It’s more…internal.” 13:48 <banana> Tracey: "You want a m-mind shield, but your body is- the forces affecting you are dampened. Filtered, maybe." 13:49 <banana> "It's like there's someone monitoring the light and gravity, making sure they're authenticated for contact." 13:49 <Quaker> Badawi: “I went on a plunging voyage into space and made contact with the great Beings of the hidden universe.” 13:50 <Quaker> “They blessed me with a lightening soul.” 13:50 <Quaker> “Now I can eat pretty much whatever I want without gaining any weight!” 13:51 <VoxPVoxD> Willie only tears up a little. "Forget it. It's okay. Just... whatever it is, I feel better knowing you're there. That you don't feel like you have to hide from me. I need... all of my friends. I keep losing brothers." 13:52 <banana> Tracey laughs. "B-bullshit, but that would be a pretty good deal. Do you want to see our library of puzzles?" 13:53 <tom> Bob wipes his eyes, shakes his head. He holds up a cigarette. "...Left the lighter in the truck," he mumbles. 13:53 <tom> "What a fucking night, huh." 13:54 <VoxPVoxD> Willie laughs weakly as she lights Bob up. She touches the tip of one of her own cigarettes to his. "Yeah. Yeah." 13:54 <tom> "We never shoulda lied to those poor fucks! I had to shoot two guys tonight!" He slaps his free hand weakly against the wood pallets and inhales the acrid smoke. 13:54 <Quaker> “You know what? That sounds great, Tracey.” 13:55 <Quaker> Badawi glances at her watc- fuck!! 13:55 <Quaker> “Some other time, though. I gotta get to the airport.” 13:56 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I don't like it either." 13:56 <VoxPVoxD> "But what's the alternative? They steal the gear and use it to hunt freelance?" 13:56 <VoxPVoxD> "What kind of lunatic would do that?" 14:01 <tom> Bob smiles sadly and smokes in silence.