Saturday, April 12, 2014

Wordslingin'

Back to Oxford, where some of Our Heroes (tm) return to their day jobs, others attend highly intellectual conferences, and yet others get out as quickly as they can.


[Georges the GM recaps how our last mission turned out.]
Georges the GM: "Morris would have preferred something more..."
Julie: "Flashy?"
Georges the GM: "Shocking."

[We return to Oxford.]
Georges the GM: "Fennec has gone back to her... shipping container. Home sweet home."

[The rest of us have also returned to Oxford.]
Georges the GM: "I know what Todd's doing with his time. I know what Lyta's doing with her time. I do not know what Lukas is doing with his time. ...Though I might have some ideas."

[Georges the GM presents some of his ideas.]
Georges the GM: "Lukas could be in a bar, working simultaneously on seducing and annoying people."
Brock: "I have not been annoying people in bars. For one thing, I am not annoying."

[First on the list of things to do: meet Radsley and tell him how the op went.]
Brock: "Fennec can bring her 20% worth to the meeting, and I'll carry the proxy for the other two."
Zac: (dryly) "No, he's not annoying people at all."
Brock: "Perhaps I should say, not annoying people."

[Lukas and Fennec meet Radsley at a fancy coffee shop.]
Zac: "I repeatedly insist I just want a coffee."
Brock: "I too would like a coffee-flavored coffee."

[Torgath also wants to be at the meeting.]
Julie: "I thought we were being represented by proxy."
Georges the GM: "I thought you'd be represented by proxy even if you were there."

[Lyta is not at the meeting. Which doesn't mean that her player isn't at the table.]
Okran Radsley: "So, who's the contact?"
Julie: (in stage whisper) "Lucian Jacobi."
Zac: "...She says in your earpiece."
Brock: "That's the voice of my memory."

[Radsley congratulates us on a job well done.]
Okran Radsley: "Good job. Nicely done. Nobody killed or severely maimed."
Lukas: "Traumatized."

[Just a truism in this game.]
Lukas: "It takes some of the cachet away when you ask me how I know these things."

[Radsley appreciates our straightforward nature.]
Okran Radsley: "You never struck me as a man of mystery."
Lukas: "Sometime I'll share something with you that'll change your mind."

[Okran Radsley has our next job lined up. It's a big one.]
Okran Radsley: "Payment is... well, it's a good problem to have."

[The next job involves semi-prefab homes that we can smuggle out of the Alliance into the Badlands.]
Fennec: "So, how big are we talking?"
Okran Radsley: "I literally meant a train load."

[More on the size of the cargo.]
Okran Radsley: "Moving an entire train through the Humanist Alliance is... challenging, from an administrative point of view."

[The Comptroller has a guy who could move an entire train through the Alliance. We want to make it so we don't have to use him.]
Lukas; "We need to compromise that guy?"
Okran Radsley: "We need to... temporarily indispose him."

[We think about where we might sell 600-700 semi-prefab homes. Option 1: Khayr ad-Din. Option 2...]
Georges the GM: "Another place that springs to mind is Jan Mayen."
Julie: "Yes, tell Lyta we're supplying homes to GRELs. See how that works out for you."

[More on the issue of distribution.]
Lukas: "Do you know anyone who can buy a town?"
Fennec: "I might know someone who knows someone."
Julie: "What do you wanna bet the people Fennec's people are gonna introduce her to are our people?"

[Meanwhile, at the Oxford Institute for Physical Advancement, Miranda has tracked down Lyta at her day job and seems very happy to see her.]
Georges the GM: "She gives you a big hug. Well, a Humanist hug."
Zac: "What's a Humanist hug?"
Brock: "Like a regular hug, but more awkward."

[Lyta is happy to see Miranda too.]
Lyta: "I'm glad everything's fine. Everything is fine, right?"
Miranda Petit: (unconvincingly) "...Sure."

[Miranda's old mentor, Elroy Krog, died of complications to his wounds, leaving Miranda essentially on the streets.]
Miranda: "I gave a couple of fake names and tried a couple of fake accents."
Zac: "She'll fit right in."

[Other people are less happy to see Miranda.]
Brock: "She's the only person in the Humanist Alliance who's not a fellow criminal, who knows that we are."

[Lyta brings Miranda to dinner. She asks Lukas if they can talk privately so she can tell him what's going on.]
Lukas: "Fennec, order dinner for everyone."
Fennec: "So you want me to read this menu and order for everyone?"
Lukas: "Unless you think that's above you."

[Lyta and Lukas have slightly different ideas on the topic of charity to young people we may or may not owe anything to.]
Lyta: "I told Miranda she could stay in our apartment for a few days."
Lukas: "...Our apartment?"

[Lukas agrees that Miranda can stay for a few days, especially since he and Fennec will be leaving for Khayr ad-Din to set up the Badlands portion of the next op. Theoretically.]
Lukas: "So, Khayr ad-Din tomorrow?"
Georges the GM: "That's when the conference starts."
Fennec: (hesitantly) "...You wanna go tomorrow?"

[Fennec explains that the Oxford Academy of Sciences conference begins the next day.]
Lukas: "You have an interest in genetics?"
Fennec: "It's been coming up a lot lately, don't you think?"
Lukas: "Yeah. That's why Grizz is going."

[Lukas agrees that Fennec can stay in town for the conference and join him in Khayr ad-Din afterwards. Torgath will also be staying in Oxford.]
Lukas: (to Torgath) "You're staying here? Do not creep the kid."
Lyta: "I will hurt you."
Lukas: "More to the point, I don't want her to have reason to talk to a Protector in the sort of room where they give her an anthropomorphic doll."

[Torgath isn't getting to a great start on the whole 'not creeping the kid' thing.]
Miranda Petit: "Why is he looking at me like that?"
Lyta: "Because he doesn't understand people?"
Fennec: "I'd say he's harmless, but he's not."

[Torgath and Fennec have been preparing for the Oxford Academy of Sciences conference. This involves a lot of research. Research and... other stuff.]
Georges the GM: "Torgath has come across the names of several important researchers for the OAS conference."
Ariel: "I make trading cards."

[Torgath recognizes one of the names.]
Georges the GM: "Isabella Demosa is a GREL genetic researcher. You've met her before."
Julie: "Oh, right, she's the one Lyta left the room for."

[One track of the conference at the Oxford Academy of Science involves webbling technology.]
Georges the GM: "There's no indication that webbling technology has been tested on humans."
Julie: "Officially."

[The conference begins with Arthuro Neeson's opening lecture on genetics.]
Zac: "Do I get to make a knowledge check to see if I'm bored stupid?"

[Also at the conference is Isabella Demosa, the GREL geneticist.]
Georges the GM: "Roll human perception."
Ariel: "Three."
Georges the GM: "That's enough to realize the entire room is uncomfortable with Demosa being there."

[Demosa and Torgath slip away for a private chat.]
Isabella Demosa: "And how are you doing?"
Torgath: "I'm not good at science."
Isabella Demosa: "Oh? Why are you here?"
Torgath: "Science."

[Fennec has noticed Torgath speaking with Demosa.]
Zac: "He led me to believe he was on some insane quest for trading card signatures."
Brock: "As though that would be out of character."

[Isabella Demosa has informed Torgath that she has more information for him, which she would rather give him somewhere less conspicuous. They agree to meet in a public park. But it's always good to have backup...]
Torgath: "Wanna come to a secret meeting?"
Fennec: "Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

[Fennec leaves a note for Lyta to explain where she went.]
Fennec: (in note to Lyta) "Off to secret meeting with Grizz. If I don't come home, send help."

[On the way to the meeting with Demosa the GREL...]
Fennec: "Are you meeting a person?"
Torgath: "...Depends on how you define that."

[Torgath introduces Fennec to Isabella Demosa.]
Torgath: "This is my friend Natasha. She's... mostly trustworthy?"
Fennec: "Reliable, I'd say."
Torgath: "Yeah, mostly trustworthy."

[Isabella Demosa has met Torgath once before, at Hotel Bravo.]
Isabella Demosa: "I had wondered whether your odd behavior was a persona the first time we met."
Torgath: "...Odd behavior?"

[Isabella Demosa begins telling Torgath about the Chatterbox pilot we sent Doc Chambers, and in doing so also references some of the other people we've sent the Doc over the past few cycles. Obviously, Fennec is not supposed to know any of this.]
Torgath: (to Fennec) "Um... pretend you didn't hear any of this."

[Demosa also lets slip Torgath's real name, not realizing he's not using it here.]
Zac: "I'm learning more at this secret meeting than I have since I joined this outfit."

[Demosa informs Torgath that there aren't many people who could do the sort of genetic/webbling work we've seen. One name that comes up is Dr. Bearden, an Earther she believes died in the war.]
Torgath: "Do you have any of Dr. Bearden's work I could read?"
Isabella Demosa: "It's all been classified or expunged."
Torgath: "But do you have anything I could read?"

[Torgath asks Demosa about her interest in genetics.]
Isabella Demosa: "The GRELs are a race with no future, waiting to die."
Torgath: "That's sad."
Julie: "No."

[Three guys in hoodies approach the semi-covert meeting spot.]
Georges the GM: "They don't look like cops. They don't have the authoritative bearing."
Zac: "Angry mob?"

[They are, in fact, a proto-angry mob. They don't like GRELs.]
Fennec: "This GREL is a guest of the university."
Mook: "She's not my guest."
Brock: "And that's the caliber of the crowd."

[The two sides size each other up.]
Ariel: "How are they armed?"
Brock: "It's the Humanist Alliance."
Zac: "They're armed with righteous indignation."

[Combat looks about to ensue.]
Brock: "It's a shame neither of you is a close-combat specialist."
Julie: "If the close-combat specialist were here, she'd attack the GREL."

[Almost, almost about to ensue.]
Zac: "Let's quiet things down nice and quick."
Brock: (as Fennec) "Help, help, I'm being oppressed!"

[One of the mooks has a heavy pool ball. Another has a pipe.]
Zac: "It just keeps escalating."
Ariel: "I'm fine with this."

[Fennec and Torgath succeed in putting down the mooks relatively quickly, breaking the arm of the guy with the pipe in the process.]
Ariel: "I take the ball and the pipe."
Brock: "Well, take his wallet, at least."

[Demosa seems ready to leave after the altercation.]
Torgath: "I guess I'll just keep sending interesting people we meet to our mutual friend?"
Brock: "Who has already been named in this conversation."

[Torgath and Fennec leave the park before the Protectors show up.]
Torgath: "So, that was exciting. Please don't tell Jax about anything."

[More of the same.]
Zac: "No, no. I appreciate this. I like feeling included."
Brock: "Even though you can never tell anyone."
Torgath: "And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you in your sleep. ...Just kidding! ...Or am I?"

[Even though Fennec learned a lot more than she should have, the situation probably turned out better than a number of potential alternatives.]
Ariel: "I needed some backup who wouldn't kill Demosa on sight. I think I chose the right one."

[In the aftermath of the conversation...]
Brock: "Lukas is having a bad dream."
Georges the GM: "A GREL isn't being beaten."
Julie: "No, that's Lyta's bad dream. Lukas' is--"
Brock: "Information being shared... for free..."






Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

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