EVENT #07: ASPHODEL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

[vivalamods]

EVENT #07: ASPHODEL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT PLANNING

The Corsairs have been mobilized and preparations are underway. As negotiators are dispatched to Vindess to prepare for the evacuation under Imperial noses, the crafters and suppliers set to work, preparing the new settlement and whatever airships can be spared for the evacuation. Some Corsairs have even taken it upon themselves to build or “liberate” more airships for the effort.

As always, when the goal is certain the Corsairs move as one. Together, they will see Asphodel completed. All hands are needed, the question is, where do you lend yours?

MISSIONS

Prepare Asphodel: Get the new settlement of Asphodel up and running to receive the refugees from Vindess.
Priority: Critical
Challenges: Corsairs will need to keep the settlement hidden while also making suitable housing and preparing farms and other amenities to sustain life. It will require a large amount of excavation to get in order, as well as construction of homes, furniture, and other facilities. The work will be backbreaking and the timetable is extremely aggressive.

Prepare Citizens for Evacuation: As the citizens of Vindess toil under Imperial lockdown, the Corsairs must prepare the entire population for evacuation.
Priority: Critical
Recommended Roles: Negotiators and Infiltrators
Challenges: Corsairs will need to convince the entire population to evacuate. There are a number of methods that can be employed, while many are going to be reluctant the Imperial crackdown has shaken the settlement and unease is high. There is evidence within the Imperial offices that Infiltrators can recover that show mass executions with lists of “dissidents” have been scheduled for April which the Corsairs might make use of if they choose to investigate. Other options include capturing potential dissidents and taking the entire willing population while executing or taking prisoner loyalists, or other methods the Corsairs determine for themselves to make this happen.


Acquire Airships: The Corsairs always need more airships, and moving an entire population will require heavy effort and can use as many ships as can be mustered.
Priority: Optional
Recommended Roles: All
Challenges: The Corsairs don’t have the major Ether Stones that serve as the airship engines and will need to either capture or salvage resources to increase the size of their fleet. While the Corsairs have been investigating airships that don’t require Ether stones, that research is still a distant dream, but some Corsairs may want to spend some time pushing that investigation along to see if they can make it a reality sooner rather than later.

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Comments

ACQUIRE AIRSHIPS

[theriflespiral]

When it came to calculations for war, when it came to understanding travel, when it came to dead reckoning and the ability to show up just about anywhere--

Well.

There was one person who had proved herself consistently at intelligence analysis as a member of the Elysium Network.

But while she has aided in the recovery of airships, the boarding of other ships, the analysis of shipping manifests, the calculation of demolition charges... Natalia Koutolika is only one person. For all her virtues, she knows there are holes in her knowledge, errors in her maths, and far, far too much both to do and at stake for one woman to work on things like this alone.

And so...

I -- Tracking Lost Baggage
While enacting her plan would have to rely on Flotsam support, there were no end of ways to find a lost airship. Start with missed shipments-- something she has received complaints of often enough in the past few months, as a world-ocean's weather can prove unpredictable at the best of times.

"... Of course, last month, there were several scuttlings, in response to attempted boarding actions by the Corsairs. Those ships were scuttled in approximately these places--" here she marks positions on the world map carefully with fouled anchors-- "based on rutters and witness accounts of various landmarks. But the Empire knows where those airships are, as well. I'm much more interested in the inter-island merchant aerine that have gone missing and not shown up for more than a week. These are almost certainly damaged. While some of them will be simply in distress and forced to land and affect jury-rigged repairs, it must be noted that many of these ships would be falling from such a height as to render survival for the crew highly improbable.

"If we can find these wrecks, I think we can salvage them with none the wiser. And if there are survivors, we can demonstrate that the Corsairs have better respect for their lives than the Imperial Companies."

II -- One thing to say...

... And another to do. The winds were starting to pick up, but the anchors were holding. Natalia listened to the waves, checked her chronometer, and kept a weather eye on the skies. Anyone out here, at this place, on the Eternal Ocean, might draw conclusions about anyone out here.

Though, if this foul weather happened as threatened, no engagement would happen today, regardless. She gives a nervous glance to the barometer, and wishes she knew who controlled the weather around here. "Perhaps still vacant...?" she mutters, in annoyance.

1 - Tracking like a BOSS

[supersmashbrother]

"Raph approves of this plan."

With arms crossed, the large turtle nods sagely from where he stands.

Having him as one of the representatives for Flotsam may not be the best for the planning stages, but he has experience with this. More or less, anyway. At least, he's been better at it lately. (Maybe not exactly within this particular context, but it's better than not having an opinion about any of it at all.)

"Salvaging shouldn't be too hard! An' I'm all for showin' what we can do as helping hands. 'Sides, if we're the only ones there, they'll have no choice but to see that we're doin' good!"

Re: 1 - Tracking like a BOSS

[theriflespiral]

She nods. "That is the plan. Now, comes time to turn plan into strategy. You, in particular. We have not yet met. You are Raph, yes? You're going to be, in addition to the other tasks if we're attacked... Crane?"

She blinks as she looks at the paper in front of her, which was probably hastily written in. She puts it down to the errors of haste, and asks, "You are a crane operator, then?"

All to the good, they needed someone with that kind of experience.

[supersmashbrother]

Raph grins. "That's right! I'm Raph."

He then blinks when she mentions what role he's tasked with, briefly puzzled by what she means by that. "What, didja think Raph was a bird?" Does his greenness and shell means nothing?

Fortunately, he doesn't take too much offense. With the correction made, however, he tilts his head. "Oh! That kind of crane!" Unfolding one arm, he forms a fist to thump his chest. "You got nothin' to worry about there. I've got plenty of experience!"

[theriflespiral]

"What luck! Saves me having to learn." While her skill with mathematics hadn't really started to stretch to the point Euler screamed until she started using it to arrange her company's shipments... Perhaps a crane-based martial art is taking it too far. Metal Kraken Stance would have to wait for some other time.

"Or perhaps I should learn the basics from you, so we have multiple crews working at the same time. Is something I can pick up on the way." She pauses again, then nods. "To take a moment to review my own role at the front, I will be navigating and helping assess the damage to salvaged equipment. I will also be supplying the Humboldt as a supply ship and lookout. In the event of combat, I will be providing long-range attack of high-value targets, and suppressing enemy melee contingent."

Read: She's a sharpshooter.

[supersmashbrother]

A thumbs-up. "Sure thing. Catch me afterwards an' I'll give ya a few pointers!"

Never mind the fact that Raph isn't actually on the same page as Natalia. He'll figure it out later.

His grin falters slightly as the rest of his face follows suit, simultaneously expressing both awe and concern. Because she did say what she said, right? He isn't mishearing that and it only makes sense to have someone have that duty while the others do their jobs.

"Alright! With any luck, we'll be able to do all of this without any interruptions. An' there ain't much cover out there anyway, so the rest of us need to stay alert."

[theriflespiral]

"Expect the enemy to have a say," Natalia warns, carefully. "That said, for this meeting, our objective is..."

She taps the top of a pile of paper. "Making sure of arrivals. I think there will be a few I have missed. I am not certain."

[supersmashbrother]

Raph nods, acknowledging the seriousness of the warning. They can't afford to mess around if it concerns salvaging material for their side.

"So we'll work with an estimation. How many more people do we need for the outing?" He likes team formats. Teamwork is awesome and if they have the numbers, it should go well. "Also, do the cranes crane? Maybe we should check them. Just in case?"

[theriflespiral]

"Depends on how many missing. Still-- this is an assay for the rest of the month, to see if this plan works. We're looking for the following ships' arrival in this particular port, a close diversion point on this shipping route..." We could go over the laundry list, but the important thing here is that they're starting to get into the careful work that doesn't involve breaking things yet.

And the time passes, either way.

Into II ~

[supersmashbrother]

And so it does.

CUT TO: the Eternal Ocean, winds blowing and waves churning.

From where he's seated, Raph is having a miserable time manning one of the cranes. Its metal neck pivots, abruptly starting and stopping between rotations and movements as ham hands push and pull on the levers. Out of the number of times he's tried to get something done, he partially succeeds in learning everything on the fly.

"Grah, now I see why April's got the license!" he yells into the wind, shivering despite the extra layer of clothing he has over his already-cold skin.

Re: Into II ~

[theriflespiral]

If there was any doubt in Natalia's mind as to what it was that had happened, this display on the boat was enough. Well, she supposed it might be expected. "How's those anchors!?"

"They're stabilizing as much as they can, but the seas--"

"Thank you!" It had been too rough to feed anyone for a little now, but the crane tug was, somehow, holding up. She paused, and looked into the water, struggling to look down into the wine-dark depths. Natalia just hoped that the kraken-hunting season had culled enough of them that the spawn weren't looking for a light lunch on the surface now.

She makes the agreed-on signal for Raph to start lowering the cable.

Damn it all. Of course the weather would be foul, why hadn't she planned for this!?

[supersmashbrother]

They should be thankful it hasn't been too rough, and Raph hopes the anchors stay where they are down there. For now, he'll just gripe aloud to himself about his life choices.

"'Yeah, I know how to work a crane!' I said. 'It can't be that hard,' I said. It isn't, but it can be a lot simpler if this thing just had a joystick an' a giant button instead of a million levers an' little switches!"

Sure, he's exaggerating, but the UFO catcher function makes more sense to him than...this whole setup. But he's sat with the crane long enough to get a better feel for it, leaning back in the chair to glance over a shoulder in Natalia's direction.

"There's the signal," he nods, returning to the panel to grab hold of the most important levers for the job. With hefty tugs, the crane lurches. "Here's goes nothin'. Crane work, ahoy!!"

All of the creaking levels out with a vibrating, metallic thrum spooling out cable and gear that hits the water with a heavy splash.

[theriflespiral]

She crossed her arms, and waited for the dredging claw to hit the bottom of the ocean. Even amidst the rough seas, she stared at the unspooling steel cable, as if best trying to determine how to kill it. She'd be lying at this point if she said this was a delicate operation, anymore, but sometimes, she just wished life would, you know, give her a break. Just every once in a while.

As a treat.

The cable started to slack, and the ship shifted a little where the crane had hit the sea floor. "STOP!"

Time to see if this would bear fruit.

[supersmashbrother]

Unlike the cable's descent, the tension in the air grows taut. Raph also watches the spool unfurl. Turning.

Turning.

Turning.

And then...nothing. He feels something drag and tug the air ship lower, but very little else shows that the claw has made it...until the cable slacks.

When Natalia calls out, he startles, almost jumping out of his seat.

"AYE AYE!" He yanks at one lever, and then another. One more crank and the spool wavers, now rotating in the opposite direction to recollect the line its put out.

Is there something attached? Metal groans and the wire cable vibrates its awkward, echoed pitch, loosening, tightening, seawater washing off of it and back into the ocean below.

[theriflespiral]

Slowly, the dredging shovel makes its way up out of the water, to reveal...

Mostly spoils and steel. Natalia smiles, and in the driving rain, shouts, "She's here!"

Now all they needed to do is raise her corpse.

Sorry for falling off of this!

[supersmashbrother]

Raph whoops, pumping his fist in celebration. "Aw YEAH!"

The levers are immediately worked, bringing up the useful pile deck-side. The shovel creaks as it lowers into place, dropping the goods with a cartoonish bounce.

"Alright! We're goin' all in!" Rinse and repeat, the crane shudders, cables running. The shovel head disappears into the deep. "Sure would be nice to have a better visual for this whole thing," the large turtle frowns, water dripping off of his face, the ragged tails of his bandanna, his poncho.

Re: Sorry for falling off of this!

[theriflespiral]

"Unless you can stay underwater long enough to guide it, we're sort of stuck!" The rest of the crew gets to work sorting the wheat from the chaff, while Natalia wipes the rain from her eyes. The anchors jerk the ship a little as the waves get higher.

"not yet. Hold together, you vital beast..."

[supersmashbrother]

"Underwater, huh?" Raph takes a moment to look over the side, holding his arms out to keep his balance when the ship leans.

It's so dark, it's intimidating. But he's been in the Hudson. A smaller body of water compared to a whole ocean, but it was still attached. It should be the same thing, right?

Abandoning his poncho by tossing it aside, Raph leaves his chair, gets up onto the ship's rail. "Then we'll make it quick!" With a roll of his shoulders, he raises his arms in front of him, using the ship's guided momentum to assist his next move:

Diving off of the side, like a professional wrestler on his unsuspecting opponent in the ring.

"Guiding! LikE A BOSS− "

Annnnd he's gone.

[theriflespiral]

Natalia quietly cusses in Russian as she runs for the crane controls, which, to be clear, are above water, on the tug, and mentally spares a word to whoever's listening. "i know you jerks exist here. I'll owe you a flask of vodka if we get back safe and accomplish the mission."

Of course, she doesn't know yet about the restrictions on gods, and if the god of the ocean's position is filled, they haven't made themselves known to the Corsairs.

But regardless, she keeps her hands on the controls and waits for some sort of sign.

"At least he knows what an Ether Drive looks like..."

[supersmashbrother]

News: the ocean is cold and wet.

Being a turtle, he should be used to navigating those things. And his impact into the water is like a cannonball, hurtling him down a bit before he breaks off into swimming. Raph's still not clear about the gods and their deal, but he hasn't seen any sharks or shark variants so far.

Much of his inner dialog is pretty self-aware, somewhere along the lines of 'Welp. Didn't think it was that deep' and 'Sure could use a light or somethin'' and 'How else are we gonna get a hunk of junk above sea level anyway', soon culminating into the light bulb effect he needs to complete his objective.

Above the waves and in the air, there isn't much else to look at. There may have been a faint glow in the water, but it vanishes just as quickly as it appears. There is silence, with only the wind and rain in accompaniment.

And then the ocean erupts.

A giant red head breaks through the waves, continuing upward with a groan of triumph as big arms and giant hands follow with more pieces of what used to be an airship in tow. Raph soon appears in the middle of his exoskeletal creation, crowing as he looks at the crew. "Look at me! I am the crane now!" Whatever expression he's making is shown on the projected Raph's face, and he's clearly excited if he isn't trying to be cool. "This is it, right??"

[theriflespiral]

She looks, closely-- and wrestles the levers on the crane to pick up one of the large, cylindrical machines and dump it in to the tug. "This is it! This is the drive!"

"The rest of the flotsam, ma'am?"

Natalia continued to salvage parts, including several intact aerofoils. Metal and specialty parts became the name of the game. "How much can the tug take aboard?"

"Not much, but if we can float the hull, we can drag her back to the Vault."

"Weather?"

"... Too rough."

"Thought so. We'll make do with this."

[supersmashbrother]

Once things are loaded, Raph lets the outer shell of his mystic barrier 'pop.' It's risky to time clinging onto the parts and the cable, but he manages, almost slipping since everything is wet and windy. Trying not to create more drag and weight on the crane and the side of the airship, he resummons one mystic arm, extending it upward so that he can latch onto the rail and pull himself up in an attempt to redistribute balance to the vessel.

(Not that they really have anything to worry about due to the ship's size, but better safe than sorry.)

"Here ya go," Raph says to the closest crew member on deck, hefting over the other piece of salvage he held onto. Seeing that the rest of the haul is aboard, he looks to Natalia. "Man. Feels like we'll never get dry at this rate."