Chapter 3.3: a belated meeting

[yhlee]

At 0800 local time, Ashari sends out a notice that everyone [= all the PCs and associated NPCs] should assemble for a planning meeting at 0830 in Conference Room A (the ballroom from last night).

At the same time, Ashari specifically messages Dar and asks her to set out a quick breakfast for the meeting, "nothing elaborate necessary, sorry about the short notice." [Dar is free to argue with this over the messaging system.]

Ashari will be in Conference Room A at 08,00 themself, pacing around and muttering and looking agitated, for anyone who shows up early. Among the early birds are Gerae, who keeps checking a nanny-cam app on his slate that keeps an eye on Fluffy and the baby Vraselian pseudo-dragons, and Istradez, who is looking around wistfully for non-sweet food.

ETA:
When most of the group has assembled, Ashari, still clearly ill at ease, says abruptly, "Some of you may be aware of the staggering emptiness of this timeline. I have decided that we need to evacuate, and soon, even though it means abandoning the base. Discuss."

[Please feel free to continue/wrap up threads from the previous move, Ch. 3.2. I will be responding to some threads there shortly.]

[Jedao's report to Sasha and Reshad will be forthcoming in a comment to this post shortly, once I remove a certain catten from my desk.]

Comments

the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[zuhrovet]

Sasha lets her tea mug click on the table. "Right. Let's get moving. We need a team to gather supplies and assist in breaking down the station--Sulen and Dar, you're the leads there. We need a team to remove the harnesses on the other moths." That means Alaric, Shess, and the Cantata in its new drone. Bright stars, maybe Reshad as well--someone capable of talking to humans has to warn the other crews what they're getting into.

"Remi, I want you focused on whatever we can learn about moth predators, or whatever else might be out there. We'll find the mothlings a couple of babysitters. Jedao, you have the Cantata's weapons, for now. Seyli, Xiulan, I want you in four places, but we haven't learned how to jump time that fast. Will you take backup on the weapons, or go with Sulen and Dar?"

[If you want your character to have a particular assignment, say the word, either in or out of character!]

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[chomiji]

Dar raises her hand like a schoolchild but gives up almost immediately and calls out: "I got a question! The other teams - did they get briefed too? Things work better if we work together."

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[yhlee]

[Assume for the purposes of the GM not having to invent 50 single-use NPCs that the other teams got similarly briefed and will cooperate for the purposes of getting y'all off this station.]

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[chomiji]

[LOL, I certainly didn't expect you to do so!]

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[zuhrovet]

"We won the first meeting slot, because we're all so well-rested. So the moth team gets an hour to prep."

And Sasha gets to pick which grid nodes to scrub, in what order. Ankat may be grumpy, but that's easier to deal with than Ashari smiling.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[venndaai]

Sulen nods, and Space!AirDrops their supply lists to Dar. They look enquiringly at Deyna, who mentioned helping with supplies.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[hoardingpearls]

"I can escort the moth-freeing crew-" especially if they need help talking to crew, or come to it, other moths - "or I can start learning weapons, although that might be best saved for a non-crisis situation." Reshad angles her head as if to say, your move.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[stormglass]

Xiulan listens to Seyli’s response and nods. “Good info. thank you.”

The formation instinct mention is mentally flagged for further follow up, but she decides that one can wait until after the meeting wraps up. That time is particularly precious right now has not been forgotten. And soon enough, talk has indeed shifted back to immediate next steps. Xiulan looks to each person that Sasha names.

“Backup on weapons,” she says in response to the question aimed at her. “I went over the specs and systems info you sent, but hands on will be the best next step.”

“Speaking of which, how are we handling calls to fire?” A pause and she decides at least some of the audience could likely use elaboration. “Particularly if either of the other two moths have weapons too, who’s in charge of telling everyone to fire - or not - if a hostile is spotted? I’d say those of us on the Cantata, unless someone on one of the others has more experience in the area.”

She suspects not.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[kese_seyli]

"I'm trained on breaking down bases if you need me there, or handling weapons. I honestly doesn't matter where you send me between the two of them, I can handle myself." Weapons wouldn't be their favorite, sitting with Jedao, but it would soothe them to be there along side of him, knowing they'd know instantly if he decided to cause any issues.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[yhlee]

Jedao considers Xiulan assessingly. "I took the liberty of looking at personnel files," he says without sounding apologetic in the least. "Someone trusted should be in charge of fire control. I realize you're not from the hexarchate, but under the circumstances, since I cannot volunteer"--he doesn't look at Seyli--"I would recommend you for the position. I can handle the actual gunnery."

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[zuhrovet]

"If only the Cantata is involved, it's yours, Xiulan. But we should expect Kaliyan to coordinate combat, on the Typhoon, as long as we're all in contact. She and Ankat are former Kel--we've got the science team." Less science, really, and more engineering--making do with paperclips and other stray bits of wire.

"Seyli. Let's put you with Sulen and Dar." If they're wishing they could report to Kaliyan instead, well, Sasha might have chosen her too--but if sagewort grew on your tongue, you'd be a fucking teacup.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[stormglass]

[Wrapping up here and hopping over to the new thread next. Sorry for the delay! I kind of lost a couple of weeks there.]

Xiulan doesn’t bat a lash at Jedao’s admission of reviewing personnel records - she had done the same after all and defaulted to assuming the same of everyone else unless demonstrated otherwise. Indeed, she instead gives a small smile at the forthrightness.

“I can do that,” comes with a nod of agreement about fire control. And given what she’d learned yesterday...well, he’s right.

She is likewise sanguine about what Sasha says of Kaliyan coordinating combat overall when relevant. A lack of plan to keep all three moths from firing indiscriminately would have been the thing to get a rise.

“We’ll link up with the Typhoon when we’re aboard.”

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[yhlee]

[No apologies necessary--Life happens to everyone, and honestly, it's been...an unusually large amount of Life in general.]

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[stormglass]

[Thank you. I know we’ve all likely been dealing with A Lot lately. Best of luck (and good health) to everyone!]

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[chomiji]

Got it, Dar acknowledges.

She starts to put away the remaining perishables, leaving the hot tea, pastries, and so on out. She'll head for the warehouse next, summoning the freight servitors and some smaller loading models as she goes.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[flowersforgraves]

Deyna is maybe more disappointed than she should be, considering Sulen's active interest in her inclusion. But she's really itching to get her hands on the Cantata's weapons system.

"Send it to me too," she says, hoping her nerves disguise her disappointment.

Re: the immediate future - paging everyone, especially Seyli and Xiulan

[chomiji]

Dar gives Deyna a quick, sympathetic smile and passes her the info.